Bianchini Label on Silk Dress with Haute Couture Label too!

[torontogal]

Let me start by saying that I have been researching this for hours........

1) Label reads - Tissu Bianchini
Lyon - Made in France - Paris
Seems super rare. Looked at dozens of sites and nothing even close can be found.

2) Second label reads - Seta Haute Couture
Seems super rare. Looked at dozens of sites and nothing even close can be found.

3) Zipper is embossed Star. The only reference I could find as that Riri zippers had a "star" model with 3mm teeth. Not sure if this is the right answer.

4) Although it looks like a 1970's style dress - there is no signatures on the dress. No Pucci, no Bessi and no Leonard.

5) Searched Raoul Dufy designs but there are thousands and nothing found yet.

6) The Seta reference on the label could lead one to believe that it was made by an Italian designer, made with French silk?

Basically, I am stumped so I am here. : ) Any and all thoughts on the maker and decade of being sewn and anything else that might help me sleep tonight would be greatly appreciated.

 

[The Vintage Vendeuse]

The Seta reference on the label could lead one to believe that it was made by an Italian designer, made with French silk?

I agree with this.

Here's some company info (in case you haven't already come across it):
Bianchini-Férier - Fashion Designer Encyclopedia - century, women, dress, style, new, body, history, collection, designs, world (fashionencyclopedia.com)

 

[torontogal]

There was a sale at Christies of the Bianchini archives (I searched all the lots with no luck) to The Design Library in New York State. Very interesting place! I am leaning toward Pucci but the labels are just so unique that my guess doesn't seen right.

 

[The Vintage Vendeuse]

There was a sale at Christies of the Bianchini archives (I searched all the lots with no luck) to The Design Library in New York State. Very interesting place! I am leaning toward Pucci but the labels are just so unique that my guess doesn't seen right.

Weren't Pucci fabrics always signed with his name "Emilio"? And Pucci always used his own fabrics?
I was thinking it most likely that a good-but-unknown designer made the dress from Bianchini fabric.

 

[Midge]

FWIW, besides the signature in the print missing, I am not seeing Pucci. And as far as I know, Pucci always used his own fabrics.

 

[anothertimevintageapparel]

I agree with this not being a Pucci. But a very unique dress

 

[torontogal]

I had read someplace while researching that some of the early pieces by Pucci were NOT signed. But I also looked into seeing if he had any connection with Bianchini and there is nothing that points in that direction. Pucci used Italian silk from what I can find. So I am backing to thinking that it is not a Pucci.

I contacted the Design Library and they did get back to me quickly but pointed out that helping determine the age of the Bianchini label is not something that they can do.

Vogue ads show that many top designers used Bianchini. I don't think Bianchini itself made wearable items? Below is a 1960 Nina Ricci and a 1962 Dior.

 

[Midge]

We are not used to this anymore, but fabric companies used to advertise themselves and advertise which fashion companies or designers used their fabrics. So Bianchini was a high end fabric company, and their fabrics were used both by big fashion houses as well as any small-scale seamstress / designer whose customers could afford expensive fabrics.
I have a book about Abraham, whose silks were used by almost all of the haute couture houses in Paris. It has lots of fashion magazine cuttings and adverts from back then - and it is surprising sometimes just seeing the same fabric being used by different designers. Some designs may have been exlusive, but not all of them at all. And often the fashion magazines would also not just mention the designer, but also who the fabric was by. Not something you see anymore.

But Pucci was Pucci - his designs, used only his own fabrics.

 

[torontogal]

Thanks Midge. I guess this remains a mystery. Hopefully someone at some point finds these labels on another item! In the meantime, I will see what turns up with Italian designers from that era.

 

[Hattysattic]

I agree with Donna, smaller couturier. I also read that post-war Vogue sold exclusive ‘couture’ kits in a collaborative endeavour with Bianchini.

http://www.fashionencyclopedia.com/Ba-Bo/Bianchini-F-rier.html

Within the industry, Bianchini was known especially for silk velvets and silk and metal brocades for haute couture. After the war the firm increased its efforts to reach the discerning home sewer who could provide an expanded market for their collections of silk and rayon prints. A 1949 collaboration with Vogue Patterns paired a collection of garments designed especially for Bianchini with a group of specific hand-screened prints. The March Vogueclaimed these private edition prints were available in no more than 20 dress lengths each, to be distributed to select stores around the country. The advertising copy read "For the Woman Who Wants to Be Exclusive— A Couture Plan for Your Personal Dressmaking." The patterns allowed women who could not attend fashion shows to dress in high style like their wealthier counterparts.

I’m wondering if this could be a similar endeavour/continuation of this idea for Bianchini c. 1970s, but on a slightly higher level? Perhaps small couturier’s could purchase materials and labels to make up? Obviously I could be wrong, and not as exciting as a label-less known designer.. but just a thought.

And final thought - could it be that the line was called ‘Seta’? It’s just that the cursive and oversized script is more name-like than fabric content like.. If for the US/ Canadian market that would make more sense as you have ‘tissu’ in French on one label, as well as the use of the term Haute Couture on the other.. but both label seem to be matching design wise so could have been issued together by Bianchini? As you say, searching the words Seta and Haute Couture together isn’t going to give you much specific as the two go hand in hand albeit technically in different languages.

Very confusing, and I think I probably haven’t helped much there (sorry) but just my two penn’orth!

 

[claireshaeffer]

Sorry to join so late; I had covid when this first appeared.
The construction is very high end: edges overcast and zip handsewn. The stitches on Seta label appear to be by a different hand. The zip is sewn with a running stitch; a homesewer would have used a prick stitch.