Help with this Nat'l Recovery Board Label?

Karin--what a cute suit.

Thanks, VFG'ers! These are very helpful comments.

I really never thought about fabric layout being specific to an era, Amber. I'll have to think about that.

I'm happy have your feedback, everyone. I'll probably be back with more suits from this collection, but I do think I've got a better handle on it. My sense of 50s suits tends to be more geared to the later half of the decade, so I use any kind of education I can get.

 

I see alot of different patterns created with fabric direction in 50's garments. This could be as I mainly deal in this era, but I don't tend to see as much of that going on in the 40's, or at least I haven't come across it. When I see that in combination with the collar style and the sloped shoulders I definitely see 50's over 40's. Sounds like you hit a good find! Can't wait to see the others!!

 

This very nice beaded suit is from the early 1950's - c1952-53. While the silhouette is similar to late 1940's suits there is a more softer shaping. I have come across "contour costume" to describe this overall shape. The jacket is longer over the hips. I know the shoulders appear quite wide but this is partly because the jacket doesn't fit the mannequin form. This was one of the tailored looks during the early part of the decade. Beading detail was also a trend in 1953. The wasp-waisted suits, those jackets which were very cinched, were launched by Dior in 1947 but this suit does not have that styling. The wasp-waist jacket would almost always be worn with either a full skirt or a narrow calf-length tight skirt which really accentuated the figure and often had padding.

I thought this was a good example of two suits - 1946 and 1953;

http://tinyurl.com/ybykqu8

and some 1949 examples;

http://tinyurl.com/ycfwm5a

 

Another vote for mid '50s for the first suit and for the second suit - I see very early '50s too - I agree with vertugarde that the suit appears more late '40s because of the cinching on the mannequin but the silhouette and small shawl collar are more '50s, but not far into that decade.

Nicole

 

Oh dear. I really need a lesson in suit dating. And I don't think I'm alone in that. I can't tell you how many people sell beaded suits like this black one that are listed as 40s. I guess there's some comfort in knowing I'm not the only one who has difficulty making those distinctions between the end of an era and the beginning of another.

I'm off to make revisions. Thank you very much, Nicole & Vertuvintage!

Everyone--I'll probably be back with the other suits from this lot. I am wasn't thinking that all of them are from the '50s, but now I'd bet they are.

 

Though I am late to the party, I am in agreement with early, early 50s on the second one (which is delicious) and mid 50s on the first. I have a jacket pattern from the mid 50s and the pockets and general lines are very much like the jacket of your suit.

 

Thanks for stopping by to weigh-in, Anne.

I wanted to add that I really enjoyed reading "The September Issue" Ottawaian style 1949. (Watch out Anna Wintour!) Thanks for sharing those links, Vertugarde.