1940's? embroidered dress with button issue

[Pinkcoke]

Hello, I've just found this lovely little dress which I find quite intriguing.
It's lined in muslin on the top only - was this usual?
It also has all the original buttons which are intact but they look so fragile like they'd break any moment and I wanted to know - would you replace these or leave it for the buyer? - would it put you off having buttons that are breaking down? (or do they just look like this when that old...)
what would you call the slight balloon sleeves at the bottom? it has pieced material shapes instead of gathered fabric - any chance this is a wartime piece?

 

[Jonathan]

I bet you got this from the same source as that other redyed dress! Again, the alterations are so poorly done - I wonder if this dress wasn't also redone in the 70s or for a Halloween costume maybe? The alterations are not good enough to have been done during the war. This looks like it was a 30s afternoon dress originally.

 

[TangerineBoutique]

Leave the buttons to the buyer but mention the issue.

Both of your reworked dresses reminded me of vintage fashion from the "old days".... I'm talking circa 1970s. Slightly tattered, faded and often reworked clothing was actually desireable, within reason of course. An older friend of mine had a beautiful vintage store on Charles St. in Boston, back in the day, and when vintage started to get "fussy" she thought people were being silly. I remember her saying that new clothes were supposed to be "perfect", vintage was supposed to have charm. Oops...I'm rambling again...

Melody

 

[Jonathan]

I wonder if that was the same vintage clothing store I remember in Boston - it was on Charles street too, but that would have been 1988 when I was first there.

 

[Pinkcoke]

Yes they are from the same place Jonathon.
was it possible the sleeves were shortened from full length? as when I tried this one I could never have done the cuffs up where they ended mid forearm.
I can see the idea of it being redone in the 70's just to wear for the boho look - we wouldn't wear anything like this for 'halloween' in England it's strictly horror costumes here only.

I've never come across any items like these two dresses before (I don't have any sources for pristine vintage) are the reworked items like this completely shunned now or do people still value them for the styles?