Paisley Babylon Vintage Clothing

1930s Vintage Nita & Zita Bohemian Dress

Who were Nita & Zita?

Okay: conjure up all your most romantic imaginings of eccentric bohemian (pre-hippie) artists, call up every mysterious fantasy you have of New Orleans--and that's Nita and Zita! You may have even heard of the infamous sister team, a pair of artistic burlesque dancers of the exotic style (NOT strippers!), influenced by Art Deco, Theda Bara and Oriental arts. The duo performed in elaborate, handmade original costumes, on Bourbon Street back in the long lost burlesque era!
    Nita & Zita came from Eastern Europe (Budapest, Hungary), from lands known for gypsies and vampires, and after a career as international dancers, settled in New Orleans, where they created their world by hand, and from scratch!
    Nita & Zita left behind trunks full of handmade original designs, estimated at over 2000 articles. Some were literally pieced together from scraps: dresses elaborated with extra cloth and buttons, tables adorned with bottle caps, silver foil from cigarette packs for lettering signs and picture frames, tin cans to fill doll bodies.
    Here in New Orleans, Nita & Zita are simply mythic, and rumors have been flowing (many untrue) about Nita & Zita's life ever since their estate was revealed in the early 1990s. Now Nita & Zita creations--especially Nita & Zita clothing--are highly prized items and sought-after. Local hat and dress designers have copied Nita & Zita designs, and Nita and Zita have inspired many playwrights and artists too!
    Most of Nita & Zita's clothing has been destroyed by time, and by reckless party girls who shopped at the original Paisley Babylon, or at Judy's Collage, girls who could care less about "collecting" the clothing! This beautiful dress, though, has somehow survived!

I don't know all the facts of Nita & Zita's life (nobody does, really; they have become mythic), but have pieced together a history from the designs that they left behind. They were real bohemians: they lived art, did everything in an artistic manner. They even repaired their ramshackle Marigny home with needle and thread, sewing up holes in the walls! Same with their clothing: they made and mended them. In fact, it seems like they made nearly all of their dresses by hand, or redesigned store-bought dresses, and would continue to work on them until they were perfect! Sort of like those crafty hippies did with their jeans! Embroidery is very Hungarian!

Dancers, contortionists, folk artists, above all Nita and Zita were seamstresses!

This dress is a very fitted, curve-hugging, thirties-style silk floral dress, with nips and tucks and with many parts that are hand-stitched! It buttons up the back, with hand-embroidered (with yarn!) trim, and has a myriad of extra stitching to make nips and tucks for a more flattering fit, plus to strengthen the fabric. The sleeves are very tight and long, handpieced together and hand stitched with yarn, and come to a point at the cuff. Oh, and the big buttons in back are antique mother of pearl. This dress has a very funky look: like a deconstructionist pin-up sort of feeling!

This dress is fragile, but still wearable. A small size, it measures:

Bust - 34"

Waist - 27"

Hips - 37"

Sleeves - 27"

From shoulder to waist - 41"

From shoulder seam to seam - 14"

Length in all - 41½"


In #2 good condition: sold "as is" as a burlesque collectible!