1980s silk (?) blouse w/ padded shoulders

Good morning/afternoon/night,

Just found this beautiful blouse at a thrift store. I thought I'd post this on the tags Q&A forum, but I also wanted to know what is the blouse made of.
First, I took a picture of the tag, researched it, then found out that it was probably made between 1975-2006. The padding on the shoulders is an obvious hint that it's from the 1980s. The questions are:
- Can you tell what it's made of?
- Is it really 1980s?
- Do you recognize that tag? The "ellesse" logo is written in blue, and I couldn't find any other tags like this.

Thanks for your time and willingness.

 

ELLESSE was/is a sports apparel and I’ve never seen pieces like this before. I think the label was just sewn on the garment but not its original. I had a few sports pieces from ELLESSE in the 1980s but not fashion wear.

Lovely blouse though, I love the colour

- Julie

 

Thanks for the reply.
While researching about the tag, I found out somethings about ellesse that can prove the blouse is theirs.
Wikipedia quote: "Through the 1970s and 1980s, Ellesse gained a reputation for combining sportswear functionality with street-level fashion styling."
Also, I don't think it's very clear in the picture, but the tag seems quite yellowed. If it was sewn on the garment, it must have been a long time ago.

Thanks again!

 

The tag looks as if it is original, but of course I cannot be sure.

It may be silk, but my guess would be polyester made to look like silk. It is impossible to tell from the photo. If you can find a few threads or a tiny snippet of fabric along an inside seam allowance or hem, then you can do a burn test to determine if it is silk or a synthetic.

I agree it is a lovely color.

 

Thanks for replying!
There aren't any other labels, unfortunately.

 

Thanks for your reply!
I'll try it.

 

I remember Ellesse well in the 80's, they were mainly doing logo zip tops & track pants in nylon, tennis dresses, trainers and shell suits. Also a lot of logo accessories. They had the occasional pieces that was less sporty but always had a sport element. I don't recall ever seeing anything like a silky fashion blouse.

I was wondering about the stitching on the label, the colour match looks pretty spot on of the thread. The bottom turquoise stitching looks like it goes across the label and continues, how far does it continue? is it part of the stitching for the collar? also the top part of the label the stitching looks less neat, does it go through to the other side of the collar?

 

Thanks for your reply!

It goes all the way to the sleeves, then from a part of the sleeves down the stitching changes color.

I would say so.

Yes, it does.

 

You know, I'm starting to wonder if this is a hand made item by a fan of Ellesse who has re used a label of theirs. What does the stitching to the seams look like? Could you show a picture?

 

The top looks to be very early '80s: are the pads true shoulder pads or more like sleeve headers that puff the sleeve out? In which case, about '80-82. If they're proper shoulder pads, they might be further into the '80s.

I agree with Barbara in that the fabric is either a silk (jacquard) or a polyester jacquard designed to look like silk. It's impossible to tell which from the photos, as she says, but you can tell by touch if you're familiar with the fabrics or burn test.

I don't like the look of the stitching and your description of it going down the sleeve and through the collar. When labels are sewn on during manufacturing nice items like this, they usually stitch the label during the making of the collar, rather than at the end. The stitching is also sloppy. So I'd be cautious of it.

Also, if it was a commercially made garment during the '80s it really needs a fabric composition, size and care label. Have you checked down all the side seams? Does the construction look to be of commercial or home made quality?

 

I think it's best if I just post these pictures, so you can judge by yourselves. Thanks for the input, by the way.
Observation: Sorry about the flash, had to use it because the sun is already down here in Brazil.
Answering some of your questions, Nicole, it doesn't have anything that indicates fabric composition, size and care.

Seaming:


Collar's seaming, where the tag is:


Shoulder pads:


Shoulder's seaming:


Sleeves seaming, inside of the blouse where the armhole starts. This is where the it changes color, as I said before:

 

Thanks for the extra pics. I suspect this is a (well made) home made blouse, definitely from the 1980s. I can't offer any explanations about the label except to say that I doubt that it is original to the garment.

 

I concur with Nicole, I think the label has been sewn in by whoever made the blouse at home, possibly a fan of Ellesse or someone having some fun with fashion!

Still a gorgeous and well made blouse!