Vera Borea is a French fashion house founded in 1931 in Paris, France, by Countess Vera Borea de Buzzaccherini Regoli.
Vera Borea was one of the first houses to offer luxury sportswear for women.Couture – An illustrated History of the Great Paris designers and Their creations. Edited by Ruth Lynam with introduction by Nancy White, Doubleday & Company, Inc, New York City 1972, page 81 ["Vera Borea was the most outstanding of small couture houses dedicated to sportswear"] The house produced high-end garments for ski, tennis, golf, beach, boating, motoring, biking and hunting, alongside day and evening dresses, accessories, shoes and jewellery.See Vogue French editions April 1938 and May 1947; Vogue US editions, February 1932, June 1933, May 1932, 1 June 1934 and June 1948
Known for expertly tailored sports and travel suitsThe New York Times, 3 January 1932 and dresses,The Southeast Missourian, 5 March 1936 Vera Borea came to fame with its innovative designs that promoted a new lifestyle, and acceptance of fashion sportswear as appropriate wear for other social occasions.The New York Times, 30 January 1933- The Montreal Gazette, 10 September 1932
History Sports models for city wear : a couture house dedicated to sportswear
Countess Vera Borea de Buzzaccherini Regoli, a passionate sportswomanFemina, October 1933 born and raised in Italian Dolomites, was frustrated by a lack of clothing that was chic yet comfortable and began to design sportswear, négligées and swimming suits featuring special knitting stitch invented by her grandmotherVogue US, March 1933 and October 1932
With assistance of her friend, the British-born Princess de Rohan, the countess located her haute-couture salon at 29 rue d'Artois, at the very end of Faubourg Saint-Honoré. With growing success, the house established in 1935 a two-story shop at 376 rue Saint Honoré, which remained open until 2007.
With a no-nonsense, hands-on approach, Vera Borea, an avid skier, swimmer and golfer, tried out her creations on herself before she offered them for sale, and often modelled them for clients.Vogue US, March 1933 The designs appeared smart enough to be worn in town, reuniting sports and town wardrobes.The Montreal Gazette, 10 September 1932
International success Vera Borea soon became the favorite destination on both sides of the Atlantic for women going for the new relaxed lifestyle.Vogue US, October 1932- The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 9 June 1932
American department stores snapped her designsKaufmann's advertisement in The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 9 June 1932, . 13.- Vogue US, March 1933 and the house became the reference for garments that were simple in line but unusual in materials and cut, modern and practical. Vera Borea's creations often featured details that, beyond looking good, served a practical purpose and could be wore on multiple occasions such as after tennis, for motoring or on a ship.
Prestigious fashion magazines featured Vera Borea's creations alongside Hermès, Lanvin, Chanel and Patou.Vogue US 1932- L’Officiel de la Mode, 1933- Vogue France, May 1947- Jardins des Modes, August 1948 Her designs were copied with those of Vionnet, Schiaparelli,The Pittsburgh Press, 22 March 1933 Lanvin and Patou.The Pittsburgh Post, 9 July 1934
Scores of Americans soon joined the regular French clients at Vera Borea's Paris salon,Vogue US, October 1932 including famous sportswomen such as Helen Wills and Suzanne LenglenVogue US, October 1932 and Hollywood movie stars such as Joan Bennett.Lodi News Sentinel, 22 January 1936
Until the retirement in 1962, Vera Borea was considered one of the grand Parisian couturiers of its days and was a member of Parisian Haute-Couture."Profils des Grands Couturiers de Paris", Vogue France, February 1953
A novel approach to elegance: relaxed simplicity, chic in details, gender fluidity Vera Borea brought a sporty aesthetic and integrated the codes of athletic wear. The house started off designing daywear and soon became known for garments that were elegant yet dynamic, stylish yet practical. Her creations often had unusual details that served a practical purpose. Even her evening wear, which she introduced a few seasons later, avoided superfluous details and instead focused on a superb cut, a comfortable fit and excellent workmanship.Vogue France, April 1938, May 1939 and December 1948
In general, the designer favored simple but noble materials like wool, linen, hemp and cotton, often with a textured or nubby surface.The New York Times, 21 February 1932 Even when she used silk, it was usually in heavy woven patterns, which Vera Borea had made in Italy.La Soierie de Lyon : Syndicat des fabricants de soieries de Lyon, page 6.
She borrowed liberally from menswear and regularly used wool flannel, tweeds and pinstripes for her women's suits and separates.Vogue US, March 1933- Vogue FR, December 1938 Even ski ensembles were made of wool flannel and were often shown with an ascot or a tie. Another example of mixing men's and women's codes could be seen in an extraordinary black velvet ski suit that Vera Borea designed in 1933, which looked like a tuxedo and closed with metallic clips that echoed those of a ski boot. The designer re-visited the theme often, like with evening wear she designed in 1945 that sported a tuxedo top and a full skirt like a ballerina's tutu, decades before "le Smoking" burst onto the fashion scene.Femina 1945, "Tuxedo Evening Wear by Vera Borea", illustrated by Gruau
Technical innovation A constant desire to explore and innovate permeated Borea's work. She worked out how to weather-proof corduroy and used it for a raincoat. Another raincoat was made of rubber. She spun hemp with silk for travel suitsThe New York Times, 5 June 1932 and introduced in France the two-way-stretch elastic fabrics.The New York Times, 21 May 1933 An evening coat was made of transparent fabric. An aviator jacket was made of supple leather and a knitted back panel, making it wearable both indoors and outdoors. Shoes sported heels made of rubber. Buttons were made of Brazil nuts. Other elements like fur, raffia, rope, bone, nut, feathers, pine cones and leather also showed up in her designs.The New York Times, 5 February 1933, p. X9- The Guardian, 16 October 1959, p. 7
Vera Borea designs and aesthetics Modern cuts for a modern lifestyle
Vera Borea's garments were ingenious on both an aesthetic and a practical level. For example, the designer introduced high-waisted pants that skimmed the body from just below the bust down to the waist, with no belt necessary. She lowered the waistline down to the hips for a slimming line. She showed the pants with a bolero, bomber jackets, cropped sweaters or full blouses, which enhanced the elongated effect.
Wrap blouses and dresses did away with a need for zippers, buttons and belts. Halter tops did away with collars. Flared and gored skirts provided fullness and ease of movement while avoiding the stiffness and puffiness of a gathered waistline. Judicious draping on dresses and jackets, inverted pleats on pants, set-in panels; all continued this body-conscious philosophy. Waistbands and cuffs became ribbed and elasticized, offering more comfort and a sleeker line, as well as protection against the elements.Harper's Bazaar, October 1932 Scarves were built into blouses or jackets, or looped through a belt. Short sleeved jackets provided both polish and practicality. Pockets freed up a woman's hands, as did chains and clips, which held a clip-on cigarette case, a visor or a pair of gloves. Collars disappeared from coats and jackets or were shrunk down to a simple stand-up style. Kimono cut coats closed with sashes or one or two oversized buttons. A slim ribbed turtleneck pullover became one with the body and removed the need for a scarf to keep the wearer's throat warm. Thin ribbed pullovers were layered, making them ideal for cool temperatures or outdoor sports, but also easy to peel off once inside for maximum comfort.Vogue US, October 1932
Vera Borea also made a mark with her swimsuits, which were often made from plain wool or cotton knits and little ornament. The flair was in the details: low backs, criss-crossing straps, flared hips, discreet patterns. In 1934, she showed swimsuits worn under a matching skirt or flared shorts, giving women a new alternative to the fuller covering of an apron dress. With either option, a woman could simply slip on the skirt, shorts or dress over her swimsuit and go straight to lunch or jump into her car. An apron style sundress with a low back allowed women to soak up the sun's rays on the terrace of a restaurant. Pants got a cargo pocket and jackets incorporated pockets or deeply cuffed sleeves that could hold a swim cap or a wet bathing suit. The beach wear range grew to include sleeveless dresses with matching cotton coats and capri pants, oversized terry cloth lined jackets, high-waisted shorts and bra tops; with matching sandals, socks and beach bags.Vogue US, March 1933
1932 Passionate about skiing, swimming and golf, Vera Borea particularly enjoyed designing sportswear because she found it so difficult to buy clothing that was chic yet comfortable and well-priced. Her 1932 sports clothes designs included a skirt and waist-length jacket made of thick woolly tricot. These were worn in combination with an "open work" inside sweater of the same color. A tweed top coat with a black belt and a loose wrap around front gave a harmonious silhouette."Paris Modes", The New York Times, 3 January 1932, p. X11. Paris fashion releases in the late spring were replete with frocks made of heavy black wool. Borea's black wool crepon frock had an incrusted collar and top sleeves of white shaved lamb."Nonchalance Is Now Chic", The New York Times, 22 May 1932, p. X9. Her summer 1932 fashions emphasized a high-waist effect, even when no belt was worn. The wearer's figure was closely fit from just below her bust to the waist. Vera Borea's day skirts had hemlines from eight to ten inches from the ground. She favored materials which were quite rough and open-surfaced, primarily cotton or woolen ones. These were tailored into small modern suits which were worn with blouses made of dimity or crocheted Irish linen thread. These featured turn down collars and muslin ties. For town wear, Borea stressed rough linen fabrics and she often employed negligee materials in formal fashions. She rarely used silks, but sometimes created heavy basket or chevron (insignia) patterns, which she obtained hand woven from Italy. The youthful designs were without pretense and definitely were not flapperish."Paris Features Cotton", The New York Times, 21 February 1932, p. X13.
1933