Early 60s dress with 50s print ???

themerchantsofvintage

themerchantsofvintage

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Hi all,

This shift has small box pleats, a v neck at the back and metal side zip. I think the style is early 60s, but the print looks 50s to me.

Your opinions greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

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Thanks, Harriet! The manny is too tall for the dress, as the box pleats start at her midriff - 2" above her belly button; so the dress would fall below the knee. It has a bit of a curve starting at the midriff (less boxy than the mid-60s Heals-like one I recenly sold, and the lace treatment one on the other post - metal zip on that one too) and it has a 4-7/8" hem allowance. The metal zip says LION. Here are the measurements in case that helps:
underarm to underarm: 35"
waist: 30"
hips: free
bottom sweep: 100"
box pleats: 1-3/4" butted (ie no spacing btwn pleats)

Slanted darts run downward from a quarter of the way up armhole and there two darts running downward under the breats. Perhaps the latter are not referred to as darts??

Do you think this would have had a crinoline worn with it?

Hope this is not info overload!

Thanks again, Harriett!
 
That is a case where i am glad I kept my hanging half form...the proportions are more realistic as far as shoulder to waist and when anything looks like my manni is too long waisted, I whip it out.

Now..do you mean by curve that the dress is narrower or does it have a princess seam?

If it has that much of a hem allowance, it probably was shortened at some point, I would bet.
 
Thanks, Chris! I think I'll redo several of the dresses on my french form - I just forget it's there.

By curve, I meant more fitted at the bodice and less of a shift because it tends to look more like a shift on the manny. I googled "princess seam" and, from several examples I looked at, it does not appear to be a princess seam, but it does have downward darts (at least I'm calling them darts) running under each breast.
 
Here's one taken with crinoline and belt. The belt is probably wrong, but that's all I have for now.


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Two pics - front bodice you'll see the right dart(?) clearly, next the dart coming from the armhole.

Thanks a heap, Linda!!

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Hi,
Great dress, love the print!

This page from "Christine's 20th century fashion" has some dresses that look similar to this dress:
http://www.100megspop3.com/adira/1960s.htm

From personal experience, I'd say that this is such a classic style that it could have been worn until Spring '63 by a teen, and even later by an adult.

Darts: you describe what sound like a French dart (slanted, coming from side seam at the waistline or lower and pointing at the center bust) with a standard front dart under the bust. This was a good way to get a clean midriff fit for this type of style bodice. The "V" back is classic, and that's why the rather out-moded side zip is used: to keep the "V" clean, without a center back zip to ruin the effect.

The box pleats are often from the latter years for '50's-early '60's style dresses, since they were often worn without petticoats, so the pleats fell together for a more narrow silhouette. (Earlier skirts for the same bodice were wider: full-circle, semi-circular or gathered "A" line varieties.)

Hope that helps!--Jennifer O
 
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