The Internet can once in a while be a lovely place filled with vintage advertising of fashions gone by that are still gorgeous and fantastic, LIKE what I stumbled upon at the Archives.org website.

This delightful September 20th, 1941 fashion ad for ‘Spectator Sportswear by Lucas‘. Such dreamy dresses!

1940s Vintage Ad: 1941 advertisement for Lucas Spectator Sportswear -1940s Fashion Ad.

Source: Archive.org

After I saw this ad, I started doing some research on “The House of Lucas” and stumbled upon while not a lot of content, still enough that I know I had to share it with my readers. So that is what today’s post is all about!

‘THE HOUSE OF LUCAS’

An Australian Vintage Fashion Label

The House of Lucas-E Lucas and Co. The family-owned firm operated in Ballarat (Victoria, Australia) from 1888 to 1968, employing hundreds and putting Ballarat on the map as a producer of fashion.

ABOUT (Excerpt-Weekly Times Now Australia):

The fashion house was created by founder Eleanor Lucas who was widowed in 1878 and began sewing underwear and shirts from home to support her family. When Eleanor was widowed again in 1888, she launched her own sewing firm.

Successful from the outset, by 1908 it employed more than 200 people and at its peak in the 1950s employed 500. It specialised in women’s clothing but also made clothes for children and men.

“Lucas always had an eye on fashion trends and so they would send their executives overseas to bring back those trends to Australia and by the 1930s Lucas had a good reputation for quality garments,” Snjez says. “This meant they forged exclusive deals with the likes of Pierre Cardin and Vanity Fair.”

The Lucas factory has been linked with Ballarat commercial life for 55 years (Source).

In 1968 the company was taken over (Source).

In 1972 Lucas provided financial assistance for expansion, the company becoming a subsidiary of Courtaulds-Hilton (Source).

Innovations

1903 Lucas installed the first electric motor in Ballarat.
1908 Tilly Thompson became Australia’s first female commercial travellor.
1930 Lucas set up Australia’s first warp knitting, dyeing and finishing plant.
1934 Lucas produced Australia’s first screen printed tricot dresses.
1949 Lucas produces Australia’s first nylon Tricot fabric.
1952 Lucas produced Australia’s first nylon permanent pleating.
1962 Lucas produced Australia’s first colour coordinated lingerie and foundation garments (Source).

(Continue Reading about their history HERE).

"Created by Lucas" vintage dress by Lucas Spectator sportswear and australian clothing company

Source: Pinterest

The Fashion Vintage Ads

(stay till the end for some examples of real life outfits)

Here is a collection of the clothing lines that LUCAS was selling at the time of the posting of this 1948 ad:

Children’s Line-Betty Lou
Spectator Sportswear
Lucas Lingerie
Jill Heriote
Young Times

That green dress!!! Yooza!

1940s vintage ad: 1940s Fashion ad for Lucas Spectator clothing featuring a collection of their 1940s fashion lines, including a childrens clothing line.

Source: Pinterest

“Girls with a job to do!” – 1942 fashion ad.

“Not every woman who works for victory serves in unifrom. You women who have avalanced from everywhere to take up voluntary service and defence work need frocks that are neat, comfortable and cheerful; easy to wash, and long to last….Spectator Sportswear has all the answers!”

The company was doing their part for the war effort as stated in their ads: “Please understand. If stock of Spectator Sportswear at your favourite store aren’t as big as usual, it’s because we’re making ever increasing quantities of equipement for the fighting forces. Though supplies are restricted, the quality you know so well remains unchanged.”

1940s Fashion / 1940s Wartime Fashion: 1942 advertisement for Lucas Spectator clothes

Source: Archive.org

“A Three Star Feature” -1942 fashion ad.

“….like the Flying Fortress combining quality of material, perfection of design and superlative craftsmanship with fine attention to detail…is headed for a direct hit with you women of Australia performing all those urgent, unheroic, behind-the-scene tasks so essential to victory”

1940s Vintage ad / 1940s Fashion Ad: 1942 advertisement for Lucas Spectator clothes featuring Wartime 1940s women's dresses.

Source: Archive.org

Time to put away the track pants when walking the dogs and breakout the skirt suit (in this case cute Dalmatians)! 1945 fashion ad.

Further Reading: The Skirt Suit: A Fall Fashion Trend. The 1940s Edition

1945 vintage ad for women's 1940s fashion from Lucas Spectator Sportswear line. The fashion illustration features a woman in a two piece suit walking dalmatian dogs.

Source: Pinterest

“Dress for the man in your life” -1947 fashion ad.

“In your Spectator Frock or Suit you’re sure to please any masculine eye. Spectator Sportswear is still very sparce, but limited supplies are proudly sold by better shops everywhere”

1940s vintage ad / 1940s fashion ad for Spectator Sportswear by Lucas 1947 women's fashions

Source: Pinterest

1947 fashion ad. “Dress for the man in your life”.

1940s vintage ad / 1940s Fashion Ad: Lucas Spectator outfit from Woman magazine Australia, 1947.

Source: Pinterest

1949 advertisement for Lucas Spectator Ladies Sportswear for their Fall fashion line (I would wear this in a second!).

1940s vintage ad / 1940s Fashion: 1949 advertisement for Lucas Spectator ladies sportswear

Source: Archive.org

“For the town or country look”. A classic jacket suit & a versatile tailored dress-1952 fashion ad.

1950s vintage ad / 1950s Fashion Ad: image1952 advertisement for Lucas Spectactor clothes for women. 1950s dresses.

Source: Archive.org

“At last…a permanently pleated skirt that washes!” YES! Perfect for traveling the friendly skies as you can see our lovely 1950s illustrated model enjoying.

Source: Pinterest

Oh my! These outfits are giving off “Look at me” vibes”. 1953 vintage fashion ad.

1950s vintage ad / 1950s Fashion Ad: 1953 advertisement for Lucas Spectator clothes

Source: Archive.org

“For every day on your summer calendar…” 1954 fashion ad.

1950s vintage ad / 1950s fashion ad from 1954 for women's fashions from Lucas spectator fashion

Source: Pinterest

“Strike a high note in…Lucas Spectator Sportswear and be in harmony with every Winter occasion.” 1955 fashion ad.

1950s vintage ad / 1950s Women's Fashion ad: 1955 Lucas Spectator Sportswear featuring 1950s dress and 1950s women's two piece suit.

Source: Pinterest

I’m a sucker for any ad with cute Scottie Dogs in them! Like our 1958 fashion ad.

1950s vintage ad: 1958 fashion ad for LUCAS clothing featuring 2 women in 1950s fashions walking their Scottie Dogs

Source: Pinterest

1960’s summer fashion line. “Love the Sun”.

1960s vintage ad: 1960s Fashion / 1960s Summer Fashion for Women. 1960s Vintage Fashion ad for Women's summer dresses by LUCAS

Source: Pinterest

1961 Fashion book for the Autumn line.

1960s fashion book for autumn 1961 from LUCAS Australian fashion company 1960s women's fashions

Source: National Gallery of Victoria

Vintage Fashion: Examples of what the label looked like in real life

1950 evening gown (Jill Heroite Line & designed by Eve Ogilvie), a bronze full length dress in striped moirè and satin acetate, cut on the bias. GORGEOUS!!

1950s Fashion: 1950 evening gown by LUCAS a bronze full length dress in striped moirè and satin acetate, cut on the bias.

Source: National Gallery of Victoria

1952 Summer Day Dress (Jill Heroite Line & designed by Eve Ogilvie).

1950s Fashion: 1952 Day Dress by Designer LUCAS an Australian company. Women's 1950s fashion.

Source: National Gallery of Victoria

1959 Pierre Cardin Coat produced by the Australian fashion house LUCAS.

Source: National Gallery of Victoria

I hope you enjoyed this post! It was fun learning about a clothing label I had never heard of before.

Question Time! What outfits or ads did you love the most? Have you heard of this company before? Maybe you own one of their dresses. Share any thoughts in the comment section below and thanks for dropping by!

Further Reading:

Vintage Fashions 1920s-1960s (Archived Blog Posts)

Liz

Colour-blocking is thought of as the exploration of taking colors that are opposites on the color wheel and pairing them together to make interesting and complementary color combinations. It is commonly associated in fashion as a trend that originated from the artwork of Dutch painter, Piet Mondrian (Source).

In the 1960s, Yves Saint Laurent was inspired by Mondrian’s work and created the iconic dress seen below. Colour-blocking was also the early introduction of Mod Style, a 60’s trend known for bold, solid colored separates that were composed of blocks in different hues (Source).

As the sack dress evolved in the 1960s into a modified form, the shift, Saint Laurent realized that the dress's planarity was an ideal field for color blocks. Knowing the flat planes of the 1960s canvases acheived by contemporary artists in the lineage of Mondrian, Saint Laurent made the historical case for the artistic sensibility of his time. Y

Source: The Met

Now in the case of 1940’s & 1950’s fashion, colour-blocking was very understated and normally unintentional. This is why when you research the history of this style, you won’t really find the 40s and 50s being mentioned as a trendy time for this look (at least I could not find much info).

I did find an interesting piece of information about 1940s colour-blocking though….

It was an ideal way to use small pieces of fabric that would not be enough on their own for a garment, combined in ways that could make a whole garment and a fun fashion statement. Designers became very creative with color blocking, even in odd combinations (Source).

Uncut 1940s Hollywood 1759 One Shoulder Dress Pattern Vintage Sewing Grecian Style Dress Color Block Cocktail Dress

Source: Etsy

The Colour Block Fashions of the 1940s & 1950s

Vintage Fashion Examples

For today’s post I want to showcase the 1940s & 1950s and what colour-blocking looked like during this time period of fashion (with a late 1930s & early 1960s dresses thrown in for fun).

Let’s begin!

(Note: Updated March 2024)

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.

VINTAGE SHOPPING: I have put together to make your shopping easier, an Etsy collection of vintage color block fashion’s, that is updated monthly. Happy Shopping!

This is the dress that started this post. It’s so pretty, I could cry! I just wished it fit, but it does not so it will live forever on my blog!

A stunning vintage 1930s puffed sleeved evening gown in black velveteen and mint faille colour block.

1930s Dress - Stunning Vintage 30s Puffed Sleeve Evening Gown in Black Velveteen and Mint Faille Color Block

Source: Etsy

Vintage 1940s Pink + Burgundy Wool Colour Block Dress (love the colour combo!).

1940s Fashion: Vintage 1940s Pink + Burgundy Wool Colour Block Dress

Source: Etsy

Vintage 1940’s pale blue & black colour block dress (avail as of March 2024 HERE).

I own a very similar dress to this one and was always confused on how it was supposed to look on, but now I know.

1940s Fashion: Vintage 1940's pale blue & black colour-block dress

Source: Etsy

1940s Gorgeous Pink and Black Rayon Color Block Dress. I love the colour combo!

1940s Fashion: 1940s Gorgeous Pink and Black Rayon Color Block Dress

Source: Etsy

Holy Jeepers! THIS DRESS!! Falling over from how stunning it is! A 1940s navy blue red white dash print rayon crepe, two tone colour block dress.

1940s Fashion: navy blue red white dash print rayon crepe two tone color block 3/4 sleeves double breast V neck center pleat A-line skirt dress

Source: Etsy

1940’s black and pink pinafore style colour block dress.

1940s Fashion: Vintage 1940's Black and Pink Rayon Dress/ 40's Colour Block Dress

Source: Etsy

Spring/Summer Modes Royale catalogue from 1947 featuring 1940s Color Block dresses.

Source: rhondabuss.com

Maybe I’m alone on this, but I LOVE COLOUR-BLOCKING DRESSES! Here is another beauty. A vintage 1940s wool gabardine black and dusty pink dress with unique pockets.

1940s Fashion: 1940s Color Block Frock | Vintage 40s Wool Gabardine Black and Dusty Pink Sassy Sensational Dress with Unique Pockets

Source: Etsy

You had me with this dress with those color-blocked ruffles at the back. STUNNING!

A vintage 1940s dark taupe & pumpkin spice orange colour block, rayon crepe cocktail dress w/ruffles.

1940s Fashion: 1940s Fabulous Femme Fatale Frock | Vintage 40s Dark Taupe & Pumpkin Spice Orange Color Block Rayon Crepe Cocktail Dress w/Ruffles

Source: Etsy

1940 Fashion Illustration featuring Color Block Evening Dresses & Casual Day Dresses.

Source: Pinterest

1940s junior rayon puff sleeve colour block dress. Super cute!

1940s Fashion: 1940s junior rayon puff sleeve color-block dress

Source: Etsy

Modes Royale Fall/Winter 1955/56 Fashions.

1950s Fashion Illustration: Modes Royale Fall/Winter 1955/56 Womens Fashions featuring a color block dress.

Source: rhondabuss.com

I’m a huge fan of Rose Marie Reid Swimsuits, as you would of read all about it a past post seen below. So it was very exciting that I found one of her designs for this colour block post, that is for sale! Someone so very lucky will get to own this beautiful 1950s vintage bathing suit and look so fab everytime they put it on. LUCKY DUCK!

Further Reading: 1940s & 1950s Canadian Swimsuit Designer-Rose Marie Reid

1950s Fashion: vintage 1950s designer swimsuit | 50s Rose Marie Reid colour block halter skirted swim bathing suit

Source: Etsy

Glorious 1950’s cotton sun dress. This dress features a large scale colour block of yellow, white and blue, self tie straps and clever pocket placement. This is so darn cute!

1950s Fashion: Glorious 1950’s cotton sun dress. This dress features a large scale colour block of yellow, white and blue, self tie straps and clever pocket placement. Fitted bodice with a scooped neckline, comfortable self tie spaghetti straps, nipped waist and a very full pleated skirt with two hidden pockets. Side metal zipper.

Source: Etsy

Gorgeous 1950s cotton colour block dress done in the gradient shades of pink!

1950s Fashion: Vintage 1950s Dress / 1950s Pink Cotton Colorblock Dress / Full Skirt

Source: Etsy

1950’s Fit n flare cotton dress in a sky blue and chocolate brown color block.

Source: Etsy

1950s red and blue colour block shirtwaist dress.

Further Reading: The Shirtwaist Dress of the 1940s and 1950s

1950s Fashion: 1950s red and blue color block shirtwaist dress

Source: Etsy

To end here is a 1960’s Carol Rodgers cotton dress featuring a yellow and white color block print. Also featured is how the dress looked like on the model in this 1963 ‘Lana Lobell’ catalog.

early 1960s Carol Rodgers cotton dress features a yellow and white color block print. Sleeveless. Button closure down front bodice with additional snap closure at front waist. Nipped waist and includes the original matching rope waist ties. Full pleated skirt.

Source: Etsy

Question time: Are you a fan of colour-blocking? Share your thoughts and what your favourite outfit was, in the comments section below.

Thanks for dropping by!

FURTHER READING: Vintage Fashions 1920s-1960s (Archived Blog Posts)

Liz

Tag: Vintage fashion