Fabulous 20's(?) beaded black dress! PICS!

DoubleSeahorse

DoubleSeahorse

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Fabulous 20\'s(?) beaded black dress! PICS!

So I recently purchased this old dress at a local auction. It's heavily beaded with black glass beads and dark silvery gray sequins on black netting over a lining of black silky material. The sleeves are black net with a fringe of black beads. Overall length is probably about mid calf-length, hanging below the knee. The shape is somewhat empire waisted and slightly gathered in the back (though that may be because the dress is too small for my dress form as I cannot fasten all the buttons in the back). The skirt has some goring towards the bottom but that doesn't show up well in the photos.

Overall the condition is quite good. I can only find one spot where there's about 1.5" of sequin loss and a 1/2" hole in the net on one sleeve. Due to the weight of the ornamentation the as well as the age the fabric is somewhat delicate and I would not reccomend this for wear. However, overall it is fairly strong and provided it does not get tossed around it would make a stunning display piece.

I can find no label as yet and I am thinking this dress is from the 20's but I'm not completely certain. Any ideas, guys? :)

Four pics included:

beaded1.jpg


beaded2.jpg


beaded3.jpg


beaded4.jpg


Also, I'm considering selling this dress, but since this is (by far) the most expensive piece I've purchased, I'd like to know an approximate value for it.

Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thanks, lovlies!

~Tiff
 
Thanks, Hollis!

Yeah, I was kinda thinking that it didn't look really 20's but I wasn't sure.

This was one of only two really salvageable dresses (another lady bought the other one - nice peach chiffon flapper with burnout velvet roses and beadwork along the hem) from a lot of old Victorian/Edwardian clothing being offered at that auction. Unfortunately most of it was in pretty rough condition though and prices at the auction in general were high so I'm glad I got this dress - which, coincidentally, was offered much later than all the rest of the clothing so it's possible a few competing bidders had already left. ;)

~Tiff
 
It looks to me like it would have had a longer underskirt that went to the ankles. Is it hemmed up a lot or chopped at the hemline? Because the lining should at least be the same length as the beaded tunic if it were 20s but the back buttoning and empire waist pushes it earlier, so the underskirt should be longer when the tunic is that slim. If it were a fuller skirt, then I could see it being 1916-1918, but with the narrowness of the skirt, I think its more likely 1912 - 1914.
 
Jonathan,

I looked at the hemline of the underskirt and there is about 3" of fabric hemmed up. If this hemming were let down, it would probably be about even with the hemline of the outer beaded layer. However, the bottom edge of the underskirt would be unfinished if this were done.

Thanks to you and Poppy for the info and hope that helps!

~Tiff
 
What a fabulous dress, no label is in keeping with it been made as a one off for a wealthy lady, especially as the bead work look the same front and back as that is where the time and cost is, wore for a while, certainly admired then if it had been altered slightly possibility passed on to a close friend or relative, for a new life.
It is just such a shame that this age is often like yours too fragile to wear, even just to try it on.
 
IT sounds to me like it had a full length underskirt that went to the ankles and somebody chopped it to be even with the hemline of the tunic and then realized they didn't leave enough to turn under the hem and then hemmed it too high. Those beaded net dresses from c. 1910 - 1930 are always lined to the the hemline, they may bare skin at the collarbone or upper sleeves, but the body is always shown lined, not see through.
 
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