Help dating dress

[Vintagiality]

Hi all,

I think this dress is from the late 60s or early 70s but not quite sure. The fabric looks like linen but is actually not. It's soft and supple and doesn't wrinkle. No labels or care tags. Were the button and chain ornaments typical of a particular period? Anything else I should look at to help me date it?



Thanks
Victoria

 

[Midge]

It looks 60s to me, but let's see what the others have to say.

 

[Pinkcoke]

I agree it looks 60s. Do the stitches holding the decoration on go through just the folds, or the dress too, or the lining as well? (if lined) the latter would usually indicate a later addition.

 

[Vintagiality]

Thank you, Karin and Melanie. The stitches go through the whole fabric. There is no lining. They do not appear to be added later since the thread is the same.

 

[Circa Vintage Clothing]

I agree that the dress looks '60s although the shape is much too curvy for this era and could be from the '90s when the styles were revived, but with more shape - is the dress clipped on the mannequin? If the shape is more shift like and less hourglass it is likely to be '60s. The small armscyes support this too. An alternative is that the dress has been altered to give it more shape in the intervening years.

 

[Pinkcoke]

Looking at the fit of the bust and darts I think the dress is too small for this mannequin, I do think it would be more A-line on a smaller form. It is possibly a petite or misses dress.

 

[Vintagiality]

The dress is indeed too small for this mannequin. I barely put it on. It is a bit more A-line but not too much. I don't think it's from the 90s. The inside stitching looks much too old for that.

 

[Pinkcoke]

Victoria could you possibly show it flat or hanging to so we can see the intended outline please?
I'm not convinced the adornments are original, it looks too much like something you'd add to a majorette costume to me, but it's the sort of thing you might never be sure of, not knowing the original sewer's taste in fashion.
Also, can you show the type of zip used? It may or may not help, but if it's a much later style of zip it's may have been made more recently from a vintage pattern if there's no sign of the zip being replaced.

 

[Better Dresses Vintage]

If it's not modern, it's probably 60s. Guessing it's rayon of the "looks like linen" sort. Very cute!

 

[Vintagiality]

Here is a picture of it lying flat and also some of the stitches inside.


Thank you
Victoria

 

[Pinkcoke]

Thanks Victoria, the lace hem tape is something I've only seen on later garments (an 80's dressmaker/professionally made skirt I have has it) though admittedly it could be used at any point. Can you tell what the lace is made of? and it would still be good to see the zip to see if there are any contrasting dating factors left.

 

[northstarvintage]

I've had a lot of dresses from the 60s and 70s with a lace hem and I'm really seeing 60s or maybe early 70s here.

It reminds me very much of something that Trudy from Madmen would have worn. It's adorable!