This also came from an estate sale. Both pieces were sold separately but I wondered if they were supposed to be together. That lace definitely needed something under it. I think it was probably homemade. The lace is gorgeous. No tags, labels or any zippers, buttons or hooks. Thanks for your help.
The dress looks 1940s to me, it is possible that the chantilly lace was older and made up into this dress. The lace of the dress brings to mind the Victorian shawls from the 1860s. The first vintage dresses that I wore were from my grandmother and she had styles like this with that same sweetheart neckline and fitted waist and short sleeves. The lace trim on the slip looks much older than the slip they must have added it to the rayon slip to help the length.
I’m wondering if the dress is older or the slip wasn’t original to it, and that someone improvised this slip to go with it. There is a very unpleasant musty aged smell coming from it that is actually making me wish my guy hadn’t bought it for me, it’s so strong. Anyway, the slip definitely looks pieced together. The straps don’t look original to me and definitely the lace trim was an addition. There is old silk under that old trim that makes me think that entire bottom section was taken from some Victorian era dress.
I went back to the estate sale my guy bought this at and found he had left some of it behind. There was a cloth sash in the same lace and this lace bolero. I’m now starting to wonder if this isn’t from 1900-1910? It certainly would explain the awful aged musty smell all over the entire thing.
It may well have been an older dress from the Edwardian or teens period that was modified. As far as that musty smell goes do you have a clothes line you could hang it outside, it may take awhile but that may help. Sometimes when lace like this is so old and full of dust if you try to hand wash it, it can disintegrate...not always but I have had that happen. It does look a lot more interesting with the sash, as in older.
Thank you. Tomorrow is supposed to be our last sunny day for a week. I’m going to wheel this dress for out to my back porch for the day. I don’t think I want to try washing it!
