Carrie Munn….Fashion Designer & Socialite. Have you heard of her? I had not until 20 mins ago when I was browsing Etsy for 1950s vintage dresses and came upon one of her creations, a 50s tailored blouse and circle skirt with military inspired embellishments. GORGEOUS!

1950s Fashion: 1950s Ensemble by Carrie Munn. Tailored Blouse and Circle Skirt with Military Inspired Embellishments.

Source: Etsy

Now what does one do when they don’t know something? They do their research and that is exactly what I did! I had to know more about the designer who made this beautiful outfit.

Unfortantely there is not a lot of information on Carrie (AKA Mrs. Orson Munn) but we do have photos of some of her designs, society images & vintage advertising.

Let’s take a look!

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Carrie Munn-1940s & 1950s American Fashion Designer and Socialite

1951 Vintage Image of Fashion designer Carrie Munn in 1950s Dress of her designs in a vintage ad

Source: Wikidata

Background on Carrie Munn

Mrs. Munn was best known for her feminine designs, which featured billowing skirts and slim waists and used lace, sequins and ribbon. She also designed ready-to-wear clothes.

Here is a 1952 Cigarette Ad featuring Carrie Munn in one of her designs. STUNNING DRESS!

1950s Vintage Ad for Fatima Cigarettes featuring an image of Fashion designer Carrie Munn in one of her 1950s evening gowns.

Source: eBay

Caroline “Carrie” Nunder was born in Buffalo in 1898 and in 1924 married Orson D. Munn, who was the editor and publisher of Scientific American magazine until he sold his interest in 1947. Mr. Munn died in 1958.

In 1942, without any formal training in fashion design, Mrs. Munn opened a dress shop, Carrie Munn, at 640 Madison Avenue. Among her most popular designs was a quilted tapestry skirt decorated with sequins.

Mrs. Munn was known for her parties at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, which featured shows of her most recent designs (Source).

She passed away in 1984.

The Museum at FIT call’s Munn’s work “derivative” of Dior and Balenciaga (Source).

Fashion designer Carrie Munn (Mrs. Orson D. Munn) in a 1951 advertisement for Utica and Mohawk Cotton Mills, Inc.

“I live on Park Avenue…I sleep in Utica”

Source: Wikimedia

Press photo from the 1920s of Mrs. Harold Wall, Mrs. Orson D. Munn (I think she is the one on the right), Mrs. WIlliam Fleitmann in incredible 1920s dresses, hats and shoes. Another very fashionable photo. (Available as of July 27th, 2021 HERE)

1920s Vintage Photo: Press photo from the 1920s of Mrs. Harold Wall, Mrs. Orson D. Munn, Mrs. WIlliam Fleitmann in incredible 1920s Dresses, hats and shoes. Another very fashionable photo. (Available as of July 27th, 2021 HERE)

Source: eBay

1932 Press photo of Mrs Orson D Munn at Southhampton Long Island NY in the most FANTASTIC 1930s outfit (love it!). (Available as of July 27th, 2021 HERE)

1930s Photo: 1932 Press Photo Mrs Orson D Munn at Southampton Long Island NY in 1930s beach pajamas

“Society Matron at Southhampton….

New York…Mr.s Orson D. Munn, popular society leader, as she appeared at Southhampton, Long Island, where she is a prominent member of the fashionable summer colony. July 30th, 1932.”

1930s Photo: 1932 Press Photo BACK. The front features Mrs Orson D Munn at Southampton Long Island NY in 1930s beach pajamas

Source: eBay

1950s Photo of Mrs. Orson Munn (seated L) and Mrs. Bruno Graf (seated R) posing in a fashion show with their grand daughters, daughter and daughter-in-law.

I am unsure if the dresses in the image are a Carrie Munn Creation (but I’m thinking they are).

1950s Vintage Photo: Mrs. Orson Munn (seated L) and Mrs. Bruno Graf (seated R) posing in a fashion show with their grand daughters, daughter and daughter-in-law. All the women are wearing 1950s dresses

Source: Getty Images

1950s Photo of Socialite Mrs. Orson (Carrie) Munn, escorted by Earl Blackwell, director of celebrity service, arrives at the fashionable first night of the Metropolitan Opera House tonight.

Mrs. Munn wore a gown of golden beige moire with an immense skirt of unpressed pleats. Over it was fitted jacket of the same fabric with deep mink cuffs. Gold and diamond jewelry and a golden lacquer coiffure completed the ensemble.

Television carried the glossy opening night spectacle to 32 theaters throughout the nation (Source).

1950s Vintage Photo showcasing 1950s fashions. 1950s Photo of Socialite Mrs. Orson (Carrie) Munn, escorted by Earl Blackwell, director of celebrity service, arrives at the fashionable first night of the Metropolitan Opera House tonight.

Mrs. Munn wore a gown of golden beige moire with an immense skirt of unpressed pleats. Over it was fitted jacket of the same fabric with deep mink cuffs. Gold and diamond jewelry and a golden lacquer coiffure completed the ensemble.

Source: Getty Images

Carrie Munn Fashion Designs Examples

1950s Woman’s Evening Ensemble: Dress and Slip. WOW! The back is even more stunning then the front.

1950s Fashion: Woman's Evening Ensemble: Dress and Slip c. 1950s Designed by Carrie Munn, American, 1898 - 1984

Source: Philadelphia Museum of Art

Elizabeth Parke Firestone, wife of tire magnate Harvey S. Firestone, Jr., cultivated a refined sense of fashion. Her fashion choices not only reflected her years of interest in clothing design and collaboration with world-renowned couturiers, but also highlighted her family’s social standing.

Firestone wore this jacketed dress — by American designer Carrie Munn — to her 25th wedding anniversary celebration at New York’s Ritz Hotel in 1946.

She would go on and wear several of Carrie Munn Designs.

1940s Vintage Dress-Firestone wore this jacketed dress -- by American designer Carrie Munn -- to her 25th wedding anniversary celebration at New York's Ritz Hotel in 1946.

Source: Arts and Culture Google

Here is the dress that was under the jacket. YOOZA!

Elizabeth Parke Firestone at Her 25th Wedding Anniversary Celebration with Daughters Martha and Elizabeth, June 25, 1946 (Source).

1940s Vintage Photo: Elizabeth Parke Firestone at Her 25th Wedding Anniversary Celebration with Daughters Martha and Elizabeth, June 25, 1946

Source: Henry Ford Museum

Satin Jacquard Evening Dress with Diagonal Stripes, about 1947.

This garment was owned by Elizabeth Parke Firestone. She is shown wearing this dress in photographs taken by Cecil Beaton for Vogue Magazine in very late 1949 or early 1950. Elizabeth also wore this dress at a party for her eldest daughter, Elizabeth (Source).

Source: Digital Library Wayne Edu

1940s Photo: Elizabeth Parke Firestone is shown wearing this and another dress in photographs taken by Cecil Beaton for Vogue Magazine in very late 1949 or early 1950

When I look at this next dress, all I can think about is SPRING! What another knockout 1950s Dress! Don’t you just love the flowers on the skirt? How creative!

1950s Fashion: Carrie Munn 1950s Vintage Dress Green with Flowers. Spring Dress

Source: The museum of fine arts, Houston

1941 Vintage Photo: In The Carrie Munn winter collection shown at the luncheon fashion show at the Waldorf-Astoria was this red wool dinner suit with small black velvet collar trimmed with jeweled buttons. With it are two black fox muffs worn as cuffs.

1940s Photo: 1941 vintage photo of a Model Wearing Hat and Long Suit with Fur Trim. The outfit is a Carrie Munn Design. Beautiful 1940s fashion.

Source: Getty Images

Carrie Munn, 1950s Beige, Cream and Pink Dress. Big fan of this combo!

1950s Vintage Dress by Carrie Munn -1950s Beige, Cream and Pink Evening Dress.

Source: Pinterest

Late 1940s, Carrie Munn Apron Gown. Another stunner of a Spring dress!

Carrie Munn Apron Gown 1940s vintage dress. The dress is ivory organza jacquard with the sleeveless boned bodice embroidered with a single large variegated pastel pink rose on a stalk. The circle skirt has two underlayers and the long apron with picot trim and two rows embroidered roses.

Source: Doyle.com

1953 Cocktail Dress. Black jersey sleeveless bodice with bib of black braid and cord, faille circle skirt, braid and cord decorated net apron. THE DETAILS! Fantastic!

1950s Fashion: 1953 Cocktail Dress. Black jersey sleeveless bodice with bib of black braid and cord, faille circle skirt, braid and cord decorated net apron

Source: Bidsquare.com

Why there is not more on this designer, I will never know. Her creations are beautiful and yet she is footnote on many pages (and it was a HUNT to find images of her designs).

Hopefully this blog post will help shed a bit more light on Carrie Munn to those, like myself who had no idea who she was. Special thanks to FabGabs who brought her to my attention.

Question time: Did you enjoy learning about this designer? Have you ever seen her designs in real life or even on the web? Share in the comments section below, I would love to learn some more!

Further Reading:

Vintage Fashion Designers (Archived Blog Posts)
Vintage Fashion 1920s-1960s (Archived Blog Posts)

Take care!

Liz

History of Hollywood Patterns

Hollywood Pattern Company was started by Condé Nast in 1932. They were known for printing photos of Hollywood stars on some of their patterns, quickly making them very popular. They continued production through the end of World War II (1946) (Source).

Many of the patterns from this now defunct company, featuring stars and starlets on their envelopes, are highly collectable. Those featuring Lucille Ball are particularly desirable. This company did beautiful dresses and suits throughout the 1940s into the 1950s (Source).

Note: I found another website that stated that the patterns were created by a clothing company in the 1930s. From So Vintage Patterns:

“In the 1930s a clothing pattern company launched its Hollywood Patterns, cashing in the public hunger to have that Hollywood movie star look.”

“The fashions were taken from the famous and popular movies of the day, everything from day dresses, evening gowns to beach wear, tennis outfits to the Katharine Hepburn wide trousers to aprons. A gem for the collector is finding the Vivienne Leigh ‘Scarlett’ pattern with an evening gown from Gone With The Wind, any with Lucille Ball for the I Love Lucy collectors and Joan Bennett for the Dark Shadows fans.”