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I found 1940's references to Dorothy Lord, a bridal consultant to Boston's Slattery's (department?) store. In 1949 the Boston Herald announced: "Dorothy Lord, well known bridal consultant, will open a new shop at 11 Newbury street, Back Bay, tomorrow." They added that the shop will carry...

That swimsuit is lovely. I did a fast search in just one database and found only one ad for wool knit swimwear from Surf Eze. The swimsuit sketched in the ad is not the same as yours, but the 1960 ad states: "Areas of the hipline are bared as the scissor wrap crosses from front of maillot trunks...

I finally got access to the databases again this morning and did some poking around for an answer to your question. While I did not see your exact ad image, I saw a great many references to "American good living" and a few to "furthering American good living." The bulk of the references were...

I am awaiting a fix for my inability to access my research databases, but until that happens I saw four references to "Furthering American good living" in four newspaper articles, all from 1945. I will post anything else I find once I can access the databases again.

This 1984 article may lead you to a bit more information about the manufacturer...

Thank you so much for adding that information, as I was scratching my head over the 'Museum' part of what I thought was their address. I didn't want to bog the post down with an irrelevant question, but I am very grateful you took the time to clarify that puzzle.

It looks like there is a label in it. If so, can you show that?

Mary Jane, I, too, thought it said Bramel--and assumed it was gold lamé. I decided to search for Bramel and Branel and, as you can see, I found it was Branel.

Lovely, lovely gown! A 1958 classified ad stated: "STOCK cutter. Cocktail/evening gowns...Branel , 44, Newman Street, W.1. Museum 6820 (6920?)" A 1962 article about a new fashion store opening, named Leonards of Fleet Street, noted that "The second floor of the store will feature a special...

If you can post a photo of the labels and indicate to which dress they belong, I will look for ads with a sketch or picture of that dress. My guess is that most or all of the belts tied in the front. I base that pretty much just on the fact that my memories of my dresses with belts are that it...

I found a couple of small items about Adele Scott in a 1961 article: "The (Adele Scott) store is owned by Mrs. Ethel C. Ramos of San Diego and is named for her daughter, Mrs. Adele Harrington, and Mrs. Harrington's son, Scott, 5...Mrs. Ramos also owns another Adele Scott store in the Beverly...

Just to give you one parameter for your coat, I found this: "...patented Aqua 5 fabric, a waterproof fabric first launched in 1959." So you have confirmation that it has to be from after 1959.

Valerie, what were your grandparents' names or the name of their business?

I just spent the past hour and a half writing a very wordy reply about Diana Broadway shoes and when I wanted to insert a picture, the VFG forum said I needed to log back in. When I did that I lost my entire reply except this earlier opening: "I think by the time I got this reply to you, the...

I am more comfortable dating antique pieces, but I know other VFG members can help answer that question.

...and, finally, from a 1990 article: "...the spring 1991 season will be the last one produced by Genny of Italy."

One more 1976 article reference: "...no doubt Genny, rtw company of Ancona, which produces its own and the Complice collection, both designed by Gianni Versace, was the hit of (the) Florentine March show..."

From another 1976 article: "Gianni Versace is busy working outside of Milan, near exhaustion as he is completing the two collections, Callaghan and Complice, he will show this week in Milan, and the Genny collection next week in Florence."

From a 1976 article about an Italian fashion show in NY: "Genny of Ancona...will carry out groups of fabric and knit lines designed by Gianni Versace, that is Genny, Complice and Byblos..."

From our label resource...

I looked through my subscription to a British newspaper database and found something like one or two mentions of Janet Dickinson in 1949, but a great many more from 1950 through to the early 1960’s, after which I stopped looking because the suits were by then quite unlike yours. A 1954 ad touted...

In the first--and only--database I checked thus far I found five ads that mentioned Ronnie Sophisticates. They were from 1970-1973. Note that there may be, and probably were, earlier or later ads in other sources. [Edited to add that I later found quite a few 1960's Ronnie Sophisticates coats...

Thank you for the photos, as they helped a lot. I see now that the actual item is not quite the same as the one in the sketch on the oval blue label. I think the one in this 1958 ad is the same as your item...and it has a side zipper.

Well, that is a puzzle. The 1951 ad I posted referred to the "step-in front zipper" and Victoria's 1961 ad refers to the front zip. Even the oval blue tag in your post, Elle, seems to show a front zipper and the shirred (elastic?) side panels. Can you take a photo of the garment laying flat and...

[I searched for punch card tag initially, not much relevant info came up. Then I just tried Sears punch card tag and that’s how I got all the info because Kimball tags were created for them. From there, the rest was a simple search for Kimball tags :)] Aha! The mistake I made was in thinking...

Victoria, after I read your post I found myself wondering about it...for a long time afterwards. However in the world did you learn about those tags? How did you know the name? I didn't know they even had a name. How did you know when they first appeared? Fascinating...

I think your Charmode NuBack is the same one in this Nov 1951 Sears ad. Note that the one in the ad has the same two triangular gores on the bottom front, the same front zipper and on the back (as seen in the little inset sketch in the upper left), the same triangular gore in the top middle of...

I found ads for Mark Lee Manufacturing Corp from 1952 through to a Sept 1974 ad titled Can't Continue, Mark Lee Says, because of mounting debt/losses. One 1960 Mark Lee ad I found featured a ruffled blouse with rhinestones:

I spent some time searching for Phillips Furs information for you and can provide a few bits of information. First, Phillips Furs was a retail business and the earliest Santa Monica reference I found was in a 1946 ad. Phillips Furs may very well have been in business before that date, but a...

Thank you for the kind words, but I am only as good as the databases to which I have access.