Help with vintage Bianchi wedding dress

T

twolittlebeauties

Registered Guest
I am way out of my league with this dress.

I found it at my local thrift today among the Halloween costumes and I just couldnt leave it there.

I am trying to date it first before I decide what to do with it! So any help with this is appreciated.

sorry my photos are lacking. I dont have anything to put this on to get good photos of it.

Please ignore my kitchen mess. LOL

The skirt is full and has a train. the lace goes all the way to the bottom of the train. there are 2 hook and eye parts on each side of the train, but as of yet I have not been able to find the other half. I am sure it is to pick the train up off the floor but???

The entire inside of the dress is lined in paper. The seasm appear to be machine sewn but the finishing work and the beading are all done by hand.

There are 2 tags in it. The Bianchi tag and another paper tag that reads:

City: Rochester, NY
Store: Graver's
Order #: Letter
Style: 762
Size: 12 (?) Ivory
Peau de soie

and at the bottom in red is 9/30


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Ok, I think I got it. Likely 1950's, which is what I had originally thought.

But I am still wondering why it would be completely lined in paper? It is original because it is sewn into the seams and the labels are attached over it. I cant imagine that the bride would have worn it with paper in it?

of course what woud I know? ;)

the paper is now very dry and brittle. There are stains on the dress and I have no intention of trying to remove them. I just cant imagine.

so if you had this dress how would you sell it? As a study piece?

Sorry, like I said I am out of my element on this.
 
Are you sure the hooks are for an additional missing part of the train, or could they be to bustle up the train so the bride can dance the night away? Where are the stains on the dress? Are they somewhere where if a bride was tinier, she could have the dress taken in and they would be on the part that would be taken in or eliminated? Or could the dress be shortened for a petite bride and they disappear that way? Could they be removed - I mean is it possible - so that a buyer could do it or do you think its irrepairably stained? I have seen dresses that have been stained beyond repair dyed champagne, etc, or another acceptable bridal color. I know - so many questions.

I don't think it would be really desirable as a study piece since there are so many wedding dresses out there. It could definitely be a costume or be remade. But then again, I dont know how prominent the stains are and what kind of stains they are.

I dont know what to say about the paper or exact date. Someone else will have to chime in there.
 
I think it would take an awful lot to get the stains out. the biggest one is right in the center front of the skirt. There are also armpit stains.

There is no way one could wear this without taking all of the paper out. It is crinkly and yellowed and stiff.

Someone would definitely have to remake this into something else.
 
Could the "paper" be pellon? I purchased a '50's dress earlier this year with a pellon lining. Here's a photo of the label and the lining:

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Linn
 
Agree with Linn - the paper is pellon, a lining that was used in the '50s to stiffen fabrics. You could take it out (and after the decades it's often damaged or unpleasant anyway) but the dress will not sit the same way. Some dry cleaners will not clean a dress with pellon as it can fall apart and clog their machines.

It can be hard to remove stains from silk - I would sell the dress "as is" but the market for '50s wedding dresses is well supplied for the small number of people who want to buy them. I saw two today, and one had very bad staining that would not be profitable unless it was very cheap, and the second just wasn't interesting enough to justify the purchase. As well, they're often smaller than the modern ladies who want to wear them.

Nicole
 
Wow--I lived in Rochester for ages, but I'm not sure if Graver's was still there..... I think the shop may have still been there, but under different ownership. Can't really remember.

Yes, the "paper" is pellon, and I'd do as Nicole suggested and carefully remove it. The hooks & eyes were either to bustle the train up, or attach a separate longer train. Bustles were often made of self-covered buttons at or near the waist, then thread loops that went over the buttons. If the "parts" that are still on the dress are the eye parts, not hooks, it probably had the separate train. If hook parts, you might find thread loops on the outside that attach there; then it's a bustle train. If it's not, I'd remove the parts still left.

Now, the thing about your dress, is not only is the style stunning, but Bianchi was a HUGE name in bridal dresses for decades. No longer in business, sadly. Their dresses were sought after and generally expensive. When I got married (the first time!), the dress I pined for was a Bianchi--and the bodice and sleeve style were very much like yours. But it was pricey.... Back in 1974, I think it was around $900, when a ready-to-wear dress was considered pricey at $500. And it had very few embellishments; its lines and styling needed little else to make it a "WOW" piece. You could get $1500 RTW dresses, with mounds of lacy, frilly, beaded & sequined stuff. Which I hated and which is why I loved that Bianchi dress. My parents probably would probably have bought it for me if I'd pitched a fit, but they were doing so much else for me that I decided I didn't have to have it. (The dress I got, though, was lovely and everyone said it was "perfect" for me....)

Well, sorry to ramble on; you can tell what an impression that Bianchi dress of 1974 made on me--I can still see the magazine ad for it. But, I digress. My point started out being that I would not sell this as a study piece or a costume. Bianchi dresses can fetch nice prices these days, and the suggestion that someone might want to dye it champagne (or candlelight) was a great one. With its issues, you probably won't get much for it, but if you can market it as a dress with issues that could possibly be remedied with either a good dry cleaner or for dyeing, someone might be thrilled to have it. As Nicole says, there is a market for 50's wedding dresses. If I were getting married today and wanted a spectacular dress that nobody else would have, and I couldn't afford custom made, I'd buy yours. Or it could be bought by a theater company for stage costuming.

It's not impossible that the stains would come out in the hands of a top-notch cleaner. I had a silk dress years ago that was had woeful pit stains, but because they had not bleached out color, there literally was NO trace of them when I got the dress back. It looked like new. OTH, I've had other silk dresses with pit stains that nothing could help.

Good luck with it. I think it's still stunning!
 
Thank you everyone for the help! I love learning new things here.

I am glad I saved this dress as I am pretty sure no one would have purchased it.

I am going to sell as is and let someone else restore it as that is to much of an undertaking for me.

I am OK with not making a huge profit. It is such a beautiful dress that I would just like to see it go somewhere that someone would love it and I honestly considered giving it to someone who would pay my purchase price and shipping.
 
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