Vintage SALVATORE FERRAGAMO Size M Black & Beige Tiger Print Silk Blouse
About the Item
- Designer:
- Dimensions:Marked Size: M (US)
- Period:
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:San Francisco, CA
- Reference Number:
Salvatore Ferragamo
A perfectionist who as a child crafted a pair of white shoes for his sister’s first holy communion because his parents couldn’t afford new footwear, Salvatore Ferragamo was ambitious from his earliest days. The young Italian shoemaker established in the years that followed what would one day become a fashion empire — the highly profitable multinational family-owned and -operated luxury brand today counts more than 600 stores in 96 countries around the world, and vintage Salvatore Ferragamo shoes, belts, handbags and other clothing and accessories are objects of desire for fashion lovers everywhere.
Salvatore Ferragamo sought an education in the art of shoemaking when he was eleven — he apprenticed with a local shoemaker and spent a short time in nearby Naples learning what he could at a shoe factory. He opened his first shop with a handful of workers the following year, and in 1914 — when he was still a teenager — Ferragamo emigrated to America, just as his siblings had before him, seeking new opportunities for work and to learn in the footwear trade.
After securing a job at the Plant Shoe Factory in Boston, Massachusetts, Ferragamo was uninspired by machine-made footwear. He moved across the country to Santa Barbara, California. Owing to a connection he made with a then-actor cousin, Ferragamo found work with the American Film Manufacturing Company. He made women’s shoes and provided durable cowboy boots for a film crew’s costuming department. Ferragamo’s reputation in the world of Hollywood cinema soon broadened, and he established a storefront in Mission Canyon where he made shoes by hand for the likes of actresses Gloria Swanson, Greta Garbo and Dolores del Río.
By the 1920s, film directors commissioned Ferragamo to produce shoes for a range of movies — the list of films eventually included The Ten Commandments, The Covered Wagon and The Thief of Baghdad. When he felt comfortable enough with the English language, Ferragamo also enrolled in anatomy courses at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles in order to better understand motion and the demands that we place on our footwear.
By the late 1920s, Ferragamo sought to expand production of his shoes and returned to Italy. He hired scores of apprentices to work in a factory in Florence, where Ferragamo carefully melded the principles of handcraftsmanship with all that he learned about America’s shoe factories. He filed patents — hundreds over the years — on the steel shank arch and many other unique aspects of his shoe design, and when economic and political influences during the 1930s forced Ferragamo to substitute pressed cork for steel to support the arch, the wedge heel was born. Other creative materials he integrated into his forward-looking creations were hemp, felt, nylon fishing line, fish skin and cellophane twisted with silk.
In the late 1940s, the brand’s first storefront opened in Manhattan, and today Salvatore Ferragamo is known worldwide and is synonymous with a wealth of iconic footwear such as Viva ballet flats, Vara Bow pumps, Gancini loafers and lots more. Ferragamo’s son, Ferruccio, was appointed CEO in 1984. Under his leadership, Ferruccio diversified and expanded the fashion business further, getting into sunglasses, fragrance, watches and made-to-measure men’s shoes. Ferruccio was succeeded by his brother, Leonardo Ferragamo, and British designer Maximilian Davis is now creative director of the brand.
Find vintage Salvatore Ferragamo shoes, clothing and accessories on 1stDibs.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: San Francisco, CA
- Return PolicyThis item cannot be returned.
- GIORGIO ARMANI Size 12 Navy Windowpane Cropped Sleeve BlouseBy Giorgio ArmaniLocated in San Francisco, CAGIORGIO ARMANI blouse comes in navy and white windowpane fabric with a quilted satin trim V neck and three quarter sleeves. Made in Italy.Excellent Pre-Owned Condition. Marked: I...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Blouses
- GIORGIO ARMANI Size 8 Beige Silk Stripe Tunic BlouseBy Giorgio ArmaniLocated in San Francisco, CAGIORGIO ARMANI vintage long sleeve blouse comes in beige striped silk features a handmade fabric flower detail at front and button down closure. Made in Italy.Excellent Pre-Owned Con...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Blouses
- RALPH LAUREN Black Label Size 8 Pink Ruffled Short Sleeve BlouseBy Ralph LaurenLocated in San Francisco, CARALPH LAUREN 'Black Label' blouse comes in a pink material featuring a front ruffled design, spread collar, and a button up closure. Very Good Pre-Owned Condition. Marked: 8 Me...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Blouses
- RALPH LAUREN Collection Size 4 Purple & Taupe Plaid Cotton BlouseBy Ralph LaurenLocated in San Francisco, CARALPH LAUREN Collection blouse comes in a purple & taupe plaid cotton featuring pleated sleeves, spread collar, and a hidden placket clo...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Blouses
- ROBERTO CAVALLI Blue & White Paisley BlouseBy Roberto CavalliLocated in San Francisco, CAROBERTO CAVALLI blouse comes in blue and white paisley print fabric featuring draped neckline.Good Pre-Owned Condition. Fabric Tag Removed and marks at bottom front and left side sea...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Blouses
- DIANE VON FURSTENBERG Size 6 Black & Blue Rhinestone Rayon / Silk Layered BlouseBy Diane von FurstenbergLocated in San Francisco, CADIANE VON FURSTENBERG blouse comes in a black & blue rayon & silk with rhinestone details featuring a layered style and a back zip up closure.Very Good Pre-Owned Condition. Marked:...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Blouses
- Chantal Thomass Vintage 1990's Backless Lace Up Floral ShirtBy Chantal ThomassLocated in Berlin, BEChantal Thomass Vintage 1990's Lace Up Floral Shirt Brand: Chantal Thomass Designer: Chantal Thomass Collection/Year: 1990's Fabric: Cotton Color: Grey Size: Approx S Chantal Thoma...Category
1990s French Blouses
- Whiting & Davis Gold Mesh Blouse UK 14 US 10By Whiting & DavisLocated in Cheltenham, GBThis glamorous 1980's Whiting & Davis gold mesh blouse, is the perfect statement piece of fashion history for your cocktail wardrobe. The angular square...Category
1980s Blouses
- Yigal Azrouel Paisley Backless Turtleneck TopLocated in New York, NYSize smallCategory
1990s Blouses
- Dolce Gabbana 1992 bustier topBy Dolce & GabbanaLocated in Annandale, VADolce Gabbana rare 1992 bustier top Top size 42 Excellent vintage condition, no rips or stainsCategory
1990s Italian Blouses
- Vivienne Westwood Museum Hercules and Omphale François Boucher CorsetBy Vivienne WestwoodLocated in San Diego, CABoned corset in a printed "Hercules and Omphale" by François Boucher, 1735. Part of the Vivienne Westwood collection on display at The Metropolita...Category
1990s British Blouses
- Vintage Chanel Logo Embroidered T-Shirt WhiteBy ChanelLocated in Hoffman Estates, ILSuper rare vintage Chanel with iconic CC logos in white. Tag has been lost, fits like S.Category
20th Century Blouses