Help dating this very fragile dress

acceber

acceber

VFG Member
I found this in a thrift store today for 1.50. It looked so sad all crumbled up, so I rescued it even if it's not in the best condition. It's very fragile. Tears very easily. It's got a lot of tiny holes in places, and it appears as though someone once reinforced the one shoulder area. Very sad shape, but I don't care. I love it anyway. What stories it could tell if it could talk. Anyway, any opinions as to its age? I think it must have gone over something as it's so sheer. No tags or labels anywhere. Thanks for your help!

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Late '40s to early '50s: what we call a cusper. Approximately 1949-51-ish, so around the turn of the decade. Looks like a flocked nylon. An easy fabric to damage if not washed properly so that might be what happened to it. Eg, washing machine. I recommend hand washing in cold water with mild detergent and line drying. You won't need to press it. Lovely dress, worth fixing. Agree that the collar sits down, the pearls are probably an addition, perhaps for an event to look like a pearl necklace. Would have had a matching petticoat originally.
 
Was there ever a period where real pearls were commonly used in garments?

Circa Vintage said:
Late '40s to early '50s: what we call a cusper. Approximately 1949-51-ish, so around the turn of the decade. Looks like a flocked nylon. An easy fabric to damage if not washed properly so that might be what happened to it. Eg, washing machine. I recommend hand washing in cold water with mild detergent and line drying. You won't need to press it. Lovely dress, worth fixing. Agree that the collar sits down, the pearls are probably an addition, perhaps for an event to look like a pearl necklace. Would have had a matching petticoat originally.
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Lovely! The skirt may have been longer originally.

In answer to stitchesandsnags, I haven't seen real pearls on a garment before. You'd have to remove them before washing. These ones are probably glass: cold water wash won't hurt them but the lustre comes off easily.
 
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