Bellciano

Opened by David Bellsey of the Bellsey Company of New York in 1939 designing cloaks and suits for women. By 1954, Dave’s son Robert Bellsey is president of the company and they design coats and suits under two labels; Bellciano for misses and Bellciette for the 5'5" and under figure. Bellsey's collections stressed understated elegance, with fine workmanship and fabrics, such as the tweeds woven especially for the house in England. The label was carried in several fine department stores across the country, most notably, Addis of Syracuse, NY which carried their own exclusive designs and Bergdorf Goodman in Manhattan. In the 1950s, several designers were credited, including Joset Walker, Leo DeCrenza and Donald Norris for designing the Bellciano collections, along with collaborations with French houses such as Paquin and Jacques Heim. The house produced quality womenswear well into the 1960s.