Help with era, style etc of this dress please.

rosaburke1

rosaburke1

Registered Guest
HELLO AGAIN :hiya:

I found this on a little road trip to a Country Town about 40 minutes drive away from where I live in Australia.

The label is : alex colman CALIFORNIA.

Is this a 'desirable' label? Maybe its a 'common' label to find in America (?) but probably rare in Australia (?).

My guess of the era would be from the late 60's or early 70's (with that vivid retro print!), but the label matches the Alex Colman label from the early 60's. (apologies for the poor quality label photo-I can never get a good one!).

:help:What era do others think it's from? Could it be from the early 60's? (maybe Alex Colman was ' fashion forward' with his designs?).

The style is kinda like a mini (not micro mini!), well it fits like a mini on my 170cm frame!

It has a back zipper and lining in the upper neck (back and front) only.

I guess you would call it a shift dress (?).

Again, the seams have been finished off with v shaped scissors or something.

The fabric content tag has faded. My guess is a ribbed cotton.
Another tag says: Dry clean or hand washable. Owner has followed this advice as dress in excellent vintage condition.

I would love to know how she ended up in Australia!

Thanks for checking her out. Any replies will be appreciated. :hiya:

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Hi Rosaburke1,

Cute dress! That label isn't rare here in California, but it's interesting to find in Australia. I wonder if there was a distributor there, or if someone bought it while traveling? That's part of the fun with vintage clothes.

Oh, and the scissors that make that zigzag cut are called "pinking" shears or scissors.
 
Definitely later 60s or early 70's.
Although the item using that label in the resource may have dated from the early 60's, there's no telling how LONG they used that label for.
This is ALWAYS true - the resource can only tell you that a label WAS used during a particular time frame, but it generally can NOT tell you when use of that label started or stopped.

I don't know that Alex Colman is particularly desirable - but I've always been a big fan of his designs!!
 
:USETHUMBUP: Yes, I agree with the late 60's/early 70's with that bright 'Flower Power' Retro print and mini-ish design.

But I did think that v cut seams where usually used on older dresses (??).
 
Alex Coleman rates a one page mention in "California Casual: Fashions 1930's - 1970's" by Reilly (page 153).
One ad does look alot like this dress, and it's dated 1969.
More often, Alex Coleman's prints are engineered for borders and center front closures, alot like the Vera designs of that time. His textiles are usually cotton, with a bit of heft, rather than broadcloth.
This one still looks very wearable!
 
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