1930's FASHION ILLUSTRATIONS by BONNIE CASHIN

FASHION DESIGN ILLUSTRATIONS BY BONNIE CASHIN


I found some old fashion illustrations I thought could interest some of my readers
They seem to be from the same illustrator, but are designs from different eras, perhaps the drawings were all done around the same time or maybe they are done over a period of over 40 years...you decide.
All I know is I think them brilliant......
I can see and smell the fabrics used
My commentary is my guess, as to what date the clothing is from... and what fabrics the clothing was most likely made out of.

I have studied fashion design through the ages.... so my guesses are educated ones.

I hope !!

Gene Tierney in the film "Laura" costumes by Bonnie Cashin...funny Gene was married to another famous designer in real life Oleg Cassini...so beautiful she was

NOTE: 
I just found out since I did this post that the sketches are by USA designer Bonnie Cashin.1907 to 2000...well how interesting...I wrote the below before I found out she was a costume designer when young, hence the designs below that I felt were costumes plus she designed in the 1940's for films...her most famous being "Laura" staring Gene Tierney... funnily enough a favorite film of mine...love Film Noir and the clothing in it...but never knew.
She later went on to start her own label...then was head designer for "Coach Bags" for over 10 years...Thank you so much to Scoop who told me the name of the designer find his blog Here

This dress I would say just post war 1948 or 49
The top part or bodice would be made of silk jersey or crepe, with the skirt in silk chiffon.
Undoubtedly a night club dress, or a dinner dress, folks dressed for dinner and drinks in those days.















The image at right would be mid 1930's in era.
The Chinese opium den looks was popular in the late Deco time.
This would be resort wear, over the top resort wear!! bathers or shorts with a Chinese top.
Fabric would be heavy cotton embroidered with thick twine, hat of course straw and ballet type swimming shoes worn in this style often on the Rivera at that time.


Now this one below is interesting

We could wear this now !!
I dated this at around 1910 same illustrator ...but when I look closely I think I can see a date of 1913 written in pencil down the bottom of drawing...pretty good guess.
Another evening dress or after 5 dress...I love the slit in the bell like sleeves, and the draping on the hips.
Fabric would have been a heavy silk jersey or crepe de chine, a  non shiny silk or perhaps velvet and silk.
Note the brooch detail to the side.
Very Boho indeed....
This one would be my 2nd favorite.
As I love Art Nouveau

Nothing much to say about the pic a right

I love it...the pose shape colors and design.

Most likely 1930's again.

Perhaps a costume for a play or show

a nymph or a pixie ?

At left..... again exotic beach wear
Bathers, and a Japanese style kimono wrap
Love the hat just a swimming cap with a frame
Again 1930's era
Swimmers would be halter neck, cotton knit as they were in those days...not a good look when wet.
And the kimono would be lined silk.



This one at right is called Elf
Probably 1920's and a costume again
Perhaps for the ballet
The Ballet Russe was very popular in those days.
Run by Serge Diaghilev a Russian emigre from the revolution.
Painters like Picasso, Chagall and Dali painted backdrops for his ballet's.
Some of his principal dancers included Nijinsky and Anna Pavlova.








This time left we have early 1950's era
Rather Audrey Hepburn I think, or Katherine Hepburn.
A pants and jacket like this would be worn during the day time.
It was still considered avant guard to wear pants in the early 1950's
I love the teal color combined with the lilac pants.
Fabrics used would likely be cotton padded or quilted for the top, which is a Chinese style again...could be silk... but I doubt it for daytime.
I adore this look and often wear it myself.

At right pic called Rodeo, maybe another costume for a musical, "Annie Get Your Gun" ?
Era guessing late 1940's

Above risque palazzo pant suit or PJ suit from the 1920's era done in a Poirot style popular then
Something like this would be worn lounging or for an informal dinner or get together
Very geometric Art Deco in all ways.... and would be made in silk

At right another pants outfit 1930's by the look
I love the ermine trim, on what would be velvet pants, and silk velvet and ermine top.
Worn once again at night for informal wear, or a gallery opening...something very Boho













At left
I have no idea about this one perhaps late 1940's
maybe a costume again.
No way would a chiffon dress be worn without a slip.
The illustrator or designer might have drawn this way to see dress details better.
Note the corsage worn at the waist very popular at this time.

Above my favorite...typical 1945 or 46...What a sexy dress...I can see a star of now wearing this.
Note the padded shoulders very 40's Joan Crawford in Mildred Pierce, she could have worn this.
Of course this is a back view and there would be fabric in the front covering the stomach.
This backless look was very popular in the 40's
A full on evening gown for dinner, dancing and nightclubbing, it would be made of hand painted silk and chiffon.
This has to be one of the most elegant gowns I have ever seen.

So there are by hidden treasures I hope you enjoyed seeing them, as much as I enjoyed showing you...there are no photo credits as these are mine, if you would like to use them please give me credit.
I leave you with an old 1930,s Vogue cover by the same illustrator...who she or he is ? I have no idea so if someone knows...please alert me.
As stated above the designs are by Bonnie Cashin...so now I know

Bonnie Cashin in the 1950's wearing her own designs..how elegant !!

4 PIECES

So I have been out spending up big time...Not !!

Not really, I am under strict instructions not to spend, but those that know me.......Well...know that I don't listen.
I did spend around $40.00 when I went to the "Big Smoke" last week
The excuse was...same as always...I can make money on those ha ha
Wrong...because again as always, I fall in love with things and can't live without them.
Curious yet ?
Well you should be....

FIRST ITEM

1950s Mother of Pearl or Paua Shell Sterling Necklace

Here we have a circa 1950's possibly from New Zealand MOP that's mother of pearl or [paua shell in NZ] necklace...cost $10.00...good deal.
Seeing that I collect MOP I will keep this, its a little long it should sit just on the base of the neck for full effect....I will remove 2 links and make earring out of the links... see below for results...two birds one stone.

ITEM 2

1950s Lariet necklace

This is another most likely 1950s find
A duck egg blue glass and brass Lariet style necklace.
Lariet is a type of necklace that just ties around the neck instead of having clasps.
I am very fond of this style, esp. with the tassels on the ends, it looks quite elegant on...quite a find I think, also $10.00
I have thought of keeping this...but seeing that I wear mostly silver, and i don't own much other jewelry of this color I will sell it ...it's not going to be easy though...I have thoughts... [I am trying to suppress] of a whole set in this color....

ITEM 3

1950s Czech glass and brass necklace

Another distinctively Czechoslovakian glass and AB crystals necklace made with brass or brass gilded gold findings.
This was a good find....the crystals aretopaz color Auora Boralis Czech fired crystals done with a thin film of multi color glaze.
This necklace is slightly "old lady" for me but the beads are amazing, so are the findings and the condition is perfect... for the age it is.
I can see myself taking this apart and using the components or findings for some of my projects...my mind tells me I can make something nicer and more contemporary with it...I love the long cream glass beads.
A steal at $5.00

ITEM 4

A 1940s Brooch or Pin ?

This find is a bit of a mystery, first I have not cleaned it, so I apologize for the dirt you can see, I tried to get the color right by taking a photo in a natural light see above...but it wont show true color which is more like a piece of washed up sea glass.
What is it?
Well at the moment it is a pin or brooch someone has crudely soldered a safety pin on the back.

That's the back in the pic above
By the look of it I would date it to mid 1940s war years a drop pin was popular then.
But it has had another life by the looks of it, Art Deco necklace would be my guess... or could just be Czech glass buttons, during the war re-invention and recycling was the go....so the plan is to try to revert it back into a necklace.
It's big and made of glass gilt and brass, it would look stunning as a necklace
Sigh* another project...another day.
Also a steal at $5.00

Another photo of pin:

OK so how did I go making my earrings mentioned above...
What do you think ? I am pleased....

So that's them with the necklace
Now the necklace sits well in the nape of my neck and the earring match quite well...the bottom part of the earrings.... the disc's and beads I already had.
They are light but, long and decadent.

Some of my Victorian Sterling Blister Pearl Collection

My circa 1900 or before blister pearl collection is another favorite I wear the lot !! all my MOP necklaces and all these rings I can't even find my better ones.....excuse the poor photos my flash did not work.
I will go into Blister pearls another time suffice to say they were a cheap way to buy pearls in the 1800s...real round pearls were rare
They are made from the "blisters" found in abalone shells.

All my MOP necklaces

You can see from the above photo why I wanted to keep the necklace I bought it matches others I own.
I wear all of these together as well as the drop earrings I made today, or another pair of blister pearl earrings I have...yes the lot...I know..believe me I know ...people do wonder, but I do at least wear my jewelery unlike my shoe collection.
But that once again is another post for another day.......

CZECH MOLDED GLASS JEWELERY

Back to the History of Jewelery !!

Art Deco circa 1927 molded or pressed glass Czech necklace

History of Czech or Bohemian Molded Glass Jewelery

Once again there is not much information on the internet about Czech molded glass.
There are some absolutely stunning wearable pieces of art around....and I have to admit.... a lot of it is owned by me !

A cottage industry began in the Bohemian cities of Jablonec, Stanovsko and Bedrichov in the 1500s. These glassmakers made beads for larger jewelry factories.
To expand the market for beads, Bohemian "sample men" canvassed Europe and returned with new design ideas. By the 1860s, the Czech bead industry had surpassed its rival, Venice. About the same time, manufacturers developed special molds and machines to produce pressed-glass.

Pressed or molded beads are associated with lower labour costs. These are made in the Czech republic. Thick rods are heated to molten and fed into a complex apparatus that stamps the glass, including a needle that pierces a hole. The beads again are rolled in hot sand to remove flashing and soften seam lines. By making canes (the glass rods fed into the machine) striped or otherwise patterned, the resulting beads can be more elaborately colored than seed beads. One `feed' of a hot rod might result in 10–20 beads, and a single operator can make thousands in a day.
The Bohemian glass industry was known for its ability to copy more expensive beads, and produced molded glass "lion's teeth", "coral", and "shells", which were popular in the 19th and early 20th century Africa trade.
Czech bead-making suffered setbacks because of two world wars, the Great Depression and Communist rule. Today, the industry has been revived, and Czech bead makers are again among the world leaders in bead manufacturing and exports.

Czech molded glass pieces of jewelery came to the fore around 1900

Travel had become very popular to those with money, a tour of Europe was not uncommon at all... for the rich.

People traveled often by boat [think Titanic] and night after night it was De Rigueur to wear different outfits and jewelery, and so started costume jewelery, a lot was made in Czechoslovakia....but often Czech beads were imported and made into jewelery in London, Paris, New York.

Art Nouveau or Arts and Craft's style was very popular and fancy pressed glass suited the style well.

The above photo is a set of mine in faux Jade molded glass, I said a few posts back that even though I own real jade, I am just as happy or even happier to own fake jade.

The pieces above vary in era some have been made or at least been modified by me, but they are around the 1915 circa.

These earrings I wear with the above set [flash makes the color look different] are fake or a copy. New made in Paris and most likely Czech molded glass made to look Art Deco....not many people years ago had pieced ears [except for some European country's] and earrings were usually screw back.

Once again Czech molded glass this time in mostly mottled pinks...I made the earrings from vintage stone...but the necklaces are circa 1935

Then came the machine age or Art Deco...the typical "Flapper" girl loved to wear jewelery shapes were becoming more square less rounded and flowing my first photo... the blue molded glass necklace circa 1927 shows this style to perfection.

Of course the long flapper length necklace or lariat was extremely popular too and many of the beads used were molded or pressed glass.

A transitional necklace half Deco and half Nouveau circa 1920 in Sterling signed

 

The above two photos should have been all together but I forgot one ! and I am missing one earring too.

All these necklaces [yes I wear the lot together] are Czech molded glass,and are original... so are the earrings although I modified them for my pieced ears they are transitional half Deco half Nouveau circa 1920.

Made in brass but silver plated you can see some wear but I think it adds to the beauty.

You will find that a lot of Czech pieces were not signed, and if you do have a piece signed usually Bohemia or Slovakia or Czechoslovakia, it will be worth a lot more.

Czech molded glass set circa 1930

Czech Molded glass set circa 1935

The above two sets that I own, are similar in color but there are subtle differences.

Green was a very popular color in molded glass, but another popular color was coral a particular favorite of mine......but then again.... I love molded glass so much I don't really care what color they are...all the colors were very vibrant...I think that's one of the reasons they are so beautiful.

So here is part of my coral set.

The necklace on the right with the marcasite is Czech original circa 1930 to 35 the other necklace I made [because I needed something to go with it]... out of vintage old stock Japanese pressed glass !.... so it is very similar in style.

The drop earrings I also made myself from molded glass beads most likely Czech...I tried to make them to match or blend with both necklaces.

Of course molded or pressed glass was used for all types of jewelery, rings, earrings, necklaces and brooches and pins [I took no photos of brooches today will do a future post on them]

Molded glass ring set, both rings made by New York manufacturer "Nemco"  circa 1935 brass silver plate signed... the glass would be Czech

Czech carnelian molded glass circa 1927

Above are two interesting necklace....both are pressed glass done to look like the stone carnelian...the long one done in the Chinese style that was popular in the 1920's [think opium dens] the shorter one made by me from a brooch, is done in the "Egyptian Revival" style also in vogue in the 20's because of finding King Tuts tomb...but both are Czech.

 To the left hand side of this page are more examples of pressed glass...this set of cobalt blue is the first necklace I ever made from ground up I have just included it with the original Czech molded glass choker to show you that complimentary jewelry can be made.

 Earrings are all original Czech pressed glass but I have removed the screw backs ....but kept them in case I need to turn them back
The top two are circa 1930.
The bottom two are Art Nouveau circa 1010

This pale green dainty molded glass Czech pendant necklace is in rolled gold [I rarely wear gold so should sell it] quite rare and signed ......circa 1910 Art Nouveau.

 Two rings in cobalt blue, left one is another "Nemco" USA made but likely Czech glass, and the right hand side one is Czech signed very rare in a ring...Art Nouveau maybe turn of the Centurty 1900 and the first Nouveau thing I ever owned...so a dear favorite

Set of Czech glass rings all green some made to look like Jade most are Sterling signed age range is 1900 to 1950 ...the one on the very right is the oldest and the light green ring center with marcasite surrounds is Art Deco.

Another pair of Czech molded glass earrings...far more pale pink than photo shows, due to having to use flash [it was a very dull day]

This pair are most likely from the 1950's

So you can see that once the Czechs found a winning formula they stuck to a basic style very typically their own.

So The Czechs continued to make pressed glass during the late 1940's after recovering from the revenges of World War 2.
Items made during the 1950's and 1960's were good... but the early era' of 1900 to the late 1930's were never surpassed it was the heyday of vintage Czech molded glass.
Molded glass is still made to this day, and imported all over the world for jewelery makers...a lot of "old stock" is also floating around along with vintage findings from the day...so it is not so hard to make your very own molded glass heirloom,
I buy as much as I can.... and stash it away, for that time in my life when I will have enough energy to make things again.
What is the value of vintage Czech glass pieces ? It really is hard to say....it has taken me years of buying and study to even know when a piece is Czech let alone the era, the fact that a lot of it is not signed, some things were made for the tourist market other's not...but the price for a good quality piece is right up there....a really good necklace in great condition could fetch a $700.00 more or less.
Below is an example of a necklace that I sold... the Women who bought it is paying it off...it sold for $500.00 which is a bit cheap really as it includes earrings [I could not find them for the pic]
It is transitional circa 1920 signed Slovakia on the clasp and made partly with molded Uranite glass !! or vasaline glass so it should have been more.... she got a deal.

 

As I said there is not a great deal of info about Czech molded glass...but I hope you have leaned a bit...maybe you will recognize something in Grandmothers box of treasures.
I am sorry if all the photos are annoying... but I have had to a bit... let my pic's of my collection do the talking at least to a certain extent.
All photos are my own unless stated other wise.
I would like to thank Wikipedia for parts of this post
And I would like to especially thank Jane Haley Clark owner of *Morning Glory Antiques & Jewelery* Here for use of the next lot of photos so you can see some beautiful examples of Vintage Czech molded glass remember to see is to learn !!
Til next time enjoy