1940s(?) Dressing Gown; help dating and advice on cleaning

melanostalgia

melanostalgia

Registered Guest
Hi guys! I have this amazing dressing gown from I think the 40s but I was wondering if anyone could help me date it more specifically. I have seen these in the late 30s as well but I have also seen an ad from 1955 for a floor length 3/4 bishop sleeve robe.

Here is a list of construction details that might help:
- Slightly longer at the back
- Gigantic 3/4 bishop sleeves that are pleated at the sleeve heads and gathered at the cuffs
- Some seams are finished with a zigzag stitch, some are french seams, some are unfinished
- Buttons are an old type of plastic, seems like celluloid or casein, I can never tell those apart. It has that wavy look on the back that reminds me of wrinkled tinfoil.
- Collar and cuffs are faced with a stiff, yellow, paper-like facing
- Skirt is made out of two parts, not vertically but horizontally
- Hook and thread eye at the waist
- Machine stitched narrow hem
- Bound buttonholes
- Double welt pockets
- I'm pretty sure the fabric is 100% cotton
- And of course lots of hand stitching

No label

Aside from that I also need some advice on cleaning it. The previous owner had it for over 40 years and never cleaned it. It has a very peculiar unpleasant smell and also has dirt on it and some very light stains. The thing I am worried about with washing it is the facing. I have no idea what that will do when it gets wet? The cotton should be washable, I think?

Oh and another thing I was wondering; do you think the cuffs are supposed to be worn down, or above the elbow?

IMG_4479_adj.jpgIMG_4482_adj.jpgIMG_4475_adj.jpgIMG_4486.JPGIMG_4489.JPGIMG_4490.JPGIMG_4491.JPGIMG_4494.JPG
 
That is very pretty!
I think the sleeves were made to be worn down--but I like them better pushed up.
I believe the facing is pellon. It is supposed to be washable--however, I have never tried washing it so can not say how it turns out.
Since it has some soiling and smell to it you have to attempt to clean it.
If it were mine--I would to hand wash it lightly--let it air dry and then see if it needs to be ironed and /or starched.

Good luck with it.
 
Yes, hand wash it, and air dry, then steam it. I think it is late 1940s but that is just my guess. It's pretty!

Jen
 
I agree with everyone above :USETHUMBUP:
One tip though- if you ironed it while ever so slightly damp after hand washing and line drying, it may avoid the need for any starch - obviously your iron need to be super clean to do this :)
 
Gorgeous dressing gown - I can confirm that it looks to be cotton, home made and would date to very early '50s, around '51.

Hand wash with warm water and mild detergent: the pellon lining will be fine. Eventually it cracks, rips and breaks down at which point you just remove. Yours looks pretty solid though. This gorgeous piece will still be fabulous without the stiffening even if you have to lose it.

You'll be surprised at how great it looks when it's freshened up with a wash - I think the sleeves are meant to be worn down, but you could push them up so you don't get marmalade on them during breakfast.
 
I happen to have just washed a similar dressing gown with those sort of half-bell sleeves, mine is a wrap over with a turned over collar and single large pocket, also cotton and full length. I have always felt it was 1950's from the shape when worn, the sleeves puff just below the elbow when the arm is straight (on me, at least) and end in a smaller plain cuff mid-arm. They are one piece with the body - do yours have a seam? I also think your dressing gown is early 1950's.
I washed mine in lukewarm water with handwashing detergeant only because I hadn't washed it before - now that I know it's coloursafe (it's white with a red/yellow/blue floral print) I wouldn't hesistate to machine wash it being cotton. If it has any particular stains you can pay more attention to these in a handwash which is what I did around the collar. I did try to line dry it but it was too wet really - there's a heck of a lot of fabric in there and it weighed a tonne (I didn't wring it out much because that just creates a lot of wrinkles!) I would recommend giving it a spin in the machine to get rid of most of the water, then line drying and ironing (although I didn't bother with the last bit, as I wear mine!)
 
Thank you both so much for the help. I have to fix a few broken stitched first and then I am finally ready to give it a wash :)

Nicole, yes I had a feeling it might be a home made piece. I wasn't sure because it's so well made. This was a talented seamstress!

Melanie, interesting that yours are one piece with the body. Mine do have seams. I think the pleating at the sleeve heads is very interesting on this gown; each sleeve has 4 big pleats, two on top of each other.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top