Dating and fabric help.

Villa

Villa

Registered Guest
Hi, Is this dress 30's or 40's do you think? I think it is 30's but am not sure. Also, how would I describe the fabric? The top is made somehow from a metallic thread and has kind of stripes in a diamond weave. Would this be lurex? The indivialual threads are very thin, and overall it is pretty soft and pliable. The black part is silk. Sorry for the poor quality pics. Thanks everyone!
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That is a beautiful dress. The cloth is referred to as lame', or simply gold metallic cloth. Lurex came out after WWII and is a different type of yarn. It looks 1930's to me, especially with the inverted V on the upper torso area, and the type of crepe and tiny snap closures. It looks like there are elongated flat shoulder pads, which would make it more 40's, but is that your dress form making it appear there are pads? Everything else about the dress scream 30's to me.
 
Another vote for '30s and fabulous - they did have shoulder pads in the '30s but they were used more to elongate the shoulder line/top of the sleeve, rather than build up the shoulder if that makes sense. The fabric may be silk with metallics: it's beautiful.
 
I had to come back and look at this again, just to admire it. Yes, as Nicole said, there are distinct differences between the 1930's and 1940's shoulder pads, which is exactly why I asked what type this dress has (if any). I was not inferring that only 40's dresses had shoulder pads (sorry if I was unclear). I cannot tell if it has the longer (40's) shoulder pads (by elongated I meant going all across the shoulder tops), or is that your dress form underneath giving it that silhouette. Please let us know if you can.
 
Hi guys, thanks for the feedbackback! The dress had modern shoulder pads tacked in, so I don't know what they would have originally been like if there. I think it would have had ones that would have elongated the line of the shoulder, which is what I tried to make the ones that were in there do. I have since taken them out. Anything else I can tell you?
 
Villa, thanks for the extra information about the shoulder pads - this dress is not the sort of style that shoulder pads were originally sewn into so I think they may have been an updating of sorts, not original. Usually you find them in styles that have more structured shoulder lines.
 
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