Hi! I've tried to research this type of white cotton, made in France, handwritten labels and seem to notice they are only shown in French Couture pieces. Is this the case or were they also used by others? The particular one in the photo is in a dress that I would say is around 1970s. There is no other label so I'm not sure if it was removed or never was one. If it is likely to be couture then I would like to continue to try and track down the design house but not sure if I'm chasing down rabbit holes :P Any thoughts on these labels would be greatly appreciated!
I've never seen this label in couture. It is generally in rtw. I have Chanel and YSL garments with similar labels, but it is not a Chanel. I would have check YSL, but I don't think it is YSL either.
Thank you for your response! I did find this picture of a very similar one in a YSL garment but you're right, the one I have is a tad different. Do you know if they did hand finishing in ready to wear garments though? This dress has some hand overcast seams (and some finished with a type of zigzag stitch right on the very edge) - no serging at all, hand finished buttons holes, and other hand stitched areas seen from the inside. If its not likely to be couture then would it more likely be from some sort of skilled seamstress?
These sorts of labels are also used for samples and that’s why the finishing can sometimes be sub standard or different to the finished products. It would be nice to see a photo of the full garment.
That is an interesting thought. Here are pictures of the full dress - please excuse all the wrinkles, I've just pulled it out of my storage! The solid black portions are velvet and the print on the wool is sooo beautiful in person.
Lovely dress. It appears to be late '70s to very early '80s. More thoughts on the labelling: the lack of a brand/designer suggests that it was applied by the factory. Factories often sew for multiple labels and sometimes they provide fashions that the brand/retailer sews their own labels in, so the brand/retailer may not even be the designer, the factory has their own in-house designers. This is why you sometimes get similar styles with different labels. Also, the label is in English, suggesting it was made for the export market or an English language client. I take there are no other labels, perhaps down a side seam?
Nicole is correct these labels are used for sample garments before the garment goes into final production (if it does at all). I have bought garments labelled such with handwritten fibre content and style details in person from a brand's sample sale before. They are often sold off at a later date when they are no longer needed for the design and manufacturing process.
I looked everywhere and unfortunately can't find any other labels. Was it at all common for factories to do this much hand stitching? Not only are the seam edges hand stitched but also the velvet application and button holes that are hiding behind the placket all the way down the bodice. It seems like an immense amount of work that could easily be zipped through a sewing machine in a factory, especially in the 70s/80s? Do you think there is any point in trying to track down the designer or were there many generic factories in France at the time?
I associate those labels with Ready-to-wear - like the YSL Rive Gauche you've shown (though I have also Rive Gauche items that do not have that type of label). I've seen the same type in Ungaro RTW items from the 80s that I tried on in a thrift shop (but didn't buy). I had this this amazing cocktail dress from ca. 1990 which had a handwritten label too. This wasn't couture, but certainly high quality and expensive. All silk, boned bodice an really beautifully made.
oh really?? I would love to know if you are able to recall it! I did a reverse google image search and this print was the closest that it matched to - similar in subject matter but not quite :\ https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/141917
Interesting, that surprises me. I actually would love to find some yardage of this fabric, its one of the most beautiful prints I've seen. Makes me wonder even more if this was just made by a talented seamstress - maybe these labels were available/used by small private seamstresses and designers. Thank you everyone for your help!
