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Vintage 1960s Mod Black Velvet Dolly Mini Dress - Poupee Rouge - Susie Kosovic XS

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Brand Poppy's Vintage Clothing

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This is a mod “dolly” style 60s era black velvet mini dress designed by Susan Kosovic for her label “Poupée Rouge”.

This dress has a squared neckline that is trimmed in white lace.  The sleeves have a slight puff at the shoulder and are cut straight with a slight point at the cuff.  The bodice has 12 covered buttons arranged two by two, six of which are functional and six of which are decorative.  The skirt is gathered in tiny pleats under the waistline.

I was lucky enough to get in contact with Susan about this particular dress, so I have some interesting details to share about it.   Here is what she had to say.

"As far as I recall it was from a very limited group of holiday dresses and I believe it was 1966 or 1967. The material was from Germany from a company called De Bal, very well known for the quality of it's velvet. It is 100% cotton. The bodice was cut almost in the way of an Elizabethan corset to push the bust upward and the waistline was cut to sit slightly above the natural waistline. It was a very rich looking dress, from a time in my designing life that I loved the most."

Label: Poupée Rouge Toronto

Color: Black

Material: A cotton velvet, soft to the touch.

Sizing: Size 6 is indicated, but according to my measurements, this should fit an extra small size - please rely on the following measurements for fit and note the small bust:

Shoulders:  13” across from shoulder seam to shoulder seam - shoulder cap should extend slightly into the puff of the sleeve

Sleeves:  22 1/2” long from the shoulder seam to the cuff

Sleeve inseam:  16”

Bust:  30” around, taken under the arms

Waist:  26” around

Hips:  36” around

Overall length:  33", measured flat

Condition:  It is in very good, clean condition with no wear, tear, holes, stains or odors except for nappe wear to one of the buttons - you could always re-cover the button if desired as there is extra fabric in the hemline.  This dress has been very well cared for and stored over the years.  

A bit more information about the designer.  Susie Kosovic opened her first boutique on Yonge Street in Toronto in 1964 and was featured on the cover of McLean’s magazine in 1966, the first Canadian designer to be featured on the cover of McLean’s.  She was referred to in the magazine article as “Canada’s Mary Quant, but with her own thing” by Vidal Sassoon.  Within a few years, she had three stores in Toronto, including one in Yorkville, one in the Le Cartier apartment building in downtown Montreal, and a boutique in the Hudson Bay Co. store in Winnipeg.  In 1969, Kosovic began to design a Unisex line for the Fairweather department store chain and during the mid 70s opened a store called “John Alexander”, at this point using Susie Hayward as her name.  She went on to have a long lasting career in the fashion industry.

This is a perfect 60s “dolly rocker” style mod dress - nice addition to a Canadian fashion collection!