Vintage 1950s Wool Black Lilli Ann Coat

Sometimes, it takes 15 years to find a Lilli Ann wool coat, but it was worth the wait!

For someone living in Sacramento, and actively searching for vintage clothing for the last decade and a half, you'd think finding the designer Lilli Ann wouldn't be so hard.

But it is. Partly because they are becoming a little rarer with every passing year, and also because there is a high demand for quality designer fashion pieces.

Lilli Ann was a clothing company created by designer Adolph Schuman, who named it after his wife, Lilliann, in San Francisco in 1934. He was well known for quality, incredible wool coats, dresses, and suit sets, and set the bar high for keeping fashion well-made. Many of his fabrics came from Paris, which is why the label has both San Francisco and Paris embroidered on it.

Yet, I don't live far from San Francisco - maybe a two-hour drive at the most. Why has it taken me so long to find a Lilli Ann coat? I would watch vintage seller after vintage seller via Instagram show their latest "Lilli Ann find" and wonder, What am I doing wrong? People had to bring back their Lilli Ann purchases from "the city" back in the day. So, where are they?

Well, I wasn't doing anything wrong. The vintage seller doesn't get to pick what they're going to find, only hope and pray they do find something great, and get on with their treasure hunt from thrift store, to garage sale, and estate sale.

And guess what? I did finally find a Lilli Ann this week, and she's a beauty. Made of black wool, with pleated sleeves, and a soft, silky interior as exquisite as the exterior, she's in perfect condition. I can only imagine she sat in a closet for the last seven decades or so, rarely seeing the light of day. There is no damage to her, and no moth holes. She's pristine.

Lilliann shuttered their doors in 2000, and founder Adolph Shuman, died in 1985, but their best and most well-known pieces are from the 1940s, '50s, and '60s. This jacket is no exception. 

She's fabulous and in the shop and ready for the winter.

-Heather