The World According to Marimekko

Well, the world according to Marimekko, starting with Helsinki. The map features favorite haunts of the ever-creative team at Finland's most colorful company. You won't be using this quirkily hand-drawn city plan to find specific intersections, but there are plenty of tools for that already. Check out the interactive version online. In the works: a map of Tokyo ...

The Vested Gentress

Winking horses, yakking yaks, puppies, giraffes, frogs, and bunnies. Welcome to world of The Vested Gentress. Playful, hand-screened prints that instantly transport you to lawn parties were fresh berries and deviled eggs are always within easy reach. Think Lilly Pulitzer, but sillier and less saccharine; Vera, but sillier and less mod; Marimekko with imagery. But while those labels have storied pasts, very little is known about The Vested Gentress.


The label has developed quite a following, as ever more vintage fans discover (usually while looking for Lilly Pulitzer) these charming prints. Still, information about the company is so scarce, that I’ve yet to read anything other than what Lizzie Bramlett has had posted on the Vintage Fashion Guild site for some time now:

Vested Gentress was established in 1961 and was based in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. Their factory was located in Trappe, Pennsylvania, about twelve miles from Valley Forge. The company was known for whimsical screenprinted fabrics. These fabrics were made into dresses, slacks, and skirts. They also had a line of golf wear. The company closed in the late 1980s.

Time for a gin & tonic!


This winking horse, probably the best known "vg" print, is irresistible both coming and going.
















































Sources: Most items are/were for sale on Etsy and eBay. Other sources include Sparkles of Life, Looking 4 Lilly, RubyLemons.

Design Research: Marimekko Mecca

The must-see design earlier this week at the Cooper Hewitt, was not on the walls, but on the staff and visitors. Vintage Marimekko was out in full force, as the National Design Museum celebrated this year’s Lifetime Achievement Award recipient, Jane Thompson, and the publication of the new book Design Research: The Store that Brought Modern Living to American Homes, by Thompson and Alexandra Lange.

Design Research was the legendary Cambridge, Massachusetts-based “General Store of Good Design” founded by architect Benjamin Thompson in 1953. D/R promoted simplicity, comfort, and affordable prices in home furnishings and accessories by importing well-crafted and designed products, chosen largely by Thompson himself, from around the world. Perhaps the most notable of such imports were the hand-printed fabrics of the Finnish company, Marimekko.

Design Research became the lifestyle emporium of a generation, supplying not only the décor of an American design revolution, but the wardrobe as well. What better garb for the enlightened, soon-to-be liberated D/R female shopper than a bold, colorful, loose-fitting Marimekko frock?

The evening opened with a film-in-progress by Caroline Van Valkenburgh, It Wasn't Just a Dress, about women and their treasured Marimekko dresses. It’s a fascinating look at the iconic dresses, and their legacy.

Following the film was a panel moderated by the book's designer, Michael Bierut “Game Change in the Design of Retailing.” The program can be viewed here.


Filmmaker, Caroline Van Valkenburgh, right and one of the film's subjects.


Jane Thompson
Co-author Alexandra Lange