Edwardian blouse?

blubirdboutique

blubirdboutique

Registered Guest
hello :) I would love some help dating this piece. It seems like a blouse, but perhaps was worn over something else? It looks Edwardianish to me but also reminds me of the 20s. Anyone have any thoughts?

It's silk and has snap closures.

Thanks!
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Hi Blubirdboutique, can you tell us anything about the construction? How the seams and hem are sewn.

I suspect you have an upcycled blouse made from a '20s dress. The silhouette is suggestive of the '50s, with the wide peplum style waist and blouson, but I'm interested in the way the armholes are finished off with top stitching. I can't see a facing. The beaded panel looks old but it's hard to discern the age of the rest without further information.
 
Thanks! No, there isn't any facing on the armholes. I might be able to contact the seller - she was a seamstress and did do a lot of upcycling on various items so maybe it is a dress.
 
So I spoke to the seller and she said she bought the shirt as is. I took a few more photos of stitching and such to see if anything else might point to dating. There are 3 curious snaps on the inside of the blouse that must have been used for something? I think it's 20's perhaps? The beading for some reason seems older though. The beads remind me of Victorian jet beads. I dunno... :)


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I would think it is a blouse from the early 20s worn under a suit - not a tweedy walking suit, but like a three piece sumer-weight dressy-suit with a light coat or jacket in crepe, and a pleated crepe skirt. Like the example on the far left of this image:
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blubirdboutique, I agree that the beads look older - you can see irregularity in their shape that shows they're not modern. I've seen beads like these many times on '20s dresses but the panel could be from an earlier garment.

The way the beads on the panel go beneath the waist seam show that this is not the original design - the panel has been repurposed into the top. It's nicely made, but the construction techniques (especially with the armhole opening) do not look as old as '20s to me, more like the '40s-50s or perhaps even more modern but the fastenings look older.

You can see the press studs on the inside of the neckline, suggesting that they might have supported a removable collar at some point.

It's a lovely piece, I'm sure that if I could hold it, I'd get a much better idea of age, as certain details are hard to convey in photos.
 
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