Nipon Dress

The chic fashion label Albert Nipon began in 1954 as a maternity-wear company founded by married couple Albert and Pearl Nipon in their native city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Pearl, who’d been cutting and sewing fabric since she was a child, had previously run a dress shop with her sister before marrying Albert in 1953. When she was pregnant, Pearl found that the available clothes for expectant mothers “looked just terrible,” as she told WWD in 1974, so she decided to design her own line. Called Ma Mère, their company grew into a successful enterprise, eventually home to more than 100 stores nationwide. In the early 1970s, the couple decided to sell the maternity business to focus on a high-end women’s fashion label they named Albert Nipon. Pearl maintained the role of couturier, and her natural elegance and flair for fashion design helped make Albert Nipon an enduring success.

At the time of Albert Nipon’s founding, pantsuits and separates were in fashion. Despite this, the Nipons chose to focus on dresses. Pearl and Albert knew that their dresses — with their woven and natural fibers, intricate details and chic European sensibility — were unlike others on the market. The label would become known for its use of pussycat bows, elegant collars, cuffs, tucks and pleats. Their risk paid off, and at its peak Albert Nipon was generating $60 million in annual dress sales.

Celebrities such as Mary Tyler Moore, Barbara Walters and Rosalynn Carter wore Albert Nipon’s designs, and major retailers like Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus and Lord & Taylor carried the house’s dresses. Pearl Nipon’s instinctive sense of what women wanted their clothes to look like — stylish, feminine, comfortable and with unusual detailing — made Albert Nipon one of the most popular labels of its time.

Find vintage Albert Nipon dresses, scarves and other accessories on 1stDibs.

Start building your collection of covetable and iconic vintage clothing today — no matter where you roam, there is a curated selection of designer dresses and gowns, sweaters, shirts, dazzling shoes and more on 1stDibs that will keep you covered in the hottest styles from head to toe.

From elegant museum-worthy vintage Chanel dresses and jackets to audacious T-shirts and trousers from provocative punk designer Vivienne Westwood, one thing is abundantly clear: If the clothing for sale on 1stDibs could talk, it would certainly make a statement. 

For fashion lovers, the 1990s have become associated with styles adopted by today’s supermodels and influencers — think John Galliano and Roberto Cavalli — but maybe ‘80s accessories are among your (guilty?) pleasures. 

Playful, boldly colored coats and outerwear from Moschino, Ralph Lauren and other titans of the era can take a simpler ensemble to the next level, while chic and practical suits from the likes of Christian Dior and Balmain endure for haute couture advocates and beyond. 

And vintage is the name of the game on today’s red carpets, too. Celebrity stylists are turning to archival pieces created by the likes of Bob Mackie, Thierry Mugler and Jean-Paul Gaultier as alternatives to new gowns plucked straight off the runway. Wearing such sought-after items gives celebrities instant allure and suggests a personal style that’s not only achingly glamorous but intellectually informed and influenced by a love of craftsmanship. 

Those seeking contemporary luxury looks and in-demand street-style fits can indulge in designs by Bottega Veneta, Miu Miu and Loro Piana, while pieces from Gucci, Yves Saint Laurent and Versace endure as examples of fashion’s most covetable goods. 

The future — and glamorous past — of fashion is yours for the wearing. Find vintage clothing and accessories for sale on 1stDibs, including designs by Balenciaga, Valentino, Celine, Loewe and more.