My mom (Constance aka Connie), both grandmothers, and even my great great grandmothers are and were true fashion ladies. Add in my Aunt Ethel, sister Candice, and many cousins, we all have great natural fashion instinct. Those that passed on loved it all through and through: hats, handbags, jewelry, coats and belts and more coats and belts, gloves, heels, boots, you name it, they collected it. I’m so thankful to have much of it to cherish.
I have my Grandma Norene’s wool hounds-tooth fox trim coat from Betty Cobb. The label reads ‘Betty Cobb of Allentown PA’. I was curious about ‘Betty’ since I’ve seen her labels on more than few items in the family.
She was an interesting woman. She died in 2012 at age 90. She was buyer in the French Room at the Former Hess’s Department in Allentown, PA. I remember my mom and grandma taking me there for lunch and I watched ‘tea modeling’ which I thought was so fancy at a young age.
While she was buyer at Hess’s she traveled to Europe frequently for fashion during 1968-1978, and was the owner of Betty Cobb Clothing Store. Hence the label here. It appears she had great great grandchildren when she passed, was involved in all sorts of civic clubs, church, arts, and the community of Lehigh County. A full life indeed, and one that included well-made clothes.
I also have a Betty Cobb snakeskin shift dress my Grandma Norene wore often. In fact, the day I found out she had passed, my cousin Michael was the first to reach me at my office (back then). The hair stood up on my arms as that very morning I had an urge to wear her dress. I’ll share it here in the future. All these clothes are so well-made — they have to be if they’ve been worn over 5 decades now. Betty Cobb, Grandma, and my family. The Saints of fashion in many ways.
Or at least to me.
Fashion Stories & Dirty Laundry 