From the Closet of: Roya Shanks

No Label

Era: 1960s

Size: Medium

About the Item:

One of the unexpected rewards of spending years at The Odeon? Patrons come to know Roya's love of vintage. This coat was one of several pieces given to her by a longtime guest after his grandmother passed away. "This was given to me by an Odeon guest whose grandmother passed away. He gave me a bunch of her stuff," Roya recalls.

Made in a rich dark chocolate brown wool with a blonde mink collar and black buttons studded with faceted jet-like rhinestones add an unexpected touch of sparkle, the coat has all the hallmarks of a beautifully preserved mid-century wardrobe staple. Roya describes it as "very dark brown, but it's not black," and notes that it's in "excellent condition." Looking at the coat's elegant silhouette and thoughtful details, she can only conclude: "I'm sure she was very stylish!"

About the Label:

Rather than a designer label, this coat bears the mark of the National Coat & Suit Recovery Board, a New Deal-era designation linked to Franklin D. Roosevelt's efforts to improve labor standards and manufacturing practices in the American garment industry. Today, these labels are prized by vintage collectors because they place a garment within the golden age of American manufacturing, when coats were carefully tailored, built to endure decades of wear, and often passed down through generations.

It's a fitting provenance for a piece like this one—a beautifully preserved coat that survived long enough to make its way from one stylish grandmother's wardrobe to another generation of vintage lovers.

Measurements:

Bust: 20”
Waist: 18”
Hip: 21”
Length: 40” 

Fabric:

No label wool with fur collar trim

Condition: 

Item is in excellent vintage condition.