Can someone help with dating this dress?

Living*Doll*Vintage

Living*Doll*Vintage

Alumni
Hi,

This dress came with an estate lot of 40's & 50's Day dresses, but is NOTHING like any of the other dresses in the lot~

It has a metal zipper from the waist band down to about 8 inches, the bodice buttons up the back and I think it is a larger size~

The pix show it both pinned and free on my dress form. When I pinned it I tried to place the areas where I think they would fit, ie waistband at waist, bust line at bust, but maybe I'm wrong and it's designed to fit differently.

I would think I could figure out how it should hang but I feel confused about it :(

I hope I'm just missing the forest for the trees because I've been looking at it too long:)

Thanks for any help you can give!

Pinned to form:


x080.JPG



x083.JPG



Un-pinned:

x084.JPG



x085.JPG




Inside out back waistband zipper:



x086.JPG




Inside out shoulder - shoulder pads are basted/hand stitched in place and look contemporary


x087.JPG
 
Wonder if someone came along and modified it a bit for costume, with that zipper placed so oddly and the added pad.
I've had an 80s item with a similar cut before, but it was a 2 piece, so the zipper was placed in the standard position.
 
Thanks guys,

When I first saw it I thought 20's, then saw the shoulder pads and the construction around the zipper and it didn't add up.

It is in really surprisingly good shape, the fabric is solid and it really has no issues at all - if you don't count modern shoulder pads and a NYLON zipper ( I meant nylon not metal in original post)

Also forgot to mention it is machine stitched - small and tight stitches.

Mary Jane,
It has been taken up 2 inches at the hem, if authentic early 20th century it would have been longer, correct?

Jenn - yeah, it makes me think of those 80s top / skirt combos with a drop waist with the wide band at the hem (and usually a bow or tie as big as your head)

So maybe era faithful repro / modified costume?
 
I've bought/shopped at theater sales before. They do some really weird things to garments, and will recreate stuff if they can't find the right thing. I saw some good things split up the back with velcro added for quick changes. Chilling!
 
Hi Sharon:

any info on fabric? I don't think that the construction is good enough to be terribly old - the style shares some similarities with late '30s, early '40s but the construction doesn't look right. I'm guessing early '80s or some sort of costume. Can you tell if the zipper is original? What are the buttons like? Looks like you have an oddity on your hands!
 
l still buy metal zips from my habby store to replace broken ones, and that zipper fabric doesnt appear to be an older one, not does the binding used upon the waist, the pads appear to be 80s too, l concur, it does look like either a costume peice or a reworked older piece.
 
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