RARE c. 1940 black Saltaire swing coat w/ ribbon detail

Name: RARE c. 1940 black Saltaire swing coat w/ ribbon detail
Brand: Vintage
SKU: 69f913a7963c42bdef4ca2be
Price: 700.0 CAD
Availability: InStock

C$700 C$1,050

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Vintage black swing coat with Saltaire alpaca-blend fabric C. 1939–1941* This is an exceedingly rare, museum quality, piece (a similar Saltaire coat from the same time period sold on First Dibs for $1050) Fitted bodice with flared skirt that falls below the knee Extra panels in back create the swing effect Sleeves bellow out then taper at the wrist (a more subtle bishop's sleeve) Narrowed shoulders so the sleeves lift a bit at the shoulders Silk scalloped trim around collar Buttons are plastic with fabric centers Interior belt and loop to keep the coat in place Alpaca blend (Saltaire made alpaca-silk blends and alpaca-cotton blends, and I feel what I think is cotton in the fabric, but it could be heavy silk) Lined in heavy black silk satin Impeccable tailoring: bound buttonholes, waist reinforced with heavy cotton, hand-stitching inside cuffs, etc Purchased at Osborne's Ladies' Wear in Red Deer, Alberta 3-season coat **See comments for detailed history** Estimated to be a size 4; check measurements: Shoulder width: 13.5" (narrowed for effect with sleeves) Back width: 17.75" Waist: 32" Sleeve length: 25.5" Length from nape: 43" Model images are AI generated Tags: vintage, luxury, quiet luxury, swing coat, 1930s, 1940s, Saltaire, alpaca, silk, lined, evening coat, day coat, event, classic, monochrome, British, museum quality, 3-season, midi coat

9 Comments

madscloset2 Osborne's Ladies' Wear began in 1932 in Vulcan, AB; moved to Red Deer 1939–1975. They carried ready-made clothing from a number of well-known and luxury brands

May 04Reply

madscloset2 The coat is likely from the store's initial period in Red Deer as there is a typo on the label ("ladie's" instead of "ladies'") that was corrected in its December '39 and later advertisements and phone book entry

May 04Reply

madscloset2 The shoulders are only lightly padded (as the war progressed, shoulders became sharper, more militaristic)

May 04Reply

madscloset2 The degree of hand-stitching suggests an earlier period - Swing coats were popular in the 1930s with ads such as "Join the Swing to National Values" - This Saltaire label was in use from 1930 to 1960

May 04Reply

madscloset2 It was manufactured using very expensive Saltaire fabric; British in origin, it suggests the time period prior to rationing in Canada (that began in 1942) when our economy was booming and Canadians were encouraged to "buy British" to aid their wartime economy

May 04Reply

madscloset2 The coat was likely manufactured in western Canada: there are no manufacturer or union labels, and while eastern Canadian clothing manufacturers were almost all unionized by the 1940s, western Canadian clothing manufacturing was not unionized until the 1950s

May 04Reply

madscloset2 The use of hem tape also generally indicates North American manufacture - There are no fabric content or care labels; text-based labelling came into use in the 1950s (though there was no consistency then)

May 04Reply

madscloset2 Saltaire was one of most famous mill towns in the UK (and is now a World Heritage Site); it rose to fame for the mill's innovative use of alpaca wool via techniques developed by its founder, Titus Salt

May 04Reply

madscloset2 By mixing the alpaca with silk, "Salt developed first a fine, glossy yarn and then the techniques and machinery to turn it into cloth. He began producing Alpaca Orleans, a cloth so fine that Queen Victoria herself kept two alpaca llamas at Windsor and sent their fleeces to Salt to be turned into cloth. It would make Salt’s fortune." In addition to using a silk warp, Salt would later mix the alpaca on a cotton warp for a heavier fabric.

May 04Reply