Can you help me date this item??

[swinggal]

Hi guys
I have another dress I would like to date if anyone can help?
Its velvet, its serged in places.
it has no label.
Any ideas from the style?
It smells old!
Thanks
Claire

I would say 30s for this one or very early 40s.

 

[Lauren]

Claireg, where is the zipper of the dress? And is it metal or plastic?

 

[Porcelina]

Is this night dress from the 1930s?

Hello all!
I've been an avid but silent reader of this forum for a while, and just wanted to say that it's so incredibly helpful!

I have a little item that I need some help with dating. My beau arrived triumphant from a car boot sale yesterday with a present for me, "the lady said it was a silk dress from the 1930s!". (I'm so touched by his indulgence in my vintage obsession.)

It's indeed a lovely dress, but obviously a nightie as it's quite sheer (see photos).

Fabric: I'm not convinced it's silk. Feels like acetate to my untrained fingertips.
Fastenings: no zips or poppers, just slips on, and has a sash that ties at the back.
Labels: none.
Stitching: I thought at first it must be machine-stitched but on closer inspection I'm not so sure - the stitches are hardly in a straight line at all on the hem and while they're incredibly small and neat, sometimes the odd stitch appears bigger/smaller than the others.
Embroidery: Again this looks so neat and uniform it made me think it was machine-done but I really can't tell.
Seams: they aren't left 'raw' inside, they have that sort of overlocking/blanket stitch type thing going on.

I'd really appreciate any advice on dating this, hope you're all having a fabulous weekend.

Many thanks,
Miss P xx

 

[Puzzicato]

Actually, a friend of mine wore her fiance's grandmother's dress as a wedding dress and it was a 1930s silk dress that was that sheer. She had to get an underdress made for it. Your dress/nighty is very pretty!

 

[Miss sofia]

I have a thirties silk nightie that is very similar to that, but i know some of the dresses were very sheer. Its very cute. My nightie actually came in some packaging, so i know it was a nightie as i would have been a bit stumped too! It's lovely though. Oh and welcome, i should have said that first, love you hair in your avatar! x

 

[Lady Day]

Are those edges overlocked? Generally that places a garment at the mid 50s.

A lot of that stitching looks modern machine stitched.

LD

 

[Foofoogal]

It looks like nylon from my computer.

 

[Lauren]

It's very pretty! Congrats! I'm guessing it's late 40s to 50s, but I could be mistaken. [huh]

 

[Porcelina]

Thanks all for your input! I was guessing early '50s myself, but there's always an exception to the rule (I have a dress from the 1930s that has overlocking stitch on the seams), that's the fun (and often frustrating) thing about learning to date vintage! Whatever it's actual age, my boyfriend has bowled me over with his thoughtfulness and attention to detail - he bought it because he recognised the shape of the waistband bit from another vintage dress I own! And then he haggled the stall owner down to £5 for it! Brilliant.

Oh and I can't possibly take credit for the hair - the marvellous rolls that stayed up later than I did were thanks to the Lipstick and Curls girls.

Thanks again,
xx

 

[Claireg]

Claireg, where is the zipper of the dress? And is it metal or plastic?

Hi Lauren
It doesnt have one!
It just pops over your head.

 

[ZombieGirl]

I'm looking at a skirt online that is being described as a 50's Lucille Ball type of skirt. The thing that has me stumped is the knife pleating. The seller has it displayed with a crinoline underneath to full it out. Were knife pleats common in the 50's? They're something I've always associated with the 70's.

 

[Foofoogal]

http://blog.suitupp.com/2010/06/14/what-are-pleats-what-kind-of-pleats-are-there/

Found this great tutorial online. Which ones do the skirt have you are looking at?
I am pretty sure I sold a 1950s dress with thin knife pleats once?

 

[Sunny]

I think pleating indicates a later date in the 50s and the early 60s. If we're talking I Love Lucy style, she hardly ever wore skirts that were either pleated or gathered instead of gored or flared. You're right, I've seen a lot of fairly full-skirted pleated skirts and dresses displayed over crinolines; but I think it's a later thing. The length of the skirt can be a good hint; I have a full, knife-pleated skirt that's no longer than my knee. It's definitely 60s.

 

[ZombieGirl]

Well the skirt has sold now (No biggie ) but I believe the ebay seller has more that are similar.

Here's one:


http://cgi.ebay.com/VTG-50s-60s-PLA...98875?pt=US_CSA_WC_Skirts&hash=item3cb0aa751b

It does say 50's 60's...

I think it looks pretty cute over a crinoline but it's a bit longer I think than the knee skirt you mentioned, Sunny.

 

[Sunny]

Whoa, interesting - that one is 70s, maybe 80s! The label screams it. The bias plaid is also very typical of later 70s. But it actually looks very good indeed with the crinoline and belt. It's gored with enough flare to look right over a crinoline.

Typical full skirts of the early 50s, I Love Lucy period, gave a triangular/cinder cone peak effect: small waists, very wide hems. To achieve this, skirts were cut as big circles or sections of circles. If you laid out part of the hem flat on the floor, it would curve. During the 1950s, skirt shapes began to change. Waists were still small, and hips still generous, but the width of the skirt at the hem shrank. To get rid of the extra fabric at the hem, skirts were cut out of trapezoidal or square pieces. If you laid out part of the hem flat, it would be straight or only slightly curved. Skirts had to be pleated or gathered into the waist. They were still worn over petticoats to support the material of the skirt, but the petticoats were softer just gave "oomph" to the hem instead of actually holding the skirt out like a crinoline petticoat. It's a very different shape.

Length is merely an indication of a 60s date instead of a 50s date; I've seen shirtdress patterns with nearly identical skirts except for the length.

 

[ZombieGirl]

My thoughts as well... I don't believe the one that sold had a label on it. Can't remember at the moment. Thanks for the advice!!!!

 

[MarieAnne]

Wolsey Sweater

I picked this up at a garage sale for 10 dollars. I hardly looked at it; we were in a rush. It still had tags, which I've misplaced:eusa_doh: . Anyways, fast forward a few weeks.....When I actually unfolded it and tried it on, I was very surprised by the shape. It looks very 50's to me. But the condition is pristine and the tags and label were very modern. I looked at the Wolsey website and they don't do reproduction. Could this be an accidental vintage find? I'm going to make a skirt to go with it. I'll start a poll so you gals can help me pick a style!

 

[Sunny]

MarieAnne, it does look vintage to me. Can you post a detail pic of the label? It also looks vintage. My gut feeling says late 50s-into 60s.

 

[Nomanolo]

I'm new so let me start with saying: hello everyone I work in a vintage boutique in The Netherlands, but me and my colleagues are having difficulties dating these shoes:

I think they are quite unusual, but lovely. Real snakeskin, leather sole... maybe '70 because of the platform...?

 

[Sunny]

Definitely 70s! It's not so much the platform (which actually came around in the 40s, if not late 30s) as the straight-down block heel. Block heels first showed up in the 60s; before then, all heels but the lowest (1" or less) were either angled or curved and tapered to smaller at the ground than at the sole. Block heels and square toes are what characterize many 60s and 70s shoes, actually; they're pretty easy to spot.