Dating this yellow dress from boutique couture?

[Ineke Veenstra]

Hello,

I have a dress that I bought some time ago, and now I want to sell it because it is just not my color.
Because I know very little about the dress, I thought perhaps you guys could give me some more information about it. I bougth this dress in a vintage store in The Netherlands. I think it is 80's, but I'm not sure.
This dress has two little yellow buttons on the front, a zipper at the back and a zipper on the side, It has a label that says boutique couture. That label could be sewed on later, I'm not sure if it's original. The zippers are from Swiss riri star and are numbered. 2802-20 for the side zipper and 2306-35 for the back zipper. There are no care labels.

 

[retro ruth]

Can we see a pic of the whole dress?

That looks like quite a modern label, but the side and back metal zips is an older technique. I think it dates from when zips were in use, but before long zips were widely available - I've seen it in 40s and 50s dresses. It looks a little short to be 50s though, and possibly those zips are more modern that that too, but I can't really tell from the pictures.

Maybe 60s and the label sewn in later? Perhaps it was made more recently but from an older pattern?

 

[retro ruth]

cross-posted with you

 

[Ineke Veenstra]

Attached the new photo's to the original thread! (photos were too big so they didn't upload the first time)

 

[retro ruth]

okay it's waaay too short to be 50s, or even 60s. I think quite recent, but using older zips.

 

[Pinkcoke]

I do think it's modern, but made using old materials (fabric and zip) and possibly using an old pattern as inspiration. I see a lot of this style of dress in the small highstreet shops now, and they often have label names of this nature (boutique, retro, fashionisha etc.) that have no real meaning. The level of sewing indicates it may have been custom made for a particular customer, or perhaps this company only sold items they made themselves.

 

[Jonathan]

I agree it's probably quite recent. The tulip shaped warp-around skirt and T-shirt cut top are recent. If it was 60s I would expect to see a shirtwaist or A-line, or some other style.

 

[Circa Vintage Clothing]

I agree that the styling is quite recent but the construction is throwing me: it's classic home made '60s or '70s. Of course, it could have been made by a seamstress who learnt to sew a few decades earlier. We tend to keep our techniques even when the rest of the world gets sloppy. It's not well made, so I would say it's been sewn by an enthusiastic amateur.

 

[Pinkcoke]

I just wonder, if this is somebody who is upcycling vintage garments, and putting their own label into the refashioned product.

 

[Circa Vintage Clothing]

That could well be Melanie - the OP doesn't say what fabric it is but it looks like it could be Crimplene. Thankfully that's a fabric that was left back in the '70s - where it belongs.

The skirt looks like it's been hand sewn though, suggesting it's original. It could be a '60s dress if it was shortened and the sleeves altered. The photos - Ineke, I hope I'm not offending you here - do not show the style clearly so it's hard to know. A lot of effort has gone into making this dress though and I can't see a modern label doing that. Speaking of labels, I agree that the "boutique couture" label does not look old. Are there any other labels?

 

[Ineke Veenstra]

I just wonder, if this is somebody who is upcycling vintage garments, and putting their own label into the refashioned product.

Could be. The shop where I bought this dress is called 'Episode' and they are also selling upcycled items.

 

[Ineke Veenstra]

That could well be Melanie - the OP doesn't say what fabric it is but it looks like it could be Crimplene. Thankfully that's a fabric that was left back in the '70s - where it belongs.

Hmm I don't know much about fabrics, so I googled Crimplene. I found that Crimplene doesn't wrinkle. So I tested it out, and this fabric does wrinkle a little, but it looks like the wrinkles are getting out after a few seconds....? I made a detail shot from a little pull in the fabric and a shot of the hem for you.

The skirt looks like it's been hand sewn though, suggesting it's original. It could be a '60s dress if it was shortened and the sleeves altered. The photos - Ineke, I hope I'm not offending you here - do not show the style clearly so it's hard to know. A lot of effort has gone into making this dress though and I can't see a modern label doing that. Speaking of labels, I agree that the "boutique couture" label does not look old. Are there any other labels?

I don't think this dress is shortened, because of the model of the skirt in the front. It is hard to tell if the dress had sleeves.. And you are not offending me :P The photoshoot was more fun than practical. The dress doesn't have any other labels.

 

[Katrijn]

I would say that it's a home made dress, for me pic 2013-10-17 16.59.35.jpg prove it. It's possible that someone take this dress shorten up and attach label to sell it for better price. This material was popular about '70s in middle Europe.

 

[Ineke Veenstra]

So it is Crimplene?

 

[retro ruth]

Crimplene is a trademark (brand name) for a kind of polyester, but it's usually a fine knit creating a thick fabric, whereas yours is a woven fabric and looks quite thin.