English labels I could use some help on...

Jonathan

Jonathan

VFG Member
I got a huge load of clothes on Saturday and amongst the items were some English labelled clothes I am not familiar with. These clothes are all from the same source but not the same original wearer, so they could come from different family members. Excuse the crappy photos, I just took them quickly while I was trying them on mannequins to see what they looked like -- these are not proper photos, but it will give you an idea of what they look like...

First is blue and white cotton print evening dress from c. 1950ish. It looks like a Horrockses quality dress but the label reads: Roecliff and Chapman - Grosvenor Street
<img src=http://home.cogeco.ca/~knorman1/a037.jpg>

The next is a dark blue organdy dress with large flocked white flowers, early 50s. Again, good quality, not top end, but good. The label is: Rossiters of Paighton
<img src=http://home.cogeco.ca/~knorman1/a038.jpg>

Then there is a black early 20s dress but the skirt was replaced in the late 20s. Its label reads: Bourne and Hollingsworth Ltd. Oxford Street, W.I.
<img src=http://home.cogeco.ca/~knorman1/Image03.jpg>

Next is a teal blue early 70s dress by Cathy Hardwick
<img src=http://home.cogeco.ca/~knorman1/a008.jpg>

Followed by a Purple print dress from the early 70s with the label "House of She Ltd." This dress might not be English but I have never run across this label before, so thought it might be of the school of 'Granny Takes a Trip" etc...
<img src=http://home.cogeco.ca/~knorman1/a040.jpg>

Any help would be greatly appreciated.
 
l've heard of them all but one... Bourne and hollingsworth was an independent family dept store in oxford street....l am trying to think what is there now, but can't recall l need to be standing there...l think its now Selfridges...all the big doric columns outside?? my Dh tells me he thinks its now the PLAZA?...

l love the Rossiters dress....would that read Paignton not paighton? in devon there was a family dept store called Rossiters l know, but dont know about a place Paighton?

Roecliff and chapman, well speaks for itself.....4 Grosvenor street..London...there were many Boutiques of 'Ladies dress shops' around in the mid 20th century in all uk towns..and they added there own labels to dresses....alongside makers labels...and some were removed of course..as l'm sure they did in the states..
foudn this on ebay..showing a lovely example of a shelf bodice which we were talking about a while back??

'ROECLIFF AND CHAPMAN - LONDON ' . WHICH WAS A WHOLESALE COUTURIER WHICH SOLD TO MANY TOP STORES IN GLASGOW , LIVERPOOL ETC. IT HAS THE FABRIC AND FINISH LEVEL AND THEY ALSO DID ELABORATE SHELF BUSTS AND HALTERS . A PROMINENT LABEL IN THE EARLY 50s AND VANISHED AROUND 1957 - 58'

ebay item# 170043684454

.....love the teal dress...the cathy hadwick, rings a bell but dont recall anything firm on her in uk...isnt she a us designr? l dont suppose the teal or navy organza would fit a uk 14?? LOL...
l did find this online in Tom fords bio'

'Born in Texas in 1962, Tom Ford went on to become arguably the most influential designer of the last decade. Having initially trained as an actor, he studied interior architecture at Parsons School of Design until 1986, and went on to take positions at Perry Ellis and Cathy Hardwick, before joining Gucci in 1990.'


' the house of she ltd', l don't know at all....unless it has something to do with SHE magazine....as magazines often offered special buys to their customers?
HTH...
 
Roecliff & Chapman= a bit posh - Liz has a dress up now on eBay with some info: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Dramatic-40s-...ryZ38566QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Bourne and Hollingsworth, famous London dept. store - Opened 1894 in Westbourne Grove as a drapers by brothers-in-law Bourne and Hollingsworth, and moved in 1902 to Oxford Street. ( 'Paddington: Economic History', A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 9: Hampstead, Paddington (1989), pp. 233-41. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.asp?compid=22671 ). I've read it described as one of the 'pioneers' of department store shopping.


Is it Paighton or Paighnton? Am late for a meeting Jonathan but will be back later!
 
Cathy Hardwick is US designer I think her day was the 70's not a big designer a midline sportswear designer.

-Chris
 
Thanks... Yes it is Paignton -- the label is tiny and my eyes jumped.

Actually, it makes sense that Cathy Hardwick is American because the dress is from the 70s. Judging from the clothes I got, Everything pre 1960ish is English and post 1960ish is American or Canadian. I don't have the family history - I am just going from what I can tell from the clothes. The 20s dress probably belonged to the grandmother, the 50s dresses belonged to the mother and the later clothing belonged to the daughter, who also LOVED Albert Nipon and bought scads of clothes in the 70s and 80s. The newest English dress is a Brenner silk dress and coat set from c. 1958ish but its tiny so I suspect that belonged to the daughter when she was still very young. The early 50s clothes are labelled size 40.
 
I can remember in the 70s when all the fashion experts predicted that Cathy Hardwick would be the "next great thing" in design. Information about her is easy to find in books and magazines because she was so highly regarded at the time.

Lizzie
 
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