Karina Heikkilä dress - another find from Vienna Finally got round to washing and wearing the other dress that I bought in Vienna three weeks ago! :bouncy: I had hoped to find a nice 40s or 50s day dress maybe - no luck at that, but I did at least find something that's "70s does 40s" I guess (oh well, I've just done an online 40s shopping spree... will have some hopefully gorgeous stuff to show soon!). It comes from Finland - it's by one of those Finnish clothing companies from which dresses seem to turn up here and there, but nothing much is known about them - in this case Karin(a?) Heikkilä. My friend in Vienna actually has a dress by this company too, which has that kind of "Marimekko-inspired" feel (which this one doesn't so much, I admit). Anyway, it's cute, it fits and it's nice to wear! Karin
Well... thanks to my blog, I have gotten some very nice comments on this dress from readers in Finland, and actually have an exact date for the dress! How neat is that? The label is actually Kaisu Heikkilä, the company started in 1952 in Tampere, specialised in dresses, and closed in 1990. This particular dress is from 1978, and the collection was called "Ultima". Apparently it's even in a Finnish book on fashion! Karin
Karin - Great to have more information about your dress from your blog! I edited the title in case others are looking for information on the company. I still stand by my almost two year old comment that it's a great color for you! As Mary Jane said - very easy to wear! Linn
Yes, it is very easy to wear & fits perfectly, so this is a keeper. I really like wearing it, and now I've also found the perfect high-heeled sandals to go with it. Jonathan, that's an interesting dress. It reminds me a little of the "Aino costume", a so-called national dress that I think came up in the late 1800 with all the national romantic movement, that happened after the publication of the Kalevala, Finland's national epos. They have several at the Finnish National Museum, but I can't find any pictures right now. Karin
Great dress Karin - I'm starting to really like those '70s do '40s style. They have a sense of fun about them.
Very cute, Karin! Great to learn about this Finnish label. Black and red was so huge in this time frame.
Nicole, me too! I have some 1970s Burda sewing magazines here, and there are some really cute and wearable dresses in there. My mom is buying these 70s Burdas up in heaps, because she finds a lot in there that suits her. Funny thing is, she bought them every month for years and years, and certainly had them in the 70s, but of course she didn't keep them. She just kept certain patterns she liked especially. Nowadays, she doesn't buy the new ones anymore because they're not what they used to be. There are old photos of her in pretty 70s does 40s dresses - this dress here could have been the kind she'd buy or make for herself at the time... My friend just bought a 70s maxi dress in bright red cotton, with little flowers printed on, with little puff sleeves and a sweetheart neckline - very late 30s in style. It's incredibly figure flattering and so cute. If one looks past the crazy prints and poly fabrics, there are some nice 70s things out there. But I find there's not a lot of it in secondhand shops - the crazy poly dresses dominate. Karin
