Help Dating

M

MichelleHo

Registered Guest
I was hoping someone could tell me any info on this beautiful dress I just bought. It's a black velvet strapless dress with fur trim and a side zipper. It has boning down the front and jewel accents on the back. The label says "jd Junior Accent Original REG. U.S. PAT. OFF." While the dress appears to be from the 50's (and was marked as so in the vintage store I found it in), I've read that the REG. U.S. PAT. OFF. marking indicates that it is from before 1947. Can anyone tell me anything about this dress?
 
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It definitely looks to be from the mid 50's, but what about the tag? That dates it to pre-1947. All I know about the brand is that it was owned by the same company as Jonathan Logan and it was supposed to be a more expensive division. I can't even find anything else with a similar tag. The other Junior Accent tags I've seen online are a different design.
 
Can you point us to that dating source for the 'Reg Us Pat Off"? It might be a help to us to see it.

Hollis
 
Okay, I had a bit of sticky beak and found this thread on the ebay boards where a poster (who is apparently a qualified lawyer or somesuch) quotes a particular law. You can see the thread here:

http://forums.ebay.com/db1/topic/Vintage-Clothing-Accessories/Clues-To-The/510114554

The relevant passage is here:

The "Reg. U.S. Pat. Off." (Registered with the US Patent Office) label was the precursor to product registration (the R in a circle) under the Lanham Act (also known as the Trademark Act) of 1946.

The law took effect 1 year from enactment, and so became law in 1947. During that time period, manufacturers were registering their names and lines, as well as their trademark names and logos. After July 5, 1947, a garment would have had a label with the brand name with an R in a circle, instead of the "Reg.U.S.Pat.Off" designation.

Now, I don't know about that particular bit of legislation (you can read the Wikipedia page here but it doesn't mention the garment industry so I can't be sure it even applies) but I do know a thing or two about vintage clothing:

1 - the dress on the ebay thread is not pre-1947. It is '50s.
2 - I agree with Jonathan and Mary that your dress is 1950s.
3 - labels can easily be removed or added to a garment so they are never proof of anything.
4 - a fashion company may use a label for a longer time than expected.
5 - labels are a useful tool to date a garment but they are only one piece of the puzzle: other pieces include style, fabric, construction techniques and detailing.

You know, I'm sure the ebayer meant well but I wish that people wouldn't talk in absolutes when it comes to dating vintage because there are very few absolutes. It's important to piece the clues together and come to a likely date. Even here at the VFG where there are so many experts, there's not always agreement, as a garment holds so many clues, sometimes contradictory, like your label.

Nicole
 
Right, that is very similar to what I've learned. With the Lanham Act, the name of the office changed. The applicable section of the act is found here: http://www.bitlaw.com/source/15usc/1111.html Technically, if this was sold after 1947, it had no patent rights because it wasn't properly marked.

I do agree with you, however, that this doesn't necessarily make it set in stone. It's just hard for me to believe that a company as big as Jonathan Logan wouldn't have their patents in order (ie. fixed their labels) by the mid 50's. Ah well, I guess the label is just a mystery then.
 
Its really hard to read the construction because of it being made from black velvet, perhaps an inside shot would help? And a shot of it mounted. This is why handling something is best. It might be 1947ish, however, the rhinestone buttons and white mink trim would have been likely added, which is possible. Keep in mind with dress labels that many companies will use what they have left in stock until they reorder, so this dress cam postdate the label info.
 
MichelleHo said:
I was hoping someone could tell me any info on this beautiful dress I just bought. It's a black velvet strapless dress with fur trim and a side zipper. It has boning down the front and jewel accents on the back. The label says "jd Junior Accent Original REG. U.S. PAT. OFF." While the dress appears to be from the 50's (and was marked as so in the vintage store I found it in), I've read that the REG. U.S. PAT. OFF. marking indicates that it is from before 1947. Can anyone tell me anything about this dress?
Click to expand...
I know your post is older than 10 years but I am hoping you are still on this forum which I just joined. My mother, deceased, had a dress in the mid 40's that was JD 6 Junior Accents. I still have it along with a couple other vintage dresses. For some reason, she kept these three dresses all of her life as they must have meant something very special to her. I have interest in selling these dresses as my daughter has no interest in them. I too had searched for the origin of this company but I do know that the dress I own is most likely early 1940's or shortly after as my mother was in high school in 1940, 1941, 1942.

1940's JD 6 Sundress.jpeg
 
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