1940s Red Scalloped Circus Marge Riley Western Top- S/M

1940s Red Scalloped Circus Marge Riley Western Top- S/M

Absolutely divine and fabulous, 1940s red scalloped western shirt by Marge Riley, with smiley pockets and black stripes. Pearl snap buttons and loop collar. This piece is made out of wool but I wore it (braless, mind you), and I didn’t find it uncomfortable at all. It had a lot of mends when I received it which I re-darned. I’ve shown all the mends in photos, and illustrated the mends in the fourth modeled photo. Doesn’t take away the charm of this absolutely wonderful and playful piece! Marge Riley garments are rare and this item has been priced accordingly with market value and condition.

Size: S/M

Ptp: 35-37”

Sts: 15” seam to seam

Waist: 27-30.5”

L: 23”

Sleeve: 23”

Brief bio: Wyoming native Marge Riley began making her own fancy Western wear in the early 1930s, and was soon fashioning ensembles for neighboring ranch girls. In 1936, she opened a shop in Los Angeles, where she designed colorful cowboy garments for Gene Autry, Dale Evans, and other entertainers. Capitalizing on America’s love affair with dude-ranch fashions in the early 1940s, Riley opened a branch store in Palm Springs. A contemporary newspaper account touted her as “a working cowgirl named Marge Riley, who started busting broncos at a tender age on her father’s cattle ranch in Wyoming. She’s a rootin’ tootin’ cowgirl from the wild and woolly west who learned from experience just how a proper dude rancher ought to dress.”