Keeping Warm in Great Style with Vintage Coats

As winter approaches here in the Northern Hemisphere, my thoughts turn to overcoats and especially the beauty of vintage coats. Some of my favorite styles are from the 1940s and 1950s. Wonderful tailored details make me simply drool. :D  Swing backs, trapeze silhouettes, deep cuffs, chic collar treatments, and more - enjoy this review of coats, long and short, for women and girls, from the 1940s and 1950s.

Misses 1940s

 

Girls 1940s

 

Misses 1950s

 

 

Girls 1950s

 

By Any Name...

Recently I had listed and sold the following coat (McCall's 4685 from 1958), described as a trapeze coat.

And then I acquired the February 1962 edition of Seventeen magazine, which featured very similar coats.

The cover of the magazine features this beautiful blue coat described as having a "baby-doll look", with empire waist, flared skirt, double-breasted closing, and slender bracelet length sleeves. And that cute hat is a "checked baby cap." ;D

A few page into the magazine is an advertisement for these coats described as having the "new A-line silhouette". :)

So what is the difference? The trapeze silhouette is narrow at the top and wider at the hem, almost triangular in shape. The A-line silhouette is defined as being narrower at the top, flaring gently wider toward the bottom.  The babydoll dress is defined as having an empire waist and loose, A-line skirt.

By whatever name you call it, it's adorable, inspiring fashion!