1920s dress or jacket?

[DaisyandStella]

Happy 2015 everyone! Can anyone help me determine whether this was meant be worn as a dress or a coat? I'm pretty sure she's from the 1920s of deep sapphire blue silk velvet with silk chiffon lining with an inner attached sash belt. Cross-over style and the only closures are two large side buttons. Also, not sure if the flower pin was added later or original?

Thanks ~ Brooke

 

[Circa Vintage Clothing]

Hi Brooke,

Can you please confirm whether there are two loops on the right hand side to secure with buttons, or just one? I can only see one, but there are two buttons on the left so I'm wondering if the bottom one was original and the top one added to turn a '20s opera coat into a dress.

If you can show a close up of the flower and the underside (how it's attached) it will help advise on whether it is original or not, but I suspect it's an addition as these don't usually come with corsages.

 

[DaisyandStella]

Hi Brooke,

Can you please confirm whether there are two loops on the right hand side to secure with buttons, or just one? I can only see one, but there are two buttons on the left so I'm wondering if the bottom one was original and the top one added to turn a '20s opera coat into a dress.

If you can show a close up of the flower and the underside (how it's attached) it will help advise on whether it is original or not, but I suspect it's an addition as these don't usually come with corsages.

Thank Nicole! There are two loops on the right side to secure the buttons. I'll get close-ups of the flower and underside in the morning.

 

[DaisyandStella]

Also the attached sash from the right side i've wrapped around the neck to give it more of a scarf styling.

 

[Circa Vintage Clothing]

I can't see what's happening with the sash, so I'm not sure what you mean but I think the top button was moved, as the drape isn't hanging well - and it's too high for a '20s style but would work for a '30s so I think it's an update.

 

[DaisyandStella]

I can't see what's happening with the sash, so I'm not sure what you mean but I think the top button was moved, as the drape isn't hanging well - and it's too high for a '20s style but would work for a '30s so I think it's an update.

Hi Nicole - i am looking closely along the top right and left and i don't see anyplace showing open stitches or marks where a top button could have been. Both top front sides are winged. I styled on my dress form as a cross-over fit which resulted in the drape. Maybe there was a snap or something that would have secured the top more - but i still cannot find any evidence of any top closures.

More on the scarf - the neckline separates to include a long sash down the right side of the coat. I wasn't sure exactly how to style so I basically just wrapped the attached scarf around the entire neck. Hopefully I am making sense!

 

[DaisyandStella]

Ah ha okay i think i see what happened now and please let me know if you agree. Next to the bottom loop (right side) are three accent seams. These three seams are also stitched on the corresponding left side. I am thinking then the original buttons would have been down the edge of left side which would have been a standard closure.

Does that sound right? That seems more inline with the other 1920s coats I've seen and also explains the unusual drape created by having the buttons moved to the far left?

Here's an image of the accent seams.