Help dating blue and white dress - no label

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persephone60

Registered Guest
I need help dating this vintage dress. It has an older feel to me (40s or 50s?), but I'm not sure. No label. It has a side nylon zipper, but the zipper has been sloppily sewn in with different color thread (see pic #3), so I'm pretty sure it's not original to the dress, and I'm thinking there may have once been a side metal zipper? The seams are finished with a zig zag stitch. I did a fabric burn test, and it's definitely a natural fabric (like cotton or linen). It has a slightly dropped V waist and a couple metal snaps at the bodice. Thoughts? Let me know if you need additional pics.
 

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On the close up the fabric is identical to Aida (cross stitch fabric) which is very odd! is it stiff at all? I'm wondering if somebody has re-purpursed some upholstery? or craft fabric for dressmaking.
 
You're right that the weave has the look of cross stitch fabric, but the fabric is actually quite soft, so I think it was originally a type of dress fabric? (Of course, I'm not sure.) That's part of the reason the dress feels older to me--it doesn't really have the feel of any modern fabrics I'm used to.
 
it's like a refined burlap fabric. I've seen that before. looks just like aida cloth, yes, and makes me want to get out my DMC floss and start cross-stitching, LOL.
 
So, I have some more info on the fabric that might help. I was going through my dresses that I need to clean earlier today, and I found another dress with a fabric with an almost identical weave and feel (though it's a very different style). The fabric content label on my other dress "Avisco Rayon," and I'm sure that's what the blue and white fabric is on the dress above. I've done some research, and it seems like this was a fabric that was used 1940s-1960s. Does anyone know if this fabric (or ones similar) were used later than this?
 
I like your dress, and love the fabric, which reminds me much of linen hopsack or hopsacking. Rayon was used to imitate linen and I suspect that may be what your fabric is.

While I cannot see the details, the dress has a late 1940s to early 1950s look to it.
 
The fabric is a type of basket weave and rayon sounds right. There are a number of basket weave fabrics...Barbara mentioned hopsacking and there is also monks cloth, both of these are heavy and often made with wool. Not all basket weave fabrics are heavy though.
I had a very high end gown from the 80s once that was done in a stiffened silk basket weave. I don't know the term, and wish I did, but it was quite unique. It was light as a feather but it created tremendous volume.

BTW I love the print of that dress!!
Melody
 
There probably was a side metal zipper, and I agree - late 40s , early 50s. Great pattern and color, too!
 
love those colors and those style lines ~ what a pretty dress!

i have a question: is there any evidence of shoulder pads having been tacked in there before?

that extended shoulder line actually looks more 80s than 40s to me...what is the neck point to shoulder point measurement?
 
Ok, if some are thinking later and retro style, can you show some interior construction detail photos perhaps, please? It's a totally different matter when you can't actually hold the dress and look it over in person. Are the metal snaps at the bodice shiny and new or do they have patina? Zig Zag stitched finishing is not an 80s manufacturer finish unless this is home sewn. I still do that when I sew because I don't have a Serger machine, lol. Mary also has a point about the shoulder pads and deeper shoulder cut. A lot of 80s dresses with shoulder pads had a Velcro strip but not all.

Either way, I would love to own that dress :)

Julia
 
Such great info on the fabric--thanks! And sorry for the delay with interior pics--I was on away on vacation.

Yes, the dress is a little big for the form. It measures 7 1/2 inches from the edge of the neckline to the shoulder seam, and about 18" across from shoulder seam to shoulder seam. Other approximate measurements (for comparison) are: Bust: 38-39", Waist: 31", Hip: 42"

I don't see any evidence of previous shoulder pads. If it's 1980s, it's definitely home sewn.

Here are some interior pics:
 

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Oh thank you; I have been hoping you would come back with some photos. It definitely looks home sewn to me and I think it is older, or late 40s to early 50s. The edges are not pinked but zigzagged which also could be prior to the early 50s as pinking shears were not invented/developed for home sewers until 1952. That said, not everyone had them anyway. It looks like it has been loved, worn a lot. laundered and repaired over time, at least the zipper has. Ya know "make do an mend" as they used to say in those days. I wouldn't expect to see that much wear if it was from the 80s knowing how fickle woman are and how a dress might be worn a few times and then fashions change, or what have you. So that is my thinking anyway. The only question I have is what is in that first close-up photo, there appears to be some sort of white layer on the fabric which I can't tell what it is? I am looking at photo.jpg, the very first at the top left. Is it some sort of pellon interfacing?

Julia
 
Thanks, Julia! It felt older to me too, so you're confirming what I was thinking. Yes, the first photo I took is of some kind of interfacing (I googled "pellon," and that's what it looks like to me too).
 
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