Dating this pink dress from the sixties? with no labels

[Ineke Veenstra]

Last one for today.
Bought this probably sixties dress from a woman at a rock&roll festival in The Netherlands where she was selling some items from her private collection. This dress is not in a very good condition, but is really cute though. Want to sell this one, because I am not so enthousiastic anymore about how it looks on me. So now I want to make sure if my thought is right and this dress is really from the 60's.

Not so much to tell about this dress. It has no labels. It has a back zipper from Prym. Part of the dress is hand sewn.

 

[EndlessAlley]

Colors are wonderful! I would say the style is 1960s. Though long sleeve, I have a listing for a dress that is cut with very similar collar & inverted "V" bustline/waistline. My dress has a Union label that dates it to the 1960s/early 70s and a metal zipper. Considering your zipper, I wonder if your dress was made more recently? Here's the dress I'm referring to. You can click here to access the listing for more pics & details.

 

[Ineke Veenstra]

Oh that is a pretty dress! Too bad my waist is 28 inch :( The Union label is only used in America? This dress could be European.. I don't know much about the Prym zipper. Other than that the company is located in Germany and founded in the 14th century. On the website: "Prym is Germany’s oldest family owned business, with a reputation for high-quality metal products, from sewing needles to electronic components."
source: http://www.prym-consumer.com/prym/proc/docs/0H0H004ID.html?nav=0H0H00DUF
The color of the zipper is fading from pink to orange and the paint on the pull of the zipper is letting loose.

 

[EndlessAlley]

Yes, that is a US union label, but it is another clue when dating a style trend. I agree with you, your dress is probably not from the states. Hopefully some members that are more familiar with European clothing/zippers will come along.

 

[Rue_de_la_Paix]

That is a cute dress. It reminds me a lot of a dress I bought and wore in 1971. The length is rather short for most of the 1960's, but I cannot tell if your pretty model is short or tall. The colors, the length and cut all looks very early 1970s to me. Is it polyester?

Very cute!

 

[retro ruth]

I think the pretty model is Ineke herself - and being Dutch I would imagine she is on the tall side.

 

[Pinkcoke]

Can you get a better close up of the stitching around the armholes? I rather suspect some alteration has been done there, perhaps removing sleeves, as the stitching does not look as neat as the rest of the dress, and it's odd that the outer fabric is on top like that when it has a bodice lining.

Oh that is a pretty dress! Too bad my waist is 28 inch :( The Union label is only used in America? This dress could be European.. I don't know much about the Prym zipper. Other than that the company is located in Germany and founded in the 14th century. On the website: "Prym is Germany’s oldest family owned business, with a reputation for high-quality metal products, from sewing needles to electronic components."
source: http://www.prym-consumer.com/prym/proc/docs/0H0H004ID.html?nav=0H0H00DUF The color of the zipper is fading from pink to orange and the paint on the pull of the zipper is letting loose.

Prym is still a major haberdashery manufacturer today. They are one of the most expensive ranges in the UK, probably in part because their stock either comes directly from Germany or has to go through several suppliers. It is true their products are very high quality. I don't know how long ago they began exporting but your zip looks period vintage to me, their invisible zips today have very smooth moulded tags, and the tape on yours has a much coarser twill grain than that found on any modern dress zips (which are now almost seam tape fine, and narrower too).

 

[Circa Vintage Clothing]

Melanie is right: it looks like the sleeves were removed. Well spotted Melanie! You're quite right that you wouldn't have a facing over the bodice lining - it would all be sewn inside. The dress may have been shortened too, it's hard to tell without a close up of the hem, but it looks roughly sewn whilst the rest of the dress is professionally made.

Alice spotted the zipper - it looks like a replacement: see how the facing at the top has been sewn under it but the lining is over it? If it were original, the facing would be over the top too, or the lining would be under it (unlikely as this looks professionally made).

I agree with Barbara in that it looks like a very late '60s to very early '70s polyester.

 

[Ineke Veenstra]

I think the pretty model is Ineke herself - and being Dutch I would imagine she is on the tall side.

Yes, it's me! I am 177 cm tall, so that would be 5,81 feet.

 

[Ineke Veenstra]

Can you get a better close up of the stitching around the armholes? I rather suspect some alteration has been done there, perhaps removing sleeves, as the stitching does not look as neat as the rest of the dress, and it's odd that the outer fabric is on top like that when it has a bodice lining.

Here are some photos of the armholes (on the left side with the stitching, and on the right side of the dress where the stitching is letting loose).
Also photo's from the zipper, (top and bottom) that looks indeed like it was sewn in later.
And one photo of the hem of the dress. I don't know if the dress was shortened, but it indeed is roughly sewn. The lining however is not rouhly sewn. Maybe the dress is shortened and the skirt of the dress was only halfway lined?