Dating ship's wheel and anchor print cotton dress

Robin of Frocksley

Robin of Frocksley

Registered Guest
This pretty mystery has only one little tag (pictured) and a zipper (marked GERO) of a kind I've never seen before. I'm stumped. The last two pics are of the inside waist and bottom hem, respectively. Any help with dating etc would be fabulous, thanks!
upload_2014-12-1_10-48-14.png upload_2014-12-1_10-48-54.png upload_2014-12-1_10-49-55.png upload_2014-12-1_10-50-39.png upload_2014-12-1_10-51-11.png
 
My first impression was 1960's with the little neck bow but the gauze skirt lining is something I've seen on 1950's dresses so I think it's somewhere between the two. Can you tell us how long the skirt is and where is the zip located?
 
Pinkcoke said:
My first impression was 1960's with the little neck bow but the gauze skirt lining is something I've seen on 1950's dresses so I think it's somewhere between the two. Can you tell us how long the skirt is and where is the zip located?
Click to expand...
Thanks, Melanie! The skirt is 21" from waist to hem, and the zip is down the middle back. I know this zipper placement was common in both the 50's and 60's.. Still confused about the tag, too.
 
Robin I think we're missing the photo of the tag.
I've just noticed the anchor on the left side of the bodice has a seam running through it but is pattern matched which shows good sewing skills - is this just the bust dart?
That skirt is very short, it has probably been taken up, the outer fabric looks as though it is still there in the hem but the lining does not, can you confirm.
 
Pinkcoke said:
Robin I think we're missing the photo of the tag.
I've just noticed the anchor on the left side of the bodice has a seam running through it but is pattern matched which shows good sewing skills - is this just the bust dart?
That skirt is very short, it has probably been taken up, the outer fabric looks as though it is still there in the hem but the lining does not, can you confirm.
Click to expand...
Thanks again, Melanie :) Yes to the bust seam. The hem on both the lining and the outer skirt appear to be unaltered to me, but it's possible the outer skirt was taken up very skillfully. How silly of me not to post the pic of the tag, here it is:
upload_2014-12-1_11-56-38.png
 
Thanks, my first thought is that is the bust and height of the intended wearer in cm, which is something I've only seen on children's garments, however bust darts suggest the wearer was at least a teenager but it could be a company making specially petite garments, which would explain the especially short skirt. Is there something on the back of that label? What is the bust measurement? Can you see if the darts were added later? (see if the thread is the same as for the shoulder seams etc.)
 
Pinkcoke said:
Thanks, my first thought is that is the bust and height of the intended wearer in cm, which is something I've only seen on children's garments, however bust darts suggest the wearer was at least a teenager but it could be a company making specially petite garments, which would explain the especially short skirt. Is there something on the back of that label? What is the bust measurement? Can you see if the darts were added later? (see if the thread is the same as for the shoulder seams etc.)
Click to expand...
The tag is blank on the back. The bust measures 35" and the waist is 29". Darts appear to be original. Thanks!
 
That is a strange label! I would think European teenage girl size. 164 means 164 cm tall, they go by that. I guess that could correspond with a 35" bust and 29" waist. The 100 in the label makes no sense though to me. As I remember sizes when I was a kid in the 80s went something like 128, 140, 152, 164, 176. The last time I looked at teenage clothes, they still used those. Sometimes they would bundle two into one, e.g. 152-164 or 164-176, but that makes no sense with 100 and 164...
 
I think it is for an early teenager, 12-14ish, from the late '50s to early '60s. The construction and fabric looks '50s but the proportions are too short. Can you please advise the shoulder to waist measurement? It looks like a child's dress despite the (shallow) bust darts.
 
Circa Vintage said:
I think it is for an early teenager, 12-14ish, from the late '50s to early '60s. The construction and fabric looks '50s but the proportions are too short. Can you please advise the shoulder to waist measurement? It looks like a child's dress despite the (shallow) bust darts.
Click to expand...
Thanks, I've been hoping for more info:) The shoulder to waist measurement is 14"
 
Thanks for all the help, everyone. Also, not sure if this helps at all, the back of the tag is not blank (oops)! it has 100 printed on it, but it's strangely placed. Here's a pic
upload_2014-12-3_20-1-17.png
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top