I found this dress yesterday and bought it because it looked like it was from the 1920s. It was in the international garment section where they put Asian and middle-eastern style clothing. The seams are machine sewn and then finished by hand. I'm not sure what the holes are called but there are two rectangles down the front and some around the yoke. There are missing buttons on the cuff and at the collar. I also noticed that are pocket like structures on the the dress but they aren't pockets so I'm not sure what they are for. I believe it originally had a sash or belt due to the belt loops. There are very small darts also. Any help with dating would be great. Thanks!
looks like a kameez, to me. they're difficult to date, as they don't change much over the years, and are still hand made/finished.
I think its 20s - the fagotting decoration is typical, and that coral colour. Probably c. 1929-1930ish - maybe a teen's dress?
It does look 20s as well to me...I have had dresses in the past with this very same simple styling from that era.
Hi Mary. I did a quick search and the kameezes (not sure if this is how you pluralize it) had similar shaping but were woven in much brighter colours. Do they have formal and casual ones?
Hi Johnathan. The dress is pretty tiny especially for a style that's supposed to be loose fitting so it could have been made for a small woman or as you said for a teen. Thank you for your help!
Hi, Joji~ yes, kameez (which is also the plural form) are worn for both formal and casual wear, and can be made of any color; when we lived in Indonesia we saw them in any and all colors. I wish I would have purchased some while we were there. If Jonathan and MJ feel it could be 20s, you've got two fantastic opinions.
Yes, as Mary says kameez come in all sorts of colours. I agree that this is a '20s dress, the belt loops may have been update in the '3os when the waist came back into fashion. The hip pieces might have been an alteration to hip pleats, to remove the '20s styling as fashions changed. If you wanted to, the hip pleats could probably be restored. It's a fold inside, with top stitching to secure.
