Madame Glover, Dressmaker

 
Many of our readers are already familiar with my obsession with local dressmaker and manufacturer labels and stores. In a recent large acquisition there were two examples of a well known local dressmaker, so I was thrilled. Here's a bit about Madame Glover.  
Madame Annie Glover 
    Annie Casey Glover (1861- 1947)was a very well known dressmaker in Louisville in her day.  Born in Ireland, she

Loevenhart's Of Louisville

As many of our blog readers know, I continue to research and gather labels and photos of local department stores in Louisville. The vintage clothing I find from these businesses is so often of really superior quality that while I do have memories of these stores and their buildings,I wish I had paid more attention as a teenager and young adult while they were still in business.
Evey once and a

Signs of the Times: Levy Bros and Spaghetti

Levy Bros. was a long time Louisville department store and institution founded by Henry and Moses Levy, who opened their store in 1861 at the NE corner of 3rd St. and Market in a corner room of a 4 story building. They prospered during the Civil War as suppliers became the nation's largest supplier of Confederate for reunions and encampments. In 1889, they purchased the land and started

More 1916 Hats

I have a number of these pages scanned, but think I will just post these 2 more. The variety of styles is fun - width emphasizing wide brim, gaucho style hats with shallow crowns, sheer floppy brimmed summer hats in what I assume is organdy or lace, height emphasizing architectural toques, and tiny brimmed round crown hats that sure look like precursors to the styles of the 1930s. The wide brims

Vintage 1916 Louisville Hats

I adore old Fashion catalogs. I want to call the phone number and order every time. This one makes me by want to stop the show room and try a few hats on. I can even find a few things to order in my 1970s Sears catalog, although it's mostly in the housewares section. And that 1923 dress catalog on the bookshelf with the Paris fashions? I die.The flip side it I get frustrated when I go through

The Joys of Studying Local Department Stores

If you have visited Louisville Department Stores, you realize I have been on the hunt for information on my local department and clothing stores for several years now. It's a byproduct of finding so many wonderful pieces of vintage clothing with local labels in them. And the residue of memory is an impetus as well - I can remember some of these venues - and they were wonderful!I do restrict

An Ode to Department Stores

The local department store has gone the way of the dodo for most of us. And it's a shame, too. Yes, yes, I know the mall experience made obsolete a store that had every possible department, a restaurant and hair salon. Why would you go to just one store, when you could visit dozens? And yet that was alot to be said for locally owned clothing stores that had alterations departments, had their own

An Ode to Local Stores in the Key of C Minor

I was out shopping a couple days ago. Hunting, really. I went to a local antique mall - a good spot. I have shopped there for years. I happened upon a 1930s evening coat. Too flawed to purchase, but a local store label. I do love finding those.And so an Ode to Local Stores in the Key of Coats Minor. There was Byck’s. Byck’s was fantastic classy ladies clothing store. They were downtown in a fine