Help dating my cardi plus help with fabric too?

rosaburke1

rosaburke1

Registered Guest
Hi Everyone :hiya:

I am a complete novice when it comes to identifying the era, fabric, labels etc on vintage clothes!

I would like some help date this sweet little cardi. (I'm thinking 60's).

Also, what may the fabric be? (I have no idea on this 1).

Cardi features a lot of embroidered 'fruit or cherries' which are not flat but raised. They run all down the front, fully around the neckline and on the wrist area too.
Does up with 8 hook and eyes and is partially lined.

Also, it looks baggish on my skinny mannequin but is actually quite fitted and sits under the waist.

The fabric is very soft, not prickly at all.

There are no makers labels but a sizing label which says: 36.

Help with era and fabric appreciated - THANKYOU -


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Lovely cherries! Those smart, square-ish cardis, I usually think of as 60s, so I agree - especially with the lining and the satin edging on them. Often they're made in Hong Kong.

A lot of them are made of a really nice Orlon cashmere-a-like blend. It doesn't sound like regular wool, and be wary of assuming any cashmere-involvement if it doesn't carry a content label saying so; 100% cashmere was a big deal even then...

Great style. If you're selling it online, maybe try and get the embroidery pictured fairly sharply and get cherries in the title...
 
Yes, these were popular in the early 1960s.

For the fibre, there are 3 choices, orlon, cashmere or a lambswool/angora mix. Sine you say it is very soft, that probably eliminates the lambswool. Look carefully of the surface of the sweater. An angora mix has little straight hairs sticking out, so if you see those, you are back to lambswool/angora.

But fro the softness it is most likely either orlon or cashmere. You might be able to tell which by doing a burn test. collect a bit of fuzz from the sweater, put it on a scrap of foil, and light it with a match. If it smells like buring hair, then it is wool, likely cashmere. If it smells slightly chemical and forms a tight, hard little ball (and sort of looks like it is melting) then it is orlon.

I'd still be careful about actually calling it "Cashmere" in your title or listing, but you should tell what you think it is and why. That said, almost every one of these I've seen has been either cashmere or lamdswool.

Lizzie
 
Thankyou for your replies!

The surface is 'fuzzyish', not really straight.

I'm going to try the 'burn test', and see what happens! :USETHUMBUP:
 
I agree with early 60s with those wonderful cherries! Too bad there's no label, but the construction (with satin piped edges and sleeveless lining) is very typical of mid-century Hong Kong sweaters.

I'd be surprised if it was Orlon, though. Orlon sweaters were meant to be washable, weren't they? And that lining doesn't say wash-n-wear to me... Hopefully your burn test will confirm content!
 
Ah, I defer to Carrie and Lizzie on the content/fabric - I've had a fairly high Orlon hit rate, but haven't handled as many sweaters... There were an amazing combination of knitted/ornamented products coming out of Hong Kong in the 60s - I have a friend who swears by the splendid beaded shell tops that can (or used to be) found by the dozen.

L
 
Hi Again

It seems you were all spot on with your replies!

I've just found a 'long lost sister' to my sweater!!! There are some subtle differences but I think it's obvious they are from the same maker.

This 1 still has the label: Rainbowwear Hong Kong.
Fabric is listed as either Merino or Lambswool.

I would be happy to post the link but not sure if I'm allowed too!
 
I've seen this sweater in both lambswool and cashmere, so keep both options open. My eyes aren't sharp enough to see. Can you post a clear close-up?

Merino is much smoother, and I doubt greatly that would be the fiber.
 
The seller of the sister sweater you posted the link for stated "probably" merino or lambswool. To me, that sounds likes a guess - she probably didn't (or couldn't) do a burn test. BTW, merino is a type of lambswool that comes from a specific breed of sheep.
 
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