handwritten numbers on tag

P

Pam Simmons

Registered Guest
I have an exceptional Lilli Ann mohair coat. Under the back center Lilli Ann tag are a series of small written numbers.
I understand this may mean the piece was a couture coat designed for a specific customer. Is this true? How does this impact the coat's value?
Thank you!
 
Here are photos of the coat and of the label. I have sold 7 Lilli Ann coats over the past few years. I have never seen one of this quality.
 

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Beautiful coat, Pam.

I am no expert on Lilli Ann nor couture, but the couture I have seen usually has the number neatly tucked under the label or stamped directly on the label. The black marker on the lining does not look right for couture. This is a practice many thrift stores use - marking in felt - unfortunately.

I look forward to what others have to say.
 
I've read that some design houses use to mark there items with ink pens-- using client names or numbers for privacy.
This is the first I've seen.

Thrift stores are usually more aggressive with their markings. Large tags, etc. I've never seen a thrift store write such tiny numbers so neatly. These would be hard for their check out clerks to quickly find. Plus lots of room for error with these small numbers. Has anyone else seen something like this?
 
Another idea I had was that this might have originally been part of a studio wardrobe. Did the studios ever mark their items like this or did they use only tags?
 
Another idea I had was that this might have originally been part of a studio wardrobe. Did the studios ever mark their items like this or did they use only tags?
Click to expand...

I doubt studios would mark their garments in this fashion.

Lilli Anne was certainly always high quality, but I do not know if they ever did couture:

http://vintagefashionguild.org/label-resource/lilli-ann/

You can see some examples of Chanel and Givenchy couture labels here:
http://vintagefashionguild.org/label-resource/chanel/
http://vintagefashionguild.org/label-resource/givenchy/
 
I love the coat. I agree with Deborah, I do not consider Lilli Anne to be couture, but certainly the garments can be excellent quality. Your coat looks to the very good quality one would expect from a Lilli Anne garment of the time period, which I think is early 1960s. The ink writing looks added on at a later date, and I cannot imagine the designer actually writing directly on the lining of the coat like that, and so sloppily. I actually cannot think of anyone who would write directly on a garment like that.

But it is a beautiful coat.
 
"I actually cannot think of anyone who would write directly on a garment like that" looks like something that a consignment shop would have. The consignors are given ID #'s, and some places tell the people to write their ID #'s on the clothing tags, some people probably just wrote it where ever they could.
 
Lilli Ann didn't do couture work - it was only ready-to-wear suits and coats until the 1970s when they started doing dresses. That looks like some inventory number to me - maybe from a costume warehouse?
 
Cotmyey,

When I said "anyone" I was referring to someone involved with the design or production of the coat, which was what Pam was asking about. Of course, any fool at a garage sale or consignment shop can scribble ink directly onto a garment.
 
I know drycleaners and consignments shops that would write in a fine garment, I am sorry to say. Also rental houses. But not a design house labeling a garment for a made to order customer. That ink number would show every time she took the coat off and on.

Hollis
 
I was wondering if a costume warehouse would do that because the actress wouldn't be able to remove the coat on film or stage... There is a scene in Mad Men when Joan's husband sits in a chair and puts his feet up on the ottoman and you can clearly make out the costume wardrobe tag on the soles of the shoes - size 10 in black marker! lol
 
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