Fantastic beaded black crepe dress; 50's?
- Thread starter Villa
- Start date
Circa Vintage Clothing
Alumni
Lovely dress! The Woolmark was first used internationally in 1964 so your dress can not be earlier than that - I'm thinking probably '60s but if you tell us more about it, it will help. What sort of zipper does it have? Any other labelling? How are the seams and hem sewn?
Villa
Registered Guest
Here is more info. The zipper, says OPTI on the back, the interior is fully lined, and between the layers on the front side of the dress is a layer of tulle, I suppose to support the beading. The edges of the hem of the crepe are serged and those on the acetate lining are pinked. Most of them are finished, but a few are like that. No other labels.
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Jonathan
VFG Member
I think this must be from the 1990s. The zipper is a popular German make, and the woolmark label is obviously in German. I can't think when a black crepe, beaded dress without shoulder pads, and a below-the-knee hemline would have been in fashion since the early 1960s, but as Nicole pointed out, the woolmark label cuts off any time before 1964.
Erica Arnold
Registered Guest
It thought it was 60s. The 'Creation' label was different the 70s. Perhaps The Woomark Company could give the date the licence was issued from the number on the label? Coats have a little history page about zips on their website.
TangerineBoutique
VFG Member
This one is confusing for all the reasons the others gave. There are anomalies in fashion, not all vintage fashion followed the look of the day. Smaller "unknown" houses sometimes veer from the path and try different things. That became quite popular in the 1980s which is why there are so very many styles from that decade. The 90s pulled way back and by the end of the decade there was far less variety.
I am more familiar with American apparel and recognizable high end labels. I don't know much about German ready to wear but your dress has earlier construction methods i.e. pinked seams and the way it is lined but a small company might not have been on board with cheaper faster methods of construction. Adele Simpson continued her high end dressmaking standards into the 1980s when so many of the other better RTW designers had succumbed to manufacturing short cuts.
Your label has a retro feel but the woolmark belies the era it is going for so it's likely it is a later company who had a retro vision for their clothing. The crepe is quite spongy looking which reminds me a lot of the wool crepes I worked with in the later 80s (I was a dressmaker). Even though the shoulders are not padded and the length is on the long side I'm getting a late 1980s vibe possibly early 90s . Retro was pretty popular then.
It's a very pretty dress thank you for sharing!
Melody
I am more familiar with American apparel and recognizable high end labels. I don't know much about German ready to wear but your dress has earlier construction methods i.e. pinked seams and the way it is lined but a small company might not have been on board with cheaper faster methods of construction. Adele Simpson continued her high end dressmaking standards into the 1980s when so many of the other better RTW designers had succumbed to manufacturing short cuts.
Your label has a retro feel but the woolmark belies the era it is going for so it's likely it is a later company who had a retro vision for their clothing. The crepe is quite spongy looking which reminds me a lot of the wool crepes I worked with in the later 80s (I was a dressmaker). Even though the shoulders are not padded and the length is on the long side I'm getting a late 1980s vibe possibly early 90s . Retro was pretty popular then.
It's a very pretty dress thank you for sharing!
Melody
We Heart Vintage
Registered Guest
I'm sorry I can't help you date the dress at all, but I just wanted to say how pretty it is. I hope you enjoy wearing it just as much whenever you discover it was made. Even if it is a 1990s copy it's still a very beautiful dress 
Pinkcoke
Alumni
Villa, these 1980's Ferragamo shoes reminded me of your dress, they are 1980's in a much older style.
Villa
Registered Guest
Thanks guys. I wish you could feel it. Neither the fabric nor construction feel like 90's. I couldn't really find anything about the brand or label. I did see a couple items of this brand with different labels, all attributed tho the 60s and 70s. Are any of you better researchers than me who can maybe find the designer and see when he/they were active?
Rue_de_la_Paix
VFG Member
I really just wanted to say that that type of crepe, and the zipper, do indeed look like early 1990s to me. I still have 2 of my Calvin Klein suits from circa 1990 and they have that same crepe and same type zipper too. The length of the dress seems a bit odd for late 80s early 90s', (a bit too long) but that is not necessarily a good indicator I suppose. Are the beads plastic, or are they glass? How are they attached to the dress? And lastly, is the bow original to the dress? Although the bow might be original, it looks all wrong for the rest of dress to me. The beading makes it formal evening wear, but the conservative bow looks like 1960s secretary day wear. The designer kind of mixed up the looks?
Interesting.
Interesting.