Is this a 70s does 50s or a true 60s dress?

Pompadour

Pompadour

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Hi everyone! I just bought this dress on eBay advertised as 50s. But when it came in it doesn’t have the typical metal zipper as seen on pre-1962 dresses. It also seems too short to be a 1950s dress with a skirt length of 21”. I’m not sure whether this is a 1970s dress attempting to do 50s, or if it’s a 1960s dress. Does anyone have a better clue? There’s no union label either. I’d love some feedback! :)
 

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My first impression is of a 1960s dress that has been shortened. How is the hem sewn? The quality of the dress seems better than what appears to be a basic machine straight-stitched hem.
 
I agree with Maggie/denisebrain. Even everyday dresses weren't hemmed with a narrow machine-sewn stitch like that in the 50s and 60s - they had proper hems, usually 1-3" deep, and hidden stitching that didn't show on the outside. And that would hold even truer for a party dress.

Someone chopped off the hem, and did a quick roll-the-edge-and-run-it-through-a-sewing-machine, probably at home. It happened to a lot of dresses during eras when mini dresses were trending.
 
MagsRags said:
I agree with Maggie/denisebrain. Even everyday dresses weren't hemmed with a narrow machine-sewn stitch like that in the 50s and 60s - they had proper hems, usually 1-3" deep, and hidden stitching that didn't show on the outside. And that would hold even truer for a party dress.

Someone chopped off the hem, and did a quick roll-the-edge-and-run-it-through-a-sewing-machine, probably at home. It happened to a lot of dresses during eras when mini dresses were trending.
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Aha. I didn’t know they did that. Now that I look at the thread on the seams vs. the hem the hem thread is a darker shade. Interesting. I think with the plastic zipper it might be an early 60s dress redone later in the decade?
 
plousia said:
The zipper could be a replacement as well.
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I thought the same at first, but looking at the stitching on the back of the dress there's no needle holes from any possible previous stitching at all so I'm assuming that the zipper is original, and it has that size tag on it. I cant decipher if its home sewn or made by a true dressmaker for a store. It seems the maker started sewing the zipper in then stopped because the tension was off, cut the threads, and then started sewing again. It's rather a sloppy job.
 
Another question: What are the measurements?

Sizing changed pretty dramatically in the early 70s, so the size could help place the era.
 
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