Pictures of this label and dress were sent to me by Deb, who found my site while looking for information about Swirl.  For those of you who think celebrity involvement in fashion design and manufacturing is something new, it may come as a surprise to you that it began at least as early as the 1920s.

By the 30s, it appears to be a fairly common practice.  One of the first was Shirley Temple, whose parents sold the rights to her name to a dress manufacturer who made "Shirley Temple" dresses.  Over the years, many celebrities have cashed in on their names.  How much input they had in the design process is not known, but I assume that for the most part, it was minimal.

Along with Miss Temple and Loretta Young, you might also run across a Dorothy Lamour, Ginger Rogers, Esther Williams, Gloria Swanson, Billie Burke or Margaret O'Brian garment.  I think I'd love to find a Billie Burke; how great would it be to have a frock from Glinda the Good Witch!

Angie at eHappy was able to dig up a reference to the Loretta Young line.  In the Sheboygan Press, June 9, 1938, there was an ad for Loretta Young Hollywood Dresses.  And Deb's frock certainly falls in that era:

And best of all, the dress has the original hangtag.  What a great piece of history!

Hi,

Your comment about Shirley Temple's parents selling the rights to her name to a clothing manufacturer caught my eye. I am researching what might be one of those dresses.

It belongs to my mother, and the information I have on it right now is that it is based on a dress from a 1935 film (do not know what film). My mother remembers wearing it when she was about 3 or 4. It is currently stored away, but I could get a photograph of it if necessary.

I would appreciate any direction in finding out more about the dress, the manufacturer and tracking down the film!

Thanks much
Gretchen