SKU: 49041631461
vintage designer dresses

vintage designer dresses Vintage 1950s Cole of California Designer Dress

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Description

vintage designer dresses Vintage 1950s Cole of California Designer DressMeasurements Size: Extra Small Small Bust: 32 34 inches + 81 86 cm Waist: 22 25 inches + 56 63. 5 cm Hips: Free Bodice Length: 16 inches + 41 cm Total Length: 42 inches + 132 cm Hem Length: None Zipper: None Description * Gorgeous 1950s quality cream background cotton sun dress * Floral design with lilac, purple, light and dark blue flowers with green leaves * Classic silhouette with cinched waist and full skirt * Sweetheart neckline with single

Measurements

Size: Extra Small - Small

Bust:  32 - 34 inches + 81 - 86 cm 

Waist: 22 - 25 inches + 56 - 63.5 cm

Hips: Free

Bodice Length: 16 inches + 41 cm

Total Length:  42 inches + 132 cm 

Hem Length: None

Zipper: None

 

Description

* Gorgeous 1950s quality cream background cotton sun dress

* Floral design with lilac, purple, light and dark blue flowers with green leaves

* Classic silhouette with cinched waist and full skirt

* Sweetheart neckline with single halter straps (adjustable)

* Bodice features shelf bust with elaborate draping

* Shirred fabric to sides and back

* Boning in bodice for structure

* Wide skirt, almost full circle

* Unlined, pinked and serged seams with machined hem hem

* Low back, dress pulls on over head

* Label reads Cole of California

Cole of California started as a swimwear division of the West Coast Manchester Knitting Mills. West Coast was a maker of men’s long knit underwear, owned by the Cole family. In 1925 son Fred Cole, who had been working as an actor, was convinced to join the family business. He did not find making underwear very interesting, so he decided to make bathing suits that had a glamorous, Hollywood edge.

From 1936 through 1972, the company’s head designer was former theatrical designer, Margit Felligi. Felligi was responsible for many innovations in the swimwear and sundress industry - such as the use of Lastex fabric, nylon and spandex. She was known for her creative use of fabrics. 

The company is still producing swimwear, and there is a sister company, Anne Cole, Information courtesy of the Vintage Fashion Guild.

 

Condition 

This highly collectable 1950s dress is in excellent condition for its age, with no faults that I can see. The hem may have been shortened at some point but it remains a good length. The shirring is in excellent condition and beautifully done, as only Cole of California can do. The draping on the bodice is a masterpiece!  Cleaned and ready to wear. Please drop us a line if your require additional information about this listing.

 

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We make every effort to post your item within 1-3 days of payment. Should a circumstance arise where we are unable to post within this timeframe (eg we are away at a fair) we will contact you immediately. Please note that our postage charges are based on standard international and domestic air packages - all with tracking. If you want to upgrade to express postage or require insurance, please contact us prior to checkout and we will adjust the rates accordingly.

LayBys/Layaways
Yes we do offer flexible layby/layaway options and are open to negotiation as to the time period. Obviously, the more expensive the item the longer the time you will have to finalise payment. Contact us to see how accommodating we can be :)

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Photography
Our photos are taken with a mix of studio and ambient lighting. Whilst we take care with the colour balance of our photos, individual computer monitors register colours differently depending on their calibration. If you want the exact colour shade drop us a line and we will give you the Universal Pantone colours that match the item.

 

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SKU: 49041631461

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4.1 ★★★★★
Based on 24 reviews
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Product Reviews
G
Verified Purchase
gillabyte
Draper, US
★★★★★ 5
Amazing Oil!
Style: Restore & Protect, Size: 5 QT, Configuration: 5W-30
So far after first oil change it made my Toyota Tundra 5.7L with 255k miles run smoother and quieted the timing chain tensioner knock that I was quoted $5k and up to repair! Will be using from now on to 500k miles plus!
WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
Reviewed in the United States on May 14, 2026
K
Verified Purchase
Katharine Dow
Grantham, US
★★★★★ 5
A fascinating glimpse into the undoing of the Confederacy
Format: Paperback
This dense and and well-written book includes some really interesting insights into how the Confederacy was formed, but then ultimately challenged and destroyed by some of the people it excluded. In Confederate Reckoning, we get to learn about the epic political battle in which White women and slaves in the South helped to undermine the Confederacy and determine the outcome of the Civil War.
WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
Reviewed in the United States on November 29, 2025
D
Verified Purchase
Darrell Criswell
Charlottesville, US
★★★★★ 5
Excellent book!
Format: Paperback
I think this is a fabulous book. I have always been interested in the causes of the civil war and this book presents an interesting, almost fascinating perspective, which I havent' seen in other books. I have also been reading James Oakes fabulous "Freedom National" and the two books complement each other extremely well. McCurry's book is not of the quality that Oakes book is but not much is. I cannot understand the criticism of her writing. I find her writing to be very good...admittedly some of the sentences are too long and a few ill defined names but this is a very well written book. Although we have all studied some version of much of this material before I find it hard to believe that almost anyone won't be astonished by the magnitude of the task the confederacy was attempting to take and its inherent stupidity or maybe a better description would be craziness of these people. Good book!
WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
Reviewed in the United States on May 21, 2013
G
Verified Purchase
gloine36
Cuba, US
★★★★★ 4
Outstanding exploration of the Confederacy's domestic divisions which helped contribute to its ultimate defeat.
Format: Paperback
This is an extremely powerful interpretation of the political forces at play in the Civil War South. Like it or not, Stephanie McCurry delivers a careful exploration of the domestic forces which were occurring during the Civil War in the Confederacy. The result is illuminating and exposes issues with great depth that have been overlooked in the study of the conflict. Much as domestic issues influenced government policies in the United States during the war as well as constantly in US history, domestic issues played an important role in influencing the actions of the Confederate government. Despite the Confederacy being an attempt to create an elite class system of rule, those without a voice in government found a way to be heard partly through their own actions, but also due to the democratic nature of American government. McCurry, the Christopher H. Browne Distinguished Professor of History at the University of Pennsylvania has definitely opened a can of worms with the release of this book. It was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for History in 2011 losing out to Eric Foner’s The Fiery Trial: Abraham Lincoln and American Slavery, itself a great work on the Civil War. Just how important were the actions of women and slaves in the Confederacy during the Civil War? McCurry states that their actions helped drive government policies. Based upon her work as well as others I would say she was correct. Others disagree. I think the thing to consider here is that the Confederacy, despite setting up a government ruled by the elite class of slave owners, was still responsive to the majority of the people inhabiting it. While it was an attempt to create a new nation, it was still required to adhere to some of the principles of the American Revolution. In order to establish the nation, the slave owners were going to have to wage an insurrection and for that they needed the help of the non-slave owners who would compose the majority of its armies. McCurry notes this and shows that this was just the first example of the elites compromising to achieve their goals. No matter what the elites desired, it could only happen with the support of the people in the Confederacy. It would be that support which was critical for the survival of the Confederacy. Without it, the Confederacy had no chance. This is often overlooked. First, many people think the Confederacy enjoyed the support of the people of the slave states. They did not. Of the 15 slave states in 1860, only 11 would join the Confederacy. Of those 11 states, a full third of the white men in them actually opposed secession. From the very beginning, the Confederacy had to deal with an active resistance inside its borders from whites who rejected their authority and slaves who would contribute as little as possible to the Confederate war effort. Later, soldier wives would riot as well as shield deserters. McCurry wrote extensively about these features. Just how much these factors played in the ultimate defeat of the Confederacy is going to be a guess and is open to debate. Did they cause the Confederacy to lose? Not of their own accord, but they did contribute to the defeat of the South over time. There is no doubt that the use of slaves by the Confederate armies was challenged from the very beginning of the war to the final end of it. The facts are undeniable on this matter and McCurry is not the first historian to note this nor will she be the last. The inability of the Confederacy to use its manpower to the maximum capacity was a crippling factor. The issue of slave labor and slave soldiers reflects the deep divisions within the Confederacy and exposes the rotten foundation which the slave owners tried to build their nation upon. All in all I liked the book. As some of the other comments show, the writing style could have been better. She repeated herself in multiple spots. This I think is a reflection of her still emerging writing style. Confederate Reckoning is only her second published book. She has written many articles, but those are different methods of writing compared to books. It takes some time for historians to really find their voice when writing monographs. She does have a Coursera course available, “The History of the Slave South,” which was offered in both 2014 and 2015. I think McCurry does a good job in opening up our eyes to the domestic issues on the Confederate home front. The real question which will be debated is just how much impact they had. I suspect that will be the argument for many.
WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
Reviewed in the United States on December 13, 2015
L
Verified Purchase
Lydia E. York
Lake Worth, US
★★★★★ 5
Hidden History
Format: Paperback
Dr. McCurry has no dog in this fight. She is Irish by birth, and raised in Canada. However, she brings a fresh perspective to the Confederate enterprise. From its foundation to the bitter end, the life of the Confederate state is documented in the words of the people who lived it. Dr. McCurry includes all the people embraced by the Confederacy, even if they weren't considered "citizens." This includes women and the enslaved people; two thirds of the Confederacy's population. The only battles documented are the struggles of an infant state professing to have perfected the US Constitution that had birthed into war. It didn't all work out as planned. But there are important lessons to be learned that aren't usually taught about the Civil War.
WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
Reviewed in the United States on September 18, 2020

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