Help dating Melody Modes dress

C

Central Coast Vintage

Registered Guest
Hello and TIA. This one has me a bit stumped, although I found a couple of tops with this label (online) that were dated to the 1940s-50s. I'm guessing this would be about right although I'm not entirely sure. The way it's constructed says it could possibly be earlier. The only fasteners are the buttons in the back.
 

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I would go for mid 60s by the length, back button fastening and type of fringing. (the earlier fringed dresses I have seen use the long silky type, as opposed to this 'fluffier' sort with attached braiding)
 
Can you show the inside of the bottom hem, please? Has the dress been shortened? The fringe looks odd to me, as do the wide spaced buttons in back. Vintage dresses would usually have more buttons and the buttons would be closer together. Has the fringe been added?

Something about this dress looks altered or added to me.
 
There is some serging that is tiny and very close together and a lot of hand stitching too. Here is the inside of the hemline, the fringe below the waist and a side seam and some serging.
 

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Thanks for the added photos. The thing that I noticed about the trim right away is that it looked like upholstery trim. It is not dressmaker trimming. Looks like a Conso cotton fringe used on pillows, curtains, etc. You do find this type of cotton fringe on occasion on casual vintage crop tops made around the early 1960s, beach wear, etc. But your dress looks styled to be more formal and to me the cotton fringe just looks odd.

What is the material the dress is made of? Is it a rayon crepe, wool, synthetic, etc? Is the dress lined and is that the lining we see in 3 of the 4 interior shots?

The more I look the more I think the dress has been altered, added to, and shortened. That makes it difficult to date.
 
The bottom part is satin and I believe possibly rayon. The top is rather thin and feels like some type of synthetic fabric to me. I think you could be right and perhaps that's why I've had a hard time dating it. Some of it feels older than 60s or 50s even and some not. It's well made but a strange mixture of tiny serging and hand stitching which feels older. Perhaps it was altered and the fringe added and maybe the back buttons were an addition also. It's super cute and in great shape regardless.
 
I wish I could find some info on this label. I found a couple of blouses online dating to the 40s-50s. Of course if it's been altered that's not a huge help but it's a start. Thanks again.
 
I am going with wartime 40s - the length is probably right at the knee and it looks short because of the dropped waistline. The label style and wording, lack of extra hem material, button closure, strong shoulder line - it all adds up to 1943-1945 to me.
 
Do you think that fringe braid is original or added later though Jonathan?

I know my opinion differs from some in that I take the latest alteration to be the new age of the dress...
 
Haha thank you Jonathon. That was my first instinct. I've seen that tiny serging before on older (pre 50s) stuff and that along with the label and hand stitching it just "feels" older than 50s to me. But alas who knows? I really appreciate everyone's comments and opinions.
 
Central Coast Vintage said:
I wish I could find some info on this label. I found a couple of blouses online dating to the 40s-50s. Of course if it's been altered that's not a huge help but it's a start. Thanks again.
Click to expand...

I have been searching off and on for information about your Melody Modes label, but I didn't find much. What I found so far is...

-- All the references I found to Melody Modes or Hersch of Hollywood were to blouses
-- The earliest reference I found to just Hersch of Hollywood was from 1947
-- The earliest reference I found to just Melody Modes was from 1947
-- The latest reference I found to Melody Modes was from 1957--but there may well be later references that I never saw
-- Classified ads looking for "Operators" at Melody Modes gave an address of 417 E. Pico, Los Angeles
-- A 1952 list of LA industries recorded: "Hersch of Hollywood; 417 E. Pico; B.B. Hersch" (I found nothing about a B.B. Hersch)
 
I don't think it was originally a blouse that someone added a skirt to later. The label is too low for that and the blouse would be way too long. Thank you for your research.
 
37" pretty short, it's mid-thigh on me at 5'9", on someone shorter it might be above the knee. If it were for a petite person I'd expect a shorter bodice as well. What is the shoulder to (true) waist length please? (not the drop waist seam)
As there is a seam seperating the top from the skirt can you get a photo of the fabrics from both pieces next to each other in daylight please?
40s blouses were often long, sometimes to be worn over a skirt.
 
Shoulder to true waist is 15". Shoulder to where the skirt starts is 22" (or possibly a little longer if it was a top that someone attached a skirt to). I don't think so though. You can see that the label is at the very bottom of the top. Here is a pic showing the inside where skirt meets top and outside showing the 2 fabrics.
 

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