Help dating dress... Late 30s / early 40s?

[Elly Maggy Vintage]

Hi there,

I'm looking for some help dating this dress... Many thanks in advance!

It has no interior labels. Some of the interiors seams are unfinished (at the arm holes) and some are French seams. It has a large metal 'Lightning' zip fastening at the side. The square collar is trimmed with lace. The fabric is a sheer (cotton gauze?) material. The sleeves are puffed with gathering at the shoulders.

My best guess given the style and construction was late 30s / early 40s but I wanted to double-check that it's not from a more recent period. I have found similar styles from the 30s and 40s online but I'm not 100%!

Thank you so much!

 

[Jonathan]

Your dating looks right to me. Brass was an important wartime material though, so more likely late 1930s, as the zipper is lightning, which means Canadian manufacture. If it was American the zipper could have been made up to 1941.

 

[Elly Maggy Vintage]

Thanks very much, Jonathan. Glad to hear I was thinking along the right lines with the era! It's interesting to hear about the use of brass in WWII and its impact on items, such as zippers. I will remember that for the future.

I'm actually in the middle of researching a metal OPTI zipper on what looks to be a 40s / 50s dress, sourced in the U.K. I'm wondering when German zip imports stopped and started during and after WWII... So, I might be posting about that soon! Thanks very much for your help on this one.