Calling all biba experts - have you ever seen a sleeve detail like this?

Hi all

I need your help. I am selling a beautiful vintage 70s BIBA dress in black velvet (see photos, label removed unfortunately) - which looks fairly typical aside from one detail - zips on the lower half of the sleeves.

Two BIBA experts think these are a later addition - possibly in order to enable someone to put on the sleeves as they are pretty tight - but the original owner is adamant that the dress wasn’t ever altered and she only wore it 3 or 4 times before it was packed away in 1973!

has anyone seen anything like this on a BIBA dress before, or is this most probably a case of someone not remembering (or knowing, if her mum altered them) something that happened 50 years ago?

grateful for any and all thoughts!

Impey

 

Hi Impey,

I will be of no help but I do have a question in turn that might settle a question of yours.

From your photo of the zip, I have to say they don't look like later additions.

I know it's going against the grain of two BIBA experts who will have vastly greater experience but they just don't look it.

My question, daft it might be but applying what I think is a bit of logic, if zips are later additions to help get into the sleeves, how would inserting zips later help, they would still have to be done up--so still tight?

To me the zips suit the style of dress and sleeves as original.

 

To allow for the hand to go through the sleeves, and still have a sleek tight forearm. I like the look of zips on forearms in some cases, as in this one. I think the zips are original, to give that medieval look to the lower sleeves and slightly flared cuff which goes partially over the hand.

 

To allow hands to go through the sleeves you daft sod Avantbo!

And yes the dress/sleeves do have that medieval look and zips do look entirely in keeping as original.

 

Thanks so much to you both - I’m going to have a look at the construction of the sleeve and see if I can work it out from that - as if it were an addition it would likely be different ..:

In the meantime, if anyone has a handy biba resource or has seen this feature before - please do chip in!

 

I have seen that feature before, not on a Biba dress, but I have seen it on French couture dresses 60s - 80s.