Thursday, May 5, 2016

Clothing Collection: 1910s National Cloak & Suit Co. Blouse

A page from the National Cloak & Suit Company Summer 1913 catalogue.


Last year I discovered a 1910s blouse in a local vintage clothing shop and fell in love. My brother & sister-in-law amazingly and very kindly bought it for me. The style of it is very similar to a pattern I have, and I am so thrilled to have the opportunity to study it and perhaps make a copy of it some day. 



My lovely sister who tried on the beautiful blouse.
A view of the back.


A close-up of the delicate, dove-grey lace.

A close-up of the sleeve. The buttons are velvet! 

Another glimpse of the lace, blue silk and velvet buttons on the shoulder.

Boning in the collar to help it stand up!

Covered buttonholes. 


The inside of the blouse, showing the part of the waist that would be tucked into the skirt. 

A larger view of the inside of the blouse.

What is unique and exciting about this blouse is that it came with a tag! National Cloak & Suit Company, New York! 

There is a summer catalogue available to download on Wearing History's Etsy Shop. I was hoping that my blouse might be pictured in the catalogue. It wasn't, but I was glad to be able to see what sort of things they offered to women in the 1910s. And more than likely, my blouse dates from around 1913 to 1914. It is a delicate, well made and crafted thing of beauty and I am glad to have it in my collection and to be able to learn from it. 

4 comments:

  1. Beautiful!! Such a lovely example of clothing from the time. I'm so glad you were able to get it!

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  2. I appreciate how you point out all the little details, and the reverence with which you learn and appreciate! Draws us in, too. Thanks!

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