Dating help for a teddy/nightie

queen0ftheang3ls

queen0ftheang3ls

Registered Guest
It seems like the bulk of vintage teddies available online come from the 80s - but this one I picked up doesn't scream 80s to me. It doesn't have a snap crotch, high-cut legs, or the excessive use of ruffles that seems to plague the 80s models. Is mine from an earlier era? If so, when?
(click the pics for bigger versions)


Info about my piece: no labels, but you can see where one was cut out of the left side seam. The fabric is a standard lingerie-weight knit, the seams are stitched with a narrow overlock, and the lace is attached with a zig-zag stitch. The button loops are elasticized. Like I said, it has no snaps at the crotch, and the straps are not adjustable.

All help is appreciated! Thank you!
 
Thanks for the replies! I knew that 80s was the most likely candidate, but I've found so few examples that don't include snaps, elastic waists, etc - all the bells and whistles I mentioned in my first post - that I thought maybe not. Now I know!
 
I was big on lingerie in the '80s and wore several teddies.

The first one, my mum bought in '82 - it was like yours, and came wrapped in a box with tissue paper. It didn't have snaps either. The earlier ones didn't, although as the decade wore on they became de rigeur.

My boyfriend gave me one in '83 and that didn't have snaps either, so I put them in because I had to get completely undressed every time I needed the toilet - such a bother! Then a friend bought me one in '85 and that came with snaps: after that, they all did.

I have several vintage teddies, from the '20 and '30s, and they tend to be silk chiffon and rather delicate.

Nicole
 
Thanks for chiming in Nicole! It makes sense that we got cleverer with our teddies through their eighties heyday...I grew up wearing leotards 24/7 for ballet class and know all about excessive time spent undressing just to go to the bathroom. Nothing like a cold winter's day with leotard, tights, warm-up pants, sweaters, etc., and five minutes before class starts!
 
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