1950s dress?

PrimB

PrimB

Registered Guest
Hello all! First time posting so hopefully this has ended up on the right thread! I've got the most beautiful, timeless, prom style dress but I'm so torn on dating - my instinct and knowledge so far thinks its 1950's or thereabouts, but also don't want to be caught out by a 1980's does 1950s dress! Would love peoples thoughts? No brand or care label, just the label shown in images - I'll attach photos of the dress in all her glory, as well as a few images of the inside seams and label - would be so intrigued what you all think! xx
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Pretty dress! It is reminiscent of the 50's but I would lean more toward the 80's on this one. The plastic zipper and look of the care tag place it as more recent to me. Also, I would expect a 50's dress of this style to maybe be a little more full in the skirt.
 
I agree that the label does look more recent, but the absence of care symbols make me wonder if this dress is early/mid 60s. Standardised care symbols were introduced in the UK in 1966, before that care recommendations were text based.

I notice the dress is labelled as a size 14, out of interest what are the underarm to underarm and waist measurements? They may or may not help with dating, but often earlier sizing is considerably smaller (having said that, some 80s dresses can be pretty small too!). Also, can you read the make of the zipper?
 
Is the zipper plastic? It looks as if it is metal to my old eyes. I see late 1950s to early maybe 1960s on this dress. The style, the acetate fabric, and the size 14 tag lead me to think this.

I do not see 80's at all.
 
I'm also tending towards 80s due to the zipper and the label. But not a slip - I think those pleats around the bodice indicate this was meant to be worn on it's own. It's a pretty design feature that would be mostly lost if this were worn like a slip.
 
I have lots of fancy slips, and ones that are a part of a two-piece dress set, and ones that have been separated but need something else to complete. It depends upon the weight of the fabric for if it's the whole shebang or originally had another layer. I would at least accent with a beautiful wrap.
 
I also see early 1980s: about 1982. The silhouette (as kittenteethvintage pointed out, the skirt would be fuller in original '50s) and construction backs up that date.

Nicole
 
kittenteethvintage said:
Pretty dress! It is reminiscent of the 50's but I would lean more toward the 80's on this one. The plastic zipper and look of the care tag place it as more recent to me. Also, I would expect a 50's dress of this style to maybe be a little more full in the skirt.
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Super helpful, thank you! Yes it's a lovely skirt but definitely needs a petticoat underneath for volume!
 
retro ruth said:
Oooh that one really is a puzzler.

I am leaning towards 1980s. In my experience 50s/60s dresses are more likely to say 'Made in England', rather than 'Made in UK'.

As Shusteroo says, the measurements and how they relate to the Size 14 might help.

It's a tricky one.
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So helpful, thank you! I'd say it's more a modern UK 10, so definitely smaller although not as teeny as much earlier dresses! Laid flat the waist is 14" and the pit -pit is 16.5" so about a 28" waist x
 
Rue_de_la_Paix said:
Is the zipper plastic? It looks as if it is metal to my old eyes. I see late 1950s to early maybe 1960s on this dress. The style, the acetate fabric, and the size 14 tag lead me to think this.

I do not see 80's at all.
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Yes it's a puzzler that's for sure, it's very helpful and interesting reading everyones thoughts! The zipper is Metal but the actual zip teeth are plastic I think, just definitely has a few earlier features so I was struggling to date it! x
 
Shusteroo said:
I agree that the label does look more recent, but the absence of care symbols make me wonder if this dress is early/mid 60s. Standardised care symbols were introduced in the UK in 1966, before that care recommendations were text based.

I notice the dress is labelled as a size 14, out of interest what are the underarm to underarm and waist measurements? They may or may not help with dating, but often earlier sizing is considerably smaller (having said that, some 80s dresses can be pretty small too!). Also, can you read the make of the zipper?
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Yes the care symbols were also why I was thinking it was an earlier dress, just so many questions with this one! The measurements are (laid flat) the waist is 14" and the pit -pit is 16.5" so about a 28" waist, around a modern UK 10, so again that made me question everything! The zipper is 'YKK'
 
PrimB said:
Yes the care symbols were also why I was thinking it was an earlier dress, just so many questions with this one! The measurements are (laid flat) the waist is 14" and the pit -pit is 16.5" so about a 28" waist, around a modern UK 10, so again that made me question everything! The zipper is 'YKK'
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It is a puzzler! I definitely don't think it's 1950s, but I'm not seeing 80s either! Although a 28" waist is approx a modern UK 10, I'd say a pit to pit measurement of 16.5" is more of a UK 8, which is a considerably smaller sizing considering it's marked as a 14. The more I'm looking at it, the more I'm seeing mid 1960s, which would tie in with the smaller sizing and lack of care symbols.

The slip comment is interesting, is the dress fairly lightweight? Is it lined? I must admit, I'm not really seeing a slip with the pleating at the bust - although if it's lightweight and unlined, maybe it could be. To me it looks like a classic 60s cocktail dress. The only thing that makes me query if it is newer is, as Ruth mentioned, the 'made in UK', as usually made in England is on earlier labels. I do know that St Michael started phasing in 'made in the UK' on their labels from 1970, so it's not a million miles from mid 60s. I can certainly see why you were confused! :)
 
Shusteroo said:
It is a puzzler! I definitely don't think it's 1950s, but I'm not seeing 80s either! Although a 28" waist is approx a modern UK 10, I'd say a pit to pit measurement of 16.5" is more of a UK 8, which is a considerably smaller sizing considering it's marked as a 14. The more I'm looking at it, the more I'm seeing mid 1960s, which would tie in with the smaller sizing and lack of care symbols.

The slip comment is interesting, is the dress fairly lightweight? Is it lined? I must admit, I'm not really seeing a slip with the pleating at the bust - although if it's lightweight and unlined, maybe it could be. To me it looks like a classic 60s cocktail dress. The only thing that makes me query if it is newer is, as Ruth mentioned, the 'made in UK', as usually made in England is on earlier labels. I do know that St Michael started phasing in 'made in the UK' on their labels from 1970, so it's not a million miles from mid 60s. I can certainly see why you were confused! :)
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All such helpful points - thank you! It is pretty lightweight especially for the style and unlined, I was thinking initially 60's or thereabouts, but then definitely could have been an 80s contender, so needed some more eyes and opinions on it! Is a very pretty piece but just puzzling haha! x
 
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