pls help w/vtg (50s?) Sylvia Rutkins coat & dress w/ mink trim

T

tribecamarket

Registered Guest
I found this beautiful Sylvia Rutkins dress & coat a few days ago, and not sure what to make of it. A websearch shows very little info for that designer--all I've found is a link to a Museum in Indiana that had an exhibit that featured a few of her dresses. That, and the generous use of mink trim makes me wonder if this may be a special label. Does anyone have any knowledge of this designer?

The fabric & buttons are exquisite. The buttonholes are not functional--there are covered snaps.
One thing I am wondering about is the zipper--it is nylon I believe, not metal--and the topstitching does not look as nice as the other stitching: I wonder if the zipper was replaced at one point.
Would you place this as 50s or early 60s?
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
(Trying to decide whether to list it on ebay, or donate to a museum if it's special..)




back zipper on dress:



 
ooh purty! I love that shade of green. It looks mid 60's, so the zipper is likely original as it is. I'm sure someone will come along with more info:cats:
 
:wub: :wub: :wub: :wub: :wub: :wub:

And I don't usually go for 60's garments for myself.

I Absolutely Adore the color!
 
I found (mostly classified) ads for Sylvia Rutkins between 1952 and 1963. As you can se here, this 1963 ad asserts that Sylvia Rutkins sold "Better ladies' dresses, coats & suits."

A 1961 article notes that a designer's sweaters "are available in New York at Sylvia Rutkins, 520 Madison Avenue (at Fifty-third Street)."

Although the museum-collection reference you found seems to indicate that Sylvia Rutkins was the designer, I am assuming Rutkins was less likely the designer and more likely the store from which these things were sold.
 
ooh, i *love* when this happens!

hillarybeth, i see tribecamarket doesn't have her email or a web site listed in her profile, but you could click on the little 'u2u' icon below her post and ask if she still has the set.

if you have any stories or memories of your aunt and grandmother and their shop you'd like to share, we're all ears!
 
Listening to this personal history is great, thanks so much for sharing!

The most upscale shop where I live also sewed their own labels in & did also often remove the designer labels.

Just a little clarification, our U2U system has been disabled so it is not currently available for sending messages here.
 
Hilarybeth, your connection and story are wonderful! LOVE when this happens on these boards.

Also LOVE this set - gorgeous colour, fabric and trims. I agree
mid-60s.

Sue
 
I have a wonderful vintage dress with the label Sylvia Rutkins, which my daughter is wearing tonight, so I googled it and found this post. The dress is a deep blue with diamond-like buttons and is exquisitely made. I bought it from a thrift store when I was a college student (1970's) for a party, and amazingly have kept it all these years---happy to have my daughter love it just as much. We are missing one of the diamond buttons, so I will probably have to replace them all (darn), The fabric and craftsmanship on this dress is truly, truly exquisite. I hope this post makes it to the Sylvia's niece. my email is [email protected].
 
Evie -

Thank you for posting. Would love to see a picture of "your" Sylvia Rutkins dress. Our PM system is working now, so if you want to contact Sylvia's niece, you can click on her Avatar (to the left of her post) and then click on "Start A Conversation."
 
I would also try to keep the original buttons if at all possible you can get pretty good matches at the moment as diamante are fashionable in the current button market. Sometimes you can move one from a an unused point / hidden area / end to the missing spot and either not replace the gap at the end or get a repro.
 
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