holy cow! vintage lanvin!

T

theparaders

Registered Guest
Recently I found this dress in an antique shop and could not possibly leave without it. A vintage LANVIN! I've been trying to research it a bit, but still have some questions....

1. What era?
2. Should it be drop waist or a slouchy natural waistline? - The top sags a bit, but I'm not sure if it's because it's been on a hanger for years or something and has been weighted and stretched down.
3. What fabric? Rayon/crepe blend?
4. What is something like this worth? I could not believe my eyes when I saw it!!!

Any help would be totally appreciated! Thanks!
 
Hi,

Beautiful. It is an adaption of an original Lanvin and so is not Haute Couture, but is rare and lovely and a FAB find!

It is rather short...can you tell us if it has been shortened in the hem? Does it have shoulder pads and can you show or describe them? It has a 1940's look, but could be very late 1930s or right after WWII, 1946. For some reason it seems like it may have originally been a bit longer. If that is the original length then I would put it at very early 40's, 1941....but I don't know if Lanvin was authorizing adaptions during the war.

I am amazed that you found this in a shop.

If you can do some research as to when Lanvin authorized adaptions that will help.

B
 
and the skirt hem (as compared to the sleeve-also shown)....the hem tape is the same....also, I can't tell if it's been shortened....there are small vertical dart/tucks leading to the hem tape too if that helps. thanks so much!!!
 
If I am reading your photo correctly, that is more sleeve header than a shoulder pad, which could indicate 1938-39ish rather than full on 40s. I also suspect it was meant to be comfortably belted in at the waist, and so would fall a bit straighter and longer. As Adaptations were licenses to sell/make? variations on the designer's line in the US, hem lengths could have varied a bit from the fashionable silhouette. Being an adaptation, it is also possible it was made in the US after 1939, but most likely before 1942.

When exactly Paris fashions stopped being available in the US (either direct or adapted) due to the German occupation, I do not know.

Hollis
 
when you google 'lavin dress adaptation' a dress similar to yours comes up on an auction site. The tag is the same as yours and the dress on the site is dated at 1939. It sold for 550.00, but you know how auctions are, you never know.
Yours is a beautiful dress, I love it.
 
It is American made - a licensed copy of a Lanvin original. The label says adaptation, which is only found on U.S. garments that are licensed copies made from a Lanvin original toile or dress. Also, hem tape is never found on French garments, at least not of this age. It's a great textile - it reminds me of a chenille bedspread! It would have to be made from an original Lanvin that was shown not later than the fall 39 collection. Lanvin wouldn't have been sending anything after the spring 1940 collection, after the occupation and American buyers weren't travelling to Paris after fall 39, although fashion news and exports were still coming out until June 40. Is it actually cotton jersey? It looks like its knitted. I am pretty sure this must be based on something from the fall 39 collection as the skirt is quite full, which was a feature of that season from several designers. I don't think the adaptation label existed for Lanvin after the war, and besides you don't get copies of Parisian dresses until 47 and this isn't the right shape for 47+
 
WOW! You guys are a wealth of knowledge!! Thanks so much for the help! It makes doing more research even easier. I could spend days and days just clicking around and discovering new vintage facts.

THANKS AGAIN!!!
 
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