Antonio Castillo for Elizabeth Arden Coat

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Castillo for Elizabeth Arden coat and suit pictured for Vogue magazine, Nov. 1, 1947

I am deeply indebted to Monica D. Murgia for her in-depth research about Antonio Castillo and the few short years he worked for Elizabeth Arden.  I highly recommend you read her blog post about the collaboration between Castillo and Arden to understand how special the coat I am going to show you today is.

Antonio Castillo worked for Elizabeth Arden from October, 1945 until 1950 when he left to join the House of Lanvin.  He produced couture garments for the clientele at the Arden salon exclusively until the Fall of 1949, when his first ready-to-wear collection was produced and sold wholesale to leading department stores like Neiman Marcus and I. Magnin.

Castillo for Elizabeth Arden 1947 couture coat at Couture Allure.

It is my pleasure to present this couture coat from Castillo for Elizabeth Arden from the Fall 1947 collection.  The coat is made from navy and black striped silk ottoman and features hand finishing and couture construction throughout.  While not perfect, this is a rare and very special example of American couture and is now available at Couture Allure.

I. Magnin's Miss Stella

FREE IMAGES Stella Hanania was born in Lebanon and was taught to sew in the Parisian convent where she went to school.  After moving to New York, she went to work in the custom salon at Bergdorf Goodman where she worked with Bernard Newman.  When Newman moved to Beverly Hills to design for Hollywood movie stars, Stella came along as his assistant.  She chose to stay in California and went to work for I. Magnin in 1947.

A Miss Stella creation, 1965.  A sequined jacket with real coral beads
floats over a white silk shantung skirt.

Miss Stella, as she chose to be called, was head of I. Magnin's custom couture salon in Los Angeles for 30 years.  All of the garments she created for her custom clients were designed specifically for that client and were made completely by hand.

The Custom Salon on the second floor of I. Magnin, Los Angeles.
This was Miss Stella's domain.

Twice a year, Stella would travel to Paris for the couture showings.  She purchased selections from the couture houses and received permission to copy them in America and also used what she saw for inspiration for her own designs.

Beaded evening helmet by Miss Stella, 1965.

Stella did not like ready-to-wear clothing, calling it "plastic."  She met individually with each client and understood their needs and body shapes, then designed their wardrobes encompassing their personal taste and style.  Miss Stella retired in 1977 and at that time was the last custom couture designer in a US department store.  She died in her sleep in 1987.