Saks Fifth Avenue Couture Gown

Lily K.Chadwick

Lily K.Chadwick

Registered Guest
Hi, I was wondering if anyone could give me any indications as to the maker of the following gown?

I purchased it a couple of years ago, however both due to it being slightly stained in a couple of spots as well as it not fitting me very well, it has been in storage since then.

It was the other day, when I came across photos of some Jean Desses dresses, that I thought that there were some similarities between them and became curious as to who it might be by.
Sadly the photos don't show off the pleating on the bodice, but I can try and get a couple of more photos if they're wanted?

Now to the label, I haven't managed to find a similar one in the label resource or otherwise. It reads:
Spitzer(or Spitzen maybe?)​
Saks Fifth Avenue​
​
M Frelinghuysen​
DATE 4-12-61 NO 5138​

Thanks in advance for any help, I really appreciate it!​
 

Attachments

  • P1010898.JPG
    P1010898.JPG
    23 KB · Views: 289
  • P1010899.JPG
    P1010899.JPG
    29.7 KB · Views: 278
  • P1010901.JPG
    P1010901.JPG
    61.3 KB · Views: 279
  • P1010902.JPG
    P1010902.JPG
    51.4 KB · Views: 306
  • P1010903.JPG
    P1010903.JPG
    153.5 KB · Views: 297
  • P1010911.JPG
    P1010911.JPG
    91.8 KB · Views: 304
Desses was known for those gathered chiffons but a lot of designers did them and it could even be a design done in house at Saks, by Sophie Gimbel. Have you looked inside the skirt - often designer labels are hidden in there. Frelinghuysen is a good family name. I have heard of the name before - I think she was on the Met board of directors in the 60s or 70s - I recall the name from that book Making the Mummies Dance.
 
Thanks for your replies!
Thanks for the help as to the previous owner, I believe it may have belonged to Beatrice Frelinghuysen, wife of New Jersey congressman Peter Frelinghuysen, who was on the MET's board of directors.
Sadly I couldn't find any other labels in the interior of the dress, though I'll go over it with a fine tooth comb later!
Does saks have an archives department which I might contact in relation to the number to the right of the label?

Thanks ever so much for everyone's help!
 
I searched for custom made gowns by Sophie Gimbel for Saks and came up with the following result, including a label(which appears to be the only one in the dress) identical to the one on my dress. It seems like it could indeed be by her?
I hope it's ok to post the link?

Link removed by Admin.
 
Thanks for the links, I'd never really heard of her before, however looking through her pieces in the Parsons' exhibition, there are some incredible pieces!

The label I've found belongs to a red dress which Sophie Gimbel made for a singer named Joan Kemp, it's identical to the one on my dress with the exception of the handwritten information corresponding to that of Kemp. I'll try to research the possibility of contacting Saks' archived department, if it exists?
 
You're entirely welcome.
Yes, Sophie Gimbel was major!

Those client labels will be found in any number of Saks custom garments, not just Sophie's.
Yours is a version they were using at that time, the early 60s, and likely before and after, for some years.

I suppose you could try, but that might be a circuitous route.

Maybe look for archived newspaper photos of the socialite, and perhaps find a photo of her wearing the gown.
 
The client labels are also put into garments made in other retail store workrooms (I. Magnin was one). and couture garments which were imported (Bergdorf's).
 
Oops! Not quite as straightforward as I had hoped :)
I've been searching for photos of Beatrice Frelinghuysen, however so far haven't had much luck. I did wonder whether it could have been worn to and event at one of the many associations they were patrons of, or even at the White House(that could be stretching things slightly)? If it were by any chance the latter, tying in dates, it could have something to do with the dinner in honor of Habib Bourguiba, held on the 3rd of May 1961?
Does anyone know whether Saks does have an archives department?

Thanks also for the help!
 
I've been researching a bit more about the gown and have found that the Kellen Design Archives hold a great deal of information including press releases and photos regarding Saks Fifth Avenue designs from 1954-1974, including I believe, files on Sophie Gimbel's custom designs. Though it may be a bit of a long shot to find a reference to this exact gown(if indeed it's by her), I've sent them an email and will update when I receive a response.
Most of the archives aren't available online, however there is a selection of them which are and which I thought I'd pass on:
http://digitalarchives.library.newschool.edu/index.php/Detail/collections/KA0018
Amongst them, I found a gown designed by Gimbel in the spring of 1961, which holds slight similarities to mine?
http://digitalarchives.library.newschool.edu/index.php/Detail/objects/KA0018_binder12_02

Thanks again for everyone's help, I'm a novice to vintage clothing and can't tell you all how much I appreciate the knowledge there is to be gained on this forum!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top