Black Velvet - help with dating

[betteroffduds]

Hi everyone, me again. My customer brought in a second dress that she bought at a vintage shop in Barcelona, this time it's a 2 piece black velvet halter with separate skirt. This garment is HEAVY! It's got corded paisleys all along the peplum and what seems to be metal boning along the zipper at the side. Both zippers are metal and different from each other. Handmade. The skirt is acetate(?) from the waist to hip, then velvet to the bottom, with weights stitched along the hem. Can anyone date this for me?

I very much appreciate all the help received on this forum. I opened my shop in Saskatchewan, Canada, a couple of years ago and being able to chat & learn on these forums is incredible. Thank you

 

[foofoogal]

Wow. This looks old to me. Never heard of weights to a hem. The paisleys look like metallic thread from the photos?

If not old a 1980s prom dress is my guess.

 

[Pinkcoke]

I have only had weights in 1940's tailored garments, in the back of a coat and peplum of a jacket. It's a sign it was made by a good seamstress who knew they were needed to make the garment hang properly at all times.
The invisble zip looks like a 40's zip, the other newer, so this person is using what they had to hand, or the latter is replaced.
Do you have any more views of the dress being worn?

 

[Rue_de_la_Paix]

That is a gorgeous dress. It looks to be so well made, and I adore that metallic (?) trim. Could you tell us what is the length of the skirt? It is hard to see the actual fall in the photo as it looks to be on an angle. Dress weights can be found in all decades going back to at least 1900, either small discs or teardrop shaped lead weights, or silk tubing filled with tiny lead pellets inside.

My guess, depending on the length of the dress, is late 1940s to early 1950s.

 

[betteroffduds]

Thanks everyone! I don't have any further pictures of the dress on, but I did get some more information from my customer who brought this in. They were purchased at El Arco d’en Avi (Granny’s Closet in Catalan) in Barcelona, Spain in 2002. Apparently this shop was in operation for decades and sold designer & handmade pieces from wealthy Spanish families - and then in 2004 Parisian designers discovered it including John-Paul Gaultier who basically bought out the shop, it's no longer open. Wow. I was thinking 40's and she confirmed it along with your help. What a story!!