By Pam Sander
Storyteller and owner of LaMonaGirl Shop

I often see vintage Leslie Fay clothing on my visits to thrift stores and estate sales and while watching AngelsVintage‘s show on the live-streaming Whatnot platform. The Leslie Fay company was founded in 1947 and has been popular through its various labels since then. Because it is fairly easy to find, the value is not that of St. John or even Levi Strauss, but it is one of my favorites.

The dresses were marketed toward women who spent their time in non-careers, which included most women before the birth control pill became readily available in the mid-1960s. Many didn’t have time for dreams beyond parenting a house full of kids. Today, Leslie Fay is starting to trend in workplaces and for parties and travel, as women gravitate toward retro clothing.

I am drawn to the brand for a few reasons – 1) the quality of the fabric that owner Fred Pomerantz secured in NYC’s garment district, 2) my appreciation for those women who raised so many babies, 3) the buttons, always the buttons, and 4) the story behind the company.

It began in 1942, when Pomerantz was hired by the U.S. government to make uniforms for women during World War II. Patterns that had served men well were a poor fit for women. Pomerantz researched sizes and created better-suited silhouettes.

After the war ended in 1945, he used the government’s sizing guidelines to start creating his own dresses, and in 1947, he opened Leslie Fay, fittingly named after his daughter.

LaMonaGirl Shop has three vintage Leslie Fay outfits for sale (pictured above):

• The 1980s brown animal-print rayon dress, in a harder-to-find plus size, is highlighted by gold and silver metal buttons in the spirit of those Pomerantz added to women’s uniforms during World War II.
• An early 1990s post-disco skirt set with a dash of Michael Jackson personality.
• And a 1990s career faux suede skirt and button-up top / jacket that’d be just as suitable for any business occasion today.

You’ll find others, including two spectacular ones (pictured below) in Nettetiques’ Etsy store. The Watercolor green chiffon is from the 1960s-70s, and the polkadot shift dress has the Andrea Gayle label, named for Pomerantz’s granddaughter. That vintage line is a bit harder to find.