1940's ADRIAN ORIGINAL Suit discovered!

shesabettie

shesabettie

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1940\'s ADRIAN ORIGINAL Suit discovered!

Hello! I made an amazing discovery at an antiques mall I visited for the first time this morning ... a 1940's Adrian Original suit! I was thrilled only having seen a few photos of this designer's work on the internet. It is very well tailored and in near perfect condition. The only flaw I note is a slight separation of the fabric along the fold of the collar behind the neck. It really cannot be detected and would be an easy mend. It is also a medium and wearable size.

Can anyone provide additional collector information and value? Just curious if this style is desirable and what it's estimated value may be?

Thanks for your help :excited:
Jenn
 
Hi Jenn, congrats on your wonderful purchase! Do you have any photos? I imagine that value for an Adrian suit would vary depending on style, era, fabric, size and condition.

Nicole
 
Wow--what a fabulous find! Yes, please post photos so we can drool. And check the label resource for additional information on the designer. As to estimated value, Nicole is right--much depends on style, era, etc. But any Adrian suit, I imagine, is going to be worth quite a bit, especially if in the condition you describe.
 
Since the condition is good, and it is a wearable size, look at the styling. Adrian suits were constructed of many pieces, with the ornamentation and design being in the piecing. The more elaborate, the better. People do not expect a plain suit from Adrian. Color might matter as well, especially to someone who was planning on wearing it.

Photos would be good!
 
Hi everyone ... I am SO SORRY I left you hanging. I'm not very experienced with the forum and I never received an e-mail saying I had responses so I assumed no one had. Please forgive me! And thank you for responding.

I also had trouble uploading photos of the suit I discovered. And YES, I definitely did purchase it!

The photos are posted to my Facebook account so perhaps you can view them there. Here is a link ...

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2060335&id=1166337453&l=f2a96ca5f8

Thanks again for any insight you can provide!
 
Well, it was worth the wait! What a wonderful find. Could you show us the label? So much information on Adrian Gilbert (1903-1959) and great reference available.

"camera-tailored costumes that set cinematic precedents."
 
It looks like wool to me Mary Jane - and may be the suit described below. Wouldn't that be nice. Paragraph taken from a description of an exhibition held by Ohio State University in 2001-2002;

"Gilbert Adrian, the head of costume at Metro Goldwyn Mayer (MGM) from 1928-1941, is credited with creating the signature looks of both Joan Crawford and Greta Garbo. He nurtured a fashion trend when he used gingham to dress Judy Garland as Dorothy in the 1939 version of The Wizard of Oz and for Katherine Hepburn in The Philadelphia Story (1940). Gingham continued to be one of Adrian's favorite fabrics, as illustrated by the exhibition's 1950s Adrian wool gingham suit. The tailored jacket features four different sizes of gingham checks, beginning with small checks across the shoulders and graduating to larger checks in cleverly tucked inserts down the front. It is paired with a midcalf straight skirt in matching, medium-sized checks."

http://costume.osu.edu/exhibitions/fas/
 
Just had to say how impressive the pattern cutting is in this suit. As someone who has tried to match bodice panels up with sleeves panels, i know who tricky this can be. Truly masterful!

And that description is a perfect match!
 
Yowzers! Thank you all so much for your feedback!

I believe the fabric is a very fine and lightweight wool; but of course, it could very well be cotton. It seems to have just the slightest bit of soft texture that suggests wool to me.

Vertugarde - THANKS for the excerpt from Ohio State's exhibition! It sure would be neat if they had the same or similar suit! I will contact them tomorrow and see what else I can find out.

I will take a photo of the label and the one flaw in the neckline, also.

This is BY FAR the best think I've ever been blessed enough to find ... and on Good Friday, too! I wonder how in the world a suit like this made it's into Canton, Mississippi? You NEVER know what's waiting for you! Thank goodness I was familiar with his signature and label.

:soapbox::soapbox::cry:
 
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