General question about department store labels and designer labels

[Anakatx]

Hi! I have what is probably a basic question. I have noticed that many of my vintage pieces have the designer label ( such as Oscar de la Renta) as well
As a Department store label, (Niemann Marcus, etc.). Can anyone give me a primer on this practice? Assuming these are RTWpieces that were bought from these stores and the store also added their tag. Curious about whether my understanding is correct and when this practice started stopped (approximately)

 

[dollsntrolls]

The prestige used to lie with the department store one shopped at, and not with the designers/labels bought from there. Some high-end shops even removed the designer label completely, or sewed their own over the designer's. It is very common to just find the shop's label, and not any mention of the designer.

I'm not sure it has completely stopped. Are you aware of any the designers who design for Ann Taylor or Forever 21? It's just fallen out of practice with major department stores, although the remaining ones in business may still have a house brand. Every level of store brand has in-house designers we never hear of.

But in the money business, high-end couture, Ready to Wear, even sportswear designers have become the star of the show - fashion runways happen in more places than ever before. And, heads of labels are written about in gossip rags. I think many designers are getting far more personal recognition than most were getting 60 years ago.

I always recommend looking in all of the seams for a designer label, if there's a house label at the back of the neck or in a prominent place - there may be a hidden designer label that escaped the shop seam ripper.

There has been a massive decline in actual department stores, but I see a lot of shop labels in pre-60s.