Grandma's 1950's ballroom gown - mystery brand & material

[~theta~]

Hello,

I've inherited a ballroom gown by my Grandmother and would like to know what it's made from and where she got it from. I wonder if you knowledgable people could help?

Eventually I'd like to clean it and take the creases out but I'm not exactly sure how. It's from the 1950s and has a label in it called 'Branel'? I've tried googling it but I can't find any information about this brand and I can't figure out what the material is. I've got a feeling it won't be cleanable though as it feels metallic - it pretty much stands up on its own! She lived in London during the 50s so I'd imagine the dress is from around there. You can see how bad the creases are in the picture, without them it would be a beautiful dress, I hope it's fixable and has not been ruined in storage!

Thanks in advance.

 

[poppysvintageclothing]

That is lovely. I believe the label says Bramel. Fabric looks like a gold lamé to me.

 

[lkranieri]

Lovely, lovely gown!

A 1958 classified ad stated: "STOCK cutter. Cocktail/evening gowns...Branel , 44, Newman Street, W.1. Museum 6820 (6920?)"

A 1962 article about a new fashion store opening, named Leonards of Fleet Street, noted that "The second floor of the store will feature a special bridal section, where...brides will be able to order from the Branel exclusive wedding collection."

 

[lkranieri]

I believe the label says Bramel. Fabric looks like a gold lamé to me.

Mary Jane, I, too, thought it said Bramel--and assumed it was gold lamé. I decided to search for Bramel and Branel and, as you can see, I found it was Branel.

 

[poppysvintageclothing]

Great sleuthing, Lynne!

 

[Rue_de_la_Paix]

What a fabulous dress! I think the wrinkles would likely steam out, with a gentle steaming and take care not to get it wet, or even a light pressing from behind and with a pressing cloth. It may be Lurex and not true lame', in which case would mean take care not to melt the fibers so no direct heat.

Is there a snippet you can take from seam to determine the fiber content? Maybe a hem you can try to steam or press a tiny bit of?

 

[pastperfect2]

I had a Branel cocktail type dress some years ago. I recall it was well made. Ah - found it!

There was also a Branell with 2 Ls - a different company?

 

[Rue_de_la_Paix]

Ooooh! Nice one, Hollis!

 

[Jonathan]

If its real gold lame then it should be cool to the touch and may show signs of oxidation (darkening). That would date the dress to pre 1952. The Lurex process was invented in 1946, but not available commercially until 1952. Either way, it should be dry-cleanable, although if its real gold lame the metal threads might break. I would start off with a vacuuming (brush attachment, low setting), and then a steaming from the inside. That might be all you need.

 

[~theta~]

Wowsers! Thanks everyone, some great detective work and advice here I wonder what happened to Branel, seems like the clothes were really classy! Knowing her, she probably did buy it from W1, she worked around there too. I remember her saying something about the material being special because it was the first of its kind. She also said it was the price of a house (East London in the 1950's!), however she didn't always let the truth get in the way of a good story! The material doesn't feel particularly cold though or dark so maybe Lurex. Sounds like I might have a chance of getting the wrinkles out. Thanks again everyone, I'll let you know how I get on cleaning it (patch test first!), probably in the summer.

 

[retro ruth]

Museum 6820 (6920?)"

This is totally OT and tangential to the dress, but interesting (to me anyway).

This is a telephone number, dating from the time when there were manual telephone exchanges. Museum was a London telephone exchange, so called because it was near the British Museum.

You occasionally see it in old British films, someone picking up the phone and saying "Operator? Put me through to Museum 6820!" and similar.

You can see a c1950 photo of the Museum exchange building here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/36844288@N00/25099447864

Here's an interesting article here about the "Hello Girls" who worked in the exchanges (it was a mainly female workforce), and old film footage too, and the need for a girl-less telephone system.

https://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/ob...telephone-exchange#who-were-the-‘hello-girls’

 

[lkranieri]

This is totally OT and tangential to the dress, but interesting (to me anyway).
This is a telephone number, dating from the time when there were manual telephone exchanges. Museum was a London telephone exchange, so called because it was near the British Museum.

Thank you so much for adding that information, as I was scratching my head over the 'Museum' part of what I thought was their address. I didn't want to bog the post down with an irrelevant question, but I am very grateful you took the time to clarify that puzzle.

 

[Carmine & Hayworth]

I just had to pop in here and say that dress is STUNNING!!

 

[anothertimevintageapparel]

Such a beautiful gown

 

[~theta~]

An interesting update to Grandma's dress... amongst her things, I found a fashion portfolio booklet where two of the pages have been ripped out. On closer inspection the pages seem to resemble parts of the gold dress. I thought she had brought this 'off the shelf' at the mystery Branel shop but I think she may have had it specially tailored, combining 2 of the designs from this book!

 

[poppysvintageclothing]

How interesting, love the illustrations.