Help dating beaded dress

[Esmen]

I purchased this dress from an online estate auction for $30. It's handmade, fully lined, no tags. There's a metal zipper in the back. The beads and the rhinestones are all hand sewn on. The rhinestones are set in a metal mount that features a cross raised area that the thread runs through to attach it to the fabric.

Thanks for the help!

 

[Circa Vintage Clothing]

Lovely dress! Can you tell what fabric it's made of? The close up look like an open weave wool? Unusual.

Can you tell if the dress has been shortened? I would expect it to be longer, maybe even floor length originally, and worn with petticoats. I date to the '50s, but that zipper is very chunky for the delicate style - can you tell if it's an addition, in which case the dress could be earlier. I would expect this dress to have a side metal zipper and they're sometimes removed and replaced with the easier to put on back zipper. If you check the stitching and facing, you should be able to tell.

 

[Esmen]

It's actually a delicate tulle with a woven, mesh-like backing. The bottom has a layer of 2-inch wide woven plastic thread (Like fishing line but woven?) that gives the bottom hem a bit of a wavy shape. It does look like there was a side zipper and it was moved.

 

[Circa Vintage Clothing]

The plastic thread is probably "crin", it was applied to hems as a stiffener and is seen in the late '40s and '50s - it's also used in hats.