Description: Vintage 1950s Ceil Chapman Gold Lurex with a bit of Silver Fabric tree bark taffeta tent coat, 1950s, labelled it is of voluminous cut with deep shawl collar, the sleeves cut in one with the front and back panels fully lined in Lurex Gold Fabric.
Another Ceil Chapman Tree Bark Coat part of the Anne Dettmer Collection just sold at auction for over $3,000.00 in England Summer 2014 it was Unlabeled Ceil Chapman. which was in good condition.
The last four pictures below are of the Demeter Chapman coat that sold.
This Ceil Chapman is like Deadstock New Museum Quality! inside and out. Like it was never worn or worn once? it can also be reversed as well interior Gold Lurex material. Mixture of Gold silver copper metallic lurex Tree Bark Taffeta. Extremely Rare coat by famed designer Ceil Chapman most of her couture clothing is in private collections or in museums!
This same Coat owned by Grace Kelly who was photographed wearing an identical coat. when she was the Princess Grace of Monaco! Reference: 'A Touch of Grace' by Cindy de la Hoz p.122, photo from the Lou Valentino collection pictures shown here.
To give you a better understanding of why dresses are not truly made how they use to be, by hand, by the original designer or inside her design house in America. Back in the 1950's the average income per year was $3,210.00 and by 1959 was $5,010.00. Often the dresses you see by Ceil or Dior could range over $1,000.00 which would be about 4 months of someone's entire pay to purchase one dress. in 2011 the average household income was $50,054 and a couture dress can cost anywhere from $20,000 to over $75,000.00 which is over an entire year's income.
Extremely Rare! 1950's Vintage Ceil Chapman Couture Gold Bombshell Tree Bark Lurex Opera coat!
This is from the Golden age of Hollywood Glam! I can imagine that this belonged to a Hollywood Star or Socialite! Since to purchase a Ceil Chapman was a darling of Hollywood! Elite! as worn by Grace Kelly, Marilyn Monroe,
Ceil Chapman also dressed several famous faces in Hollywood such as Elizabeth Taylor, whom wore a Ceil Chapman design in some of her more famous glamour shots and Ceil even designed and made her wedding dress to Conrad "Nicky" Hilton. Grace Kelly, Aretha Franklin, Maime van Doren and Deborah Kerr.
In a time where women had very little in the ways of careers Ceil Chapman a woman from Staten Island New York paved the way for herself as a dress designer. Often when you hear others reflect on Chapman's career as a designer the phrases engineer and sculptor are frequent. While designers such as Dior seem to be more of a house hold name these days Ceil Chapman held her own against such great designers as Dior and Travilla.
Like many female designers and dress makers Ceil went into business with her first husband in the 1940's though she had un-successfully set up business with Gloria Vanderbilt under the name "Her Ladyship Gowns". The earliest known Chapman design from her label was called "A Chapman Original" this label was used for about 4 years until the more known Ceil Chapman label was used. Ceil divorced her first husband in the 1960s, but kept her last name as she had built her brand.
When people think of Marilyn Monroe they often think of Travilla, but it has been said that Marilyn's favorite dress designer was in fact Ceil Chapman. She often wore Chapman or public appearances. Ceil Chapman also dressed several famous faces in Hollywood such as Elizabeth Taylor, whom wore a Ceil Chapman design in some of her more famous glamour shots and Ceil even designed and made her wedding dress to Conrad "Nicky" Hilton. Grace Kelly, Aretha Franklin, Maime van Doren and Deborah Kerr.
Chapman had developed the Dior "New Look" and took it to America's ready to wear designs for department stores and boutiques. Although Chapman's clothes were not cheap she did manage to make them affordable to many unlike many other dress designers of her time. Ceil Chapman was not only a Hollywood Film designer, a designer to the stars, but she also made her label available to the American public and even for at home sewers in a form of Ceil Chapman dress patterns.
Being a true business woman, Ceil allowed her name and her label to be used for the sale of Cadillac cars, the ads often featured glamourous women dressed in the finest Ceil Chapman design on a car, by a car or in a car with some clever slogan. Even Ceil herself was pictured in her studio for many companies! One marriage of licensing her name suited Chapman perfectly, Maidenform girdles was also apart of her brand expansion.
Ceil had no formal training other than working as a “buyer and business woman in the fashion industry". With no formal training Ceil Chapman understood draping more than most any of her counterparts, many collectors and lovers of her label would call her the draping queen, as she had an understanding of the technique that far surpassed others. Ceil would continue to design and make fairly tried and tested signature styles and so her designs are easily identifiable but also often copied.
Ceil Chapman not only could drape to unbelievable levels but she understood the intense construction of internal dress making. Many of her elements she developed and created by hand to ensure that her design it exactly as she desired. When one looks inside a Ceil Chapman piece you will understand why she was coined so often as an Engineer.
Sadly as designs and styles changed Ceil Chapman had a hard time letting go of the road she had paved and built with her designs and innovations. With those financial difficulties in the mid 1960s and thereafter she designed dresses under the Ceil Chapman for Miss Winston label, which was a line targeted at the younger woman. However not long after Ceil Chapman had developed Lung Cancer and died after a two year battle on July 13, 1979.
To give you a better understanding of why dresses are not truly made how they use to be, by hand, by the original designer or inside her design house in America. Back in the 1950's the average income per year was $3,210.00 and by 1959 was $5,010.00. Often the dresses you see by Ceil or Dior could range over $1,000.00 which would be about 4 months of someone's entire pay to purchase one dress. Now a days in 2011 the average household income was $50,054 and a couture dress can cost anywhere from $16,000 to over $60,000.00 which is over an entire year's income.
So I see vintage as an investment, if you take care of it, you will not loose any money but gain money as time progresses these designs and labels will only become harder and harder to find. You will own a piece of history and a true piece of art if you decide to ever purchase a Ceil Chapman piece.
This Exquisite sparkling beauty is absolutely Divine!
This is one of the Finest Vintage Haute Couture vintage pieces I have ever had up! This trapeze Coat is Seriously Heart-stopping!
This would be the Star of any Red Carpet Event! Be sure to email me if you want to see more pictures!
highly collectible! Then and now!
This exquisite Coat is a real work of Art!
MEASUREMENTS
Bust 64"
Waist 66"
Circumference 125"
Dolman sleeves very voluminous!
Sleeve Width Top arm 28" wide
Sleeve opening 10"
Sleeve length Neck to end 22 1/2"
Shawl collar 10 1/2" folded over 7 1/2"
Length of coat CB under collar 44" at top of collar back neck 47"
front shoulder to hem length 46"
Circumference of coat 124"
Sold as is
No Return
No Exchange
All Sales Final
Terms and Conditions:
With the Truly unique nature of vintage clothing and the taking into considerate the age of Each Piece there might be the occasional slight and trivial imperfection or flaw not apparently noticed or caught. Although Bombshellbetties takes care and checks out each of the used garment(s), they have are previous worn and have had a previous life. please also keep in mind that certain computer monitors and camera flashes might affect the appearance or color of a garment, also vintage sizes are different from Current sizing so Be sure to Check out the Measurements given. Please do inquire about detailed size and color before bidding. In summary, all vintage clothing are sold "as-is". There are no returns do to size either! so make sure you check your measurements We want you to be happy with your purchase as much as we do. Therefore, if you are unhappy with your item please contact us immediately. All Items are from A Non Smoking Environment
Thank you Happy Bidding and Good Luck
