Okay, here’s a thrift store find that really had me do a double take! This shirt caught my eye as I was walking past because the lace looked so much nicer than usual, though I’m not someone who can look at lace and know what I’m looking at! From a glance I thought 60s/70s but when I stopped to pick it up, the ecru lace yoke was actually part of a preexisting garment. You can see a layer of cotton was cut off the bottom and then it was slapped onto the orange fabric with an added elastic band. I did a bit of googling and this looks like it’s the top of a chemise or nightgown that maybe a hippie repurposed in 60s/70s? I don’t know how to date the lace though, seeing examples ranging from the Victorian/Edwardian to the 1930s... This is crochet lace, right? The sleeves have a scalloped edge, the neckline has a pale pink silk ribbon running through and it looks like the bottom edge is meant to have a ribbon as well. If it fits me like it should, it seems like the yoke should fall just to the bottom of the bust. I’d be curious to know what other people thought! And also, if anyone had any ideas for what to do with the lace piece, I'd love to hear them? I know that I want to pull it off the bright orange addition at least! Thanks for looking!
The lace is a top of a 1920s or earlier camisole or night gown shift. The were crocheted by hand and added to whatever garment was needed.
I would keep it the way it is - it looks like something a hippy may have done in the late 60s or early 70s and as such, has more historical value than the crochet lace top from a nightgown or camisole of the 1910s/20s. Those lace tops survive in HUGE quantities, but with the red top (if it is from the 60s/70s) it has more appeal as a Janice Joplin kind of look.
Thanks everyone for the input! I feel like I've got a better sense of the period the lace may have come from now and I appreciate Jonathan weighing in that maybe it is better to keep it with its (potentially) historical alteration! It was rather haphazardly done but it does really remind me of 60s/70s fashion, though of course it could be a modern imitation of that.
