Back metal zippers... Need help with dating!

[Elly Maggy Vintage]

Hi there, I hope you won't mind me posting about two different pieces together but both raise the same query for me... Back metal zippers! If there is a problem posting both pieces here, I can separate out to two separate posts. Thank you in advance for your help!

I have read online that sometimes / occasionally 1940s pieces have centre back metal zippers but I'm wondering if anyone has any personal experience of this. I had dated both these pieces as 1940s items and they both have (old-looking) long center back metal back zippers... An Etsy seller (and Vintage Fashion Guild Member) kindly pointed out that the set is likely to be more recent due to its back zipper. Here are details of both pieces. I'm trying to learn more about zippers so I know what to look for in the future and get better at dating!

1. A gold silk skirt set. No interior labels. It definitely has an older style of construction, which is similar to that I've seen in 40s dresses (I think this is what confused me!). There is metal zipper in the centre back of the blouse and also a metal zipper with a hook and eye at the side of the skirt. Some of the seams are pinked... The Etsy seller thought that this set might date from the 1960s.

2. A blue floral crepe dress with centre back zipper. The vintage collector I bought this dress from informed me it dated from the '40s. The seam edges are unfinished. No maker's labels.

I would be very grateful for your thoughts on these pieces... and long centre back metal zippers in general! Thanks so much!

 

[Pinkcoke]

The first skirt set is a similar design to this dress I have from 1958 (yours being the non-maternity version!)

The second, from the type of fabric used, style of print and cut I would say was 1980s using an old zip. Old fashioned in style though.

 

[Elly Maggy Vintage]

Hi Melanie,

Yes, the skirt set looks really similar to the dress you have (...which is really cute!). Thanks so much! I love the tiered cut of both pieces.

Re: the fabric on the blue dress, in person this has the quality and feel of older fabric... Plus the interior seams are quite worn... which makes it seem quite old... although the dress could just be a bit 'worn out'! When discussing the piece with the Etsy seller I chatted with, she suggested that the dress could have been made more recently using old fabric... What do you think? Made in the 80s using 40s fabric? Or made in the 80s using 80s fabric?

Thanks for your help

Elly

 

[Pinkcoke]

Can you show the top of the zip and close ups of the fabric, seams and give the measurements of the blue dress please?

 

[Elly Maggy Vintage]

Yes, I'll take more photos of the seams, fabric and zip and upload them tomorrow. The measurements are:

Taken in inches with dress lying flat:
• Width across shoulders: 15.5"
• Bust (armpit to armpit): 18"
• Waist: 15"
• Hips: 19"
• Length from shoulder to hem: 40"

Thanks, Melanie!

 

[pastperfect2]

On the blue print - are the interior seam serged or pinked? Or just cut? Are there shoulder pads? How is the neckline finished? Facing? bias binding?

Honestly, it such a basic cut it's hard to date. The only thing I get a 40s vibe from is the fabric. The cut of the dress looks to be very simple 50s. The shoulders don't look big enough for the 80s. Printed rayons have been popular several times - 30s, 40s, early 50s, again for the 70s does 30s look, and then again for 80s does 40s. So we may not be able to be definitive.

 

[Elly Maggy Vintage]

The interior seams are just cut... no pinking or serged seams. No facing at the neckline. I have attached photos of the stitching at the neckline, sleeves and hem, plus a close-up of an interior seam and a photo of the top of the zip. There are no shoulder pads. Yes, it's a very basic style of dress! There are two darts at the back... otherwise the style is very simple.

 

[pastperfect2]

Okay, I think it' s homesewn from the way the neck binding is sewn on the inside, as well as the lack of edge finish on the seams. Now if the zipper is original, TEX Zipper is based in India and was founded in 1987. That outs it 1980s, BUT a zipper may have been replaced then. This could also have been made of older fabric in the late 1980s.
Another possibility is that there was another, earlier , zipper maker with this name.

I really don't think it's 1940s , though, the lines are not quite right.

 

[Elly Maggy Vintage]

Thanks very much! I'll list this piece as late 80s does 40s... with the possibility of the dress having been made with older fabric and the zip having been replaced... It's been really helpful to follow the detective work. It's definitely been a lesson to delver deeper than the information given when sourcing pieces!! I had always thought metal zips were more likely to be found in pre-1960s pieces but this TEX zip shows that's not always the case! Thanks again

 

[Circa Vintage Clothing]

The thing with zippers is that they break and can be replaced - plus some of us prefer older, metal types and use them still. I'm one of these people, and often replace invisible zippers from brand new items with vintage metal zippers because they're nice and more reliable. Plus metal zippers are still made today.

From the available information, I agree that your dress is likely to be more modern, in part because the proportions of the measurements are not right for '40s or '50s. The waist is too big (or the bust/hips too small). The proportions suggest '80s-90s to me. It looks hand made.

 

[Elly Maggy Vintage]

Thanks very much, Circa Vintage!

 

[Circa Vintage Clothing]

Hi Linda, those of us who buy and sell, or repair and restore vintage fashion love zippers!

The metal zipper was invented in 1914 - but zippers weren't used in ladieswear until the '30s. Schiaparelli had a contract to produce dresses with big, plastic (celluloid) zippers as a feature! I've had a few '30s dresses with plastic zippers. From working with thousands of '40s dresses, I can advise that they often have brass, dark coloured zippers but there are many brands and types. I find that metal zippers tend to get smaller through the '50s and '60s, eventually being overtaken by nylon zips in popularity. It's a fascinating topic! I love zippers.

The VFG have written some good zipper tips - you can see them here under "Quick Tips for Dating Vintage".