the pink sisters: VERA: vintage ladybug love

I'm a little behind the times in my sadomasochistic perusal of the Anthropologie catalog - what with my change of address and all. This ladybug rug appeared in the catalog a number of months ago, but is still readily available on the website.

Thick-pile wool-silk, inspired by the iconic lucky charm of the legendary Vera. Each rug is handtufted and exclusive to Anthropologie.

Wool, silk; cotton backing

Professionally clean

8' square

Imported

And the price? A cool $1,698.00 (Though only $20 for shipping, which all things considered, seems like a steal.)

Here's the thing: I covet it not; what, pray tell, would I do with a ladybug rug that cost so much I'd be afraid to put so much as a toe on it? But I WAS intrigued as to who/what Vera is/was, what with it being "legendary" and all. (Despite my near-obsessive love affair with the Anthropologie catalog, I'm about as far from a fashionista as is possible without being a nudist, so I won't apologize for my ignorance on this point.) Not Vera Wang. DEFINITELY not Vera Bradley. The original Vera, Vera Neumann.

For a more detailed (and illustrated) biography/history (and information about collecting her signature scarves and vintage clothing) check out this article from Fuzzylizzie. What follows is the abbreviated time line from the Vera Neumann Facebook page.

Born: Vera Salaff in Stamford, CT [July 24, 1907]

1928: Received BA in Fine Arts at Cooper Union Art School

1946: Began Scarf business from excess WWII parachute silk

1947: Formed Printex screen-printing company w/husband and friend F. Werner Hamm

1945-1969: FIT does retrospective called "A Woman's Hand--Designing in America" to showcase over 25 years of her original art

1950s: The ladybug was used next to Vera's signature to denote good luck

Label from an early 1970s blouse via FuzzyLizzie

1950-60s: Vera named a Feminine Icon--fans included Marilyn Monroe and First Lady Bess Truman (who used a Vera print for wallpaper in the White House)

1960s: Vera changed the home decor industry with the use of her bold colors and bright designs

1967: Manhattan Industries purchased The Vera Companies

1969: Vera expands into apparel combining two scarves to form a blouse

1972: Smithsonian does retrospective, "A Salute to Vera, the Renaissance Woman"

1975: Vera starts exporting from China

Vera is sold in over 20,000 stores worldwide, and has licensing deals domestically and internationally. They include, among others, F.Schumacher, Burlington, and Mikasa.

1988: Salant Corp. purchases The Vera Companies and keeps her as head designer

1993: Vera dies at 88 in NY [Her obituary from the New York Times.]

1999: The Tog Shop purchases The Vera Companies including all design assets and trademarks

2005: Susan Seid purchases Vera's assets and marks in order to revitalize Vera

The official Vera Company logo today.

After disappearing from the logo after 1976, the ladybug has been reinstated in the official logo for the current reincarnation of the The Vera Company.

And if I'd known what I know now when I was perusing that catalog with the ladybug rug, I'd have payed a lot more attention because, as it turns out, it was (is?) part of an entire collection at Anthropologie called We Love Vera.