If you own a vintage clothing item and you are lucky enough to have the label still attached, go and take a look at it. Is it just a standard text label with no style or does it have a fancy design? If it has a fancy design, then you are lucky to have a hidden work of art.

1940s Vintage Clothing Label for Sasperilla — Source: Pinterest

Disclosure: Some of the links on my blog from Etsy , eBay, are Affiliate Links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.

Note: If you click on an item and it is no longer available, don’t fret! The websites I have provided are updated daily with 1000’s of new & vintage items. Just do a quick search and see what you find.

Labels are also an excellent way to date a garment. Here is a great post by ‘Vintage Life’ on the “11 Ways to know its Vintage by Labels & Tags“. Give it a read after your done browsing this post.

vintage clothing label with an airplane on it for Aero of Boston. — 1940’s – Source: Pinterest

Vintage Clothing Labels-Hidden Works of Art

The Vintage Examples….

The Kahala – For the liberty house Waiki. Made in Honolulu. LOVE The tropical look.

Vintage Clothing Label-The Kahala Made in Honolulu — Source: Flickr

Charm – featuring a woman in a swimsuit.

1930’s Nanette Shirley Temple brand toddler dress garment label.

ABOUT THIS BRAND: Shirley Temple was 5 when she made her film debut. Her 1930s and ’40s retail dresses were designed like her movie costume dresses, in a toddler style even though she wasn’t a toddler. They were made by Nannette Manufacturing Co. of New York City, a division of Rosenau Brothers. The basic design was a skirt with soft pleats and contrasting collar. Fabrics were cotton, organdy and dotted Swiss in prints, plaids, checks and embroidery. There wasn’t much trimming, maybe a small bow, an appliqued figure or narrow lace edging. A 1936 newspaper advertised Shirley Temple dresses for $1.89 each. Dresses for older little girls were made by Cinderella, also a division of Rosenau (Source).

Playboy Clothes vintage garment label.

SWIRL’s 1950’s garment label is fantastic and very brand appropriate.

Source: Pinterest

Mr Boots 1960s Vintage Garment Clothing Label.

This was a beautiful label so I added it to the collection even though it’s from an era that is a bit earlier then I usually blog about here. Vintage Lucile Dress Label-1916.

Vintage Lucile Dress Garment Label 1916-1917 — Source: The Met

Sally Victor. Spring/summer 1960.

Sally Victor Clothing Label Spring Summer 1960s-Vintage — Source: Pinterest

Fashioned by Dainty Togs Inc. 1950s clothing label.

Vintage 1950's Clothing Garment Label — Source: Pinterest

Lumber King – 100% wool. This 1950s clothing label features a lumberjack (very appropriate).

1950s Vintage Garment Clothing Label for the Lumber King — Source: Pinterest

1950s Sport Time of California Vintage Dress Label.

1940’s White Mountain Ski Wear.

1940s White Mountain Ski Outfit Vintage Garment Label — Source: Vintage Traveler

Betty Jane – 1940s Girls dress vintage garment label.

Here are 2 labels from my own collection of vintage clothing. ‘Marvel’ from a 1950s house dress (seen HERE).

1950's Vintage Garment Clothing Label on a vintage dress

Flair of Miami. I love this 1950s tag, I just wish someone had not taken a marker to it.

1950s Vintage Clothing Garment Label on a vintage dress

Lastly, do you have some vintage labels that you would love to have more information on? Then makes sure you visit the ‘Vintage Fashion Guild Free Label Resource‘ page. It’s filled with loads of wonderful labels and their history.

Question Time: Do you have a favourite label on an item of clothing you own? Or did you have a favourite from above? Share in the comments below!

FURTHER READING:

Vintage Fashion 1920s-1960s – archived posts by the Vintage Inn Blog
Vintage Fashion Designers

Liz

While doing research for another blog post, I found some very interesting news stories on the CBC Archives on what life was like for Canadian Women after WW2. Here is a sampling of what they talked about…

Nylons Return Post-War: “The Battle of the Nylons”

About the Battle of the Nylons:

Via CBC Archives:

Nov 2024 update-The story on CBC archives is now gone. Sorry! I will look for something else to share here.

The battle of the nylons was fought this week and, luckily, there were no casualties. Women started lining up early in the morning outside clothing stores across the city as nylon hosiery came back on sale for the first time since 1939. As we hear in this brief radio clip (below), one merchant took no chances, erecting barricades in case of a riot. The sale went off, however, without a snag.

Air Canada (TCA at the time) flight attendants rejoice! In 1946, the post-World War II uniform reintroduced nylons. During the war, the material used to make nylons was reserved for military purposes, making the fashionable item impossible to find (Source).

1940s Vintage Photo of Air Canada (TCA) Flight Attendants in 1946 being excited about nylons coming back. — Source: Air Canada

Here are some images of similar “battles” that happened in the United States.

1940s Vintage Photo of a woman holding her nylon stockings to other women in line December 7th, 1945 in Chicago. Super 1940s fashions. — Source: Glamourdaze

A crowd of 10,000 in San Francisco await their Nylons.

1940s Vintage Photo: 1946 San Francisco Nylon hosiery queues — Source: Glamourdaze

“Feminine Curves are Back, Post War”

Forget the glamour gals — it’s cute-as-a-button Suzy from next door who’s turning the heads of ex-soldiers.

Take a listen to learn all about how men after war are looking for a curvy shaped gal (Nov 2024 update: Seems that CBC Archives has deleted all this content)

1940s Vintage Photo: “The Regular Gals” Celebrating VE Day on Bay Street in Toronto.

Further Reading: Canada Celebrates V-E Day (Victory in Europe Day) May 8th, 1945: The Vintage Photos

1940s vintage photo: Celebrating VE Day on Bay Street in Toronto. vintage photo of 4 women in 1940s fashions. — Source: Wikimedia

And… “Working Women After the War”

Should women get the same wages as men? That’s the question tackled in this excerpt from a spirited radio debate about “the fairer sex” in the workplace.

A female Teamster wonders why women were applauded for keeping factories running during the war and then handed substandard pay in peacetime. A male corporate lawyer allows that there are some jobs where women excel – tedious tasks, for example. A female executive says employers may have a point because it costs more to employ women. For example, their uniforms need to be “fussier”, company washrooms need to be “brushed up” and women take rest breaks while their male colleagues continue to toil.

Take a listen…. (Nov 2024-Another clip removed by CBC)

1950s vintage photo of women Telephone Operators.

So friends, what did you think of these little snippets of postwar Canadian life (Share in the comments section below)?

Thanks for stopping by!

FURTHER READING:

World War 2 Women’s Contributions & Homefront Posts
Women’s History Blog Posts (Vintage Archived Blog Posts)

Liz

Category: vintage History