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Flapper dress

Discussion in 'PUBLIC Show and Tell - Share your treasures' started by acceber, Jul 12, 2019.

  1. acceber

    acceber VFG Member

    I found this in an estate sale for 60 bucks and I was carefully rolling it up to buy it before I even knew what I was doing. lol The beadwork is amazing! Sadly the silk is shattering. I can’t say it would have been a deterrent even if I had stopped to examine it better, because I’m a crazy person. lol Ohh the stories it could tell....

    F334F065-FEED-42C1-A9E0-3A0473B453CD.jpeg BC01C06A-E609-4C3D-8433-68F0F9BC3A18.jpeg A2DB5F31-9EB1-472B-8E3E-172580EB756F.jpeg

    So I’m wondering. Would it be possible to display something like this in a picture frame, behind glass? It’s actually a pretty small sized dress. It just saddens me that these dresses have to be stored in such a way so that you can’t stare at them like the amazing historical pieces of art that they are.
     
  2. Linn

    Linn Super Moderator Staff Member VFG Past President

    I am not sure how expensive it would be but you could probably have a plexiglas box made - with a removable back. You could attach a (padded) rod to the top and hang the dress on the rod so it wouldn't be pressed to the frame. Depending on how much room (and how invested you are in doing this) you could mount the box on a base so you could see both the front and the back and walk around it. Sort of a mini-museum display case. It's probably price prohibitive!

    OR - do you have a room in your house that you use just for your vintage treasures? You could hang it on an over the door rod on a padded hanger until you fall in love with the next piece. Or if you don't have a closet door in the room you could figure out a way to hang it from a shelf.

    It is really lovely!

    I'm not sure it's a match but my aunt gave me this handbag that belonged to my grandmother.
    [​IMG]
    It would be fun to see them together - along with the jewelry that would have been worn, etc., etc. etc. Don't feel like you're the only "crazy" person - we're mostly all a little bit obsessed!
     
    Last edited: Jul 13, 2019
    acceber likes this.
  3. acceber

    acceber VFG Member

    Thank you for the ideas! The problem is that it must lay flat and can’t be hung due to the fragility of the fabric and the weight of the beads. The beads along the hemline are very heavy!

    I found a shadowbox online that I can use to display it. I’m not exactly sure how it will work out as far as preventing the dress from sliding down inside it. I will post the finished project.

    That little bag is amazing! I’ve seen bags like it in antique stores and I have a similar one but I’ve never seen one with a handle like that!

    Thank you for the validation! :O)
     
  4. poppysvintageclothing

    poppysvintageclothing VFG Board Member Staff Member VFG Past President

    It is a beauty! I have seen interesting items put into plexiglass and laid flat onto a smaller sized table and used as the top of a table as in a coffee table...a little weird in the case of a dress but it sure would make for a conversation piece!
     
  5. acceber

    acceber VFG Member

    I thought I would post the (almost) finished shadowbox display of this dress. We very carefully put it on a dress form and got a picture of it to print and include in the display. I’m not sure about some of it, like the beads and feather additions, but they are easy to remove.

    0E159C32-3BDA-4513-A703-06B8759A557A.jpeg DBF01DA3-AB18-4054-80F9-809D6068A583.jpeg
     
  6. poppysvintageclothing

    poppysvintageclothing VFG Board Member Staff Member VFG Past President

    It is lovely...personally I find the additions a bit distracting as it is the dress that is the work of art. Just curious how have you attached it in the shadow box?
     
  7. acceber

    acceber VFG Member

    Everything is pinned to the backdrop with a gazillion short pearl-headed pins. I wanted it to have as much support as possible so the weight of the beads wouldn’t stress it.

    I have to agree with your opinion. I haven’t been able to feel like it’s displayed right, just something wrong that is bugging my artistic eye. I for sure don’t care for the plain photograph and the feather. I might take everything out but the dress and see how it looks.
     
  8. Linn

    Linn Super Moderator Staff Member VFG Past President

    I agree - the additional items are distracting. The dress is gorgeous!
     

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