Julie Miller California dress - advice about holes?

Midge

Midge

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Staff member
Here's the first of my fab finds from New Zealand. I found this in Wellington (Cuba Street has some vintage shops that made me seriously fear for my account - I've never seen so much 1940s stuff in one place :jawdrop: !).

Lovely shirt-waist dress by Julie Miller California, with some interesting detailing. The buttons have aurora borealis rhinestones (I can't get it on my manni though - too small waist, eventhough it fits me when I wear it).

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Being who I am, I could not resist wearing it right away! It certainly was the right kind of dress to feel chic in for the dinner I was invited to by Tourism Wellington (at Wellington's newest "in"-restaurant). Just glad I had packed some ballerina flats, a belt and my favorite brooch anyway. That had been intended to be worn with the one "nice" outfit I'd packed - a simple jersey dress and leggings. Of course this looked loads better!

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The dress is just beautiful, the material is probably a light cotton. It's light, and survived two weeks in my luggage quite well, without too much creasing (the group tours I was on before & after Wellington were "adventure tours" and I had a luggage limit of 15 kilos... so I was glad not to have bought anything heavier!). The only problem it has are two quite small holes, which are however perfectly round. They are not immediately visible, as they're in the skirt.
Not yet sure how I'll fix them or if I'll fix them at all, since I will be wearing this dress with a slip anyway since it is unlined. I somehow fear that they will be more obvious if I mend them... my only experience with mending holes are woolen fabrics, where a bit of mending by hand usually becomes almost invisible... What would you do? I also wonder what could have made these holes since they're so perfectly round? Never seen anything like this before!

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Also, does anyone of you have more information on Julie Miller? I googled and happened upon a few more 50s dresses in online vintage shops, but that's all.

Karin
 
Midge,

Cute dress! You look great in it. I am not seeing the aurora borealis on the stones - they look like rhinestones in the photo. I think the dress is '50's or early '60's. I did a search for Julie Miller California and found a couple of ads from the '60's and '70's but then I did a search on google for Julie Miller Carlifornia shirtwaist dress and got all sorts of hits. Here are some dresses on Etsy:

http://www.etsy.com/search_results.php?search_query=Julie+Miller&search_type=all

There were lots more on other sites.

To answer your question about the hole it looks like something might have pierced it. I have successfully "fixed" holes by using an iron on material that stablizes the hole but doesn't close it. It comes in white and black. I'm not sure what it's called but I'm sure someone here knows!

Linn
 
Karin, it looks great on you!

Those look like burn holes to me, cigarette. If you can get some fabric from a seam and get some fabric glue, place the tiny patch underneath and glue it.

some brand names are
Fabric Glue; Lucid Stitch; Jiffy Sew; Craft Bond and Hi-Tak

not sure which is best though, haven't used any in a long time.

Perhaps someone else will have a better idea but that's all I can think of in a case like this.
 
I agree with Mary Jane - the holes are cigarette burns not piercing. I think Mary Jane's method will work well but if there isn't enough material in a seam you can use the iron on fabric which I suggested. One side of it is smooth and the other is coated and it adheres with heat. I'm not sure what it's called but a fabric store will know.

Linn
 
I agree with Mary Jane that they are cigarette burns: probably from a bit of floating ash. If you look at the hole in the photo, you can see a small edging of brown burnt fabric.

I agree with Linn that your beautiful dress is probably late '50s to early '60s. I love that style, they were more popular in the US than here in Australia/NZ and the label suggests that the vintage shop probably imports their stock from the US. That could explain why they have so much '40s: it's hard to find in this part of the world.

N
 
SUCH and cute dress!!

Also agree with Mary Jane 100%.

I use a double sided tape called Steam a Seam and attach on the edges of the scrap piece and then place and press to create a permanant bond. It has always worked really well for me and always comes out looking near invisible. The fabric glue probably serves the same purpose, although I have never used it.
 
Thanks everybody! Burn holes - of course! I guess the jetlag wasn't quite gone yet :powwows:. Been more than tired every evening (I only arrived on Monday morning).

I know those iron-on pieces of fabric, but I've never heard of fabric glue! Will try and find that - the holes are small enough that I could probably fix them by cutting off a bit from a seam allowance.

I agree with Linn that your beautiful dress is probably late '50s to early '60s. I love that style, they were more popular in the US than here in Australia/NZ and the label suggests that the vintage shop probably imports their stock from the US. That could explain why they have so much '40s: it's hard to find in this part of the world.
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Good point. Sadly, most of the stuff didn't fit me. But it was good to have a look at them, try them on anyway and just get more of a feel for it. 40s (and even 50s) stuff is not something I usually find in my favorite shops around here.

Linn, the AB stones are not extremely colorful, but definitely not just "one color". I've taken another photo without flash. They are quite hard to photograph!

Karin
 
Karin -

I can definitely see the AB finish on the stones in this photo. I love shirtwaist dresses and have several from this period and I love to wear them!

Linn
 
I can understand that - I'm growing to love them too - this is my second one! The fabric has a slight sheen to it, really beautiful. This one can go from the office straight to cocktails :drinkingtoast:. This was just the kind of thing I had been looking for. I want to wear more vintage every day, because it makes me feel good :headbang:. The tailoring, the shape... I find it all just does so much for my figure and I can frankly say, I enjoy that.

I wore the dress to one dinner with the group I was traveling with as well - the other girls were mostly unfamiliar with the idea of wearing vintage, but they all loved it. And were stunned that this dress could be "so old".

Karin
 
You look great as always Karin, and have a good eye for vintage. I bet it's interesting trying to explain to people who have never worn vintage what it all about.
 
I bet it's interesting trying to explain to people who do have not worn what it all about
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Oh it is! The best thing actually is to explain it when I wear it - then they see that I don't do a "costume thing" but wear it with modern accessories.

Thanks again, Mary Jane, for mentioning fabric glue. I found one by a German brand among the normal sewing accessories in my local department store. I buy my threads etc. there, but I swear, I've never noticed the fabric glue before :duh2: !

Karin
 
When I wear vintage I try to wear jewelry from the same period or earlier - but I do wear modern shoes. That usually doesn't include my watch. Sometimes I have a vintage handbag that works or one that is the correct size and scale and/or looks vintage and sometimes I use my regular everyday bag!

I love explaining that it's vintage, too!

Linn
 
I do wear vintage accessories (mostly jewelry, maybe a handbag, depending on the situation) with vintage clothes, but I don't try to achieve a perfect period look. There's quite a few people out there who get the idea that I would be doing that. I just try to make it look good - maybe also with retro-style accessories. In this case I was just lucky having the right stuff with me. I'd probably go for a leather belt here at home, but there I had only this elastic one. But I figured it would do the job :eureka:.

Eileen, your dress is beautiful! Gorgeous color - in fact a color I love to wear ! But no way I could get my hips in there... ;)

Karin
 
I have a ? that may or may not be important. From looking at this thread I see different items done over the years by Julie Miller of California. With same font on label and label basically the same some have blue and some black.
I have a Palazzo suit with black font from I would say late 1960s but was leaning more 1970s as the cut. ( I will add photos later)
Is there a way to narrow down the timeline on the label by looking at some of the ones listed here by the more experts? I find it interesting the changing of the colors from 1940s to 1970s? but same label.
For instance the peplum dress and original post have blue font.
I am thinking it may of changed in the 1970s.
 
Karin, it looks terrific, and your styling is super!
What a nice vintage wardrobe addition; glad you were able to shop on the trip.
Best sort of souvenir!

I'm always bummed when I find cigarette burns, in an otherwise fine item; however, then I begin to try and imagine the swanky and glamorous places the garment might have been, in its past life. Supper clubs, Hollywood theatres, that sort of thing, you know.
Of course, practically everyone smoked everywhere back then. I agree with Nicole's floating ash theory. Could be worse, these are minor.
 
@foofoogal - I have no idea. Looking at what's on offer on Etsy right now by Julie Miller, I see some things dated as 60s or late 60s with black-font labels that that I would IMHO date as 70s at least. I really can't say. Is your palazzo pant suit anything like the light blue one that is on Etsy right now?

Can't believe it's been so long already since that trip when I bought this dress! Oh well, I get to go back to NZ this May - though on business. Queenstown probably isn't big on vintage shops, at least I saw none the last time, but I need a new "Sweet as" sweater from Global Culture, and I know where that shop is :hysterical:. But who knows, if the side trip to the Hawke's Bay that I planned as well works out, Napier with it's history etc. might be a good place to look for antique/vintage shops.

I did repair this dress with small grey iron-on fabric patches since, and have also used the recommended fabric glue on another dress since, both with good results. This dress really is one of my favourite every-day vintage dresses and I wear it to the office regularly. Even my colleague who never wears a dress at work likes it. My new position asks for a bit more serious/business-like clothing anyway - at least for certain events or when having important visitors. I intend to make it work by wearing vintage or mixing modern with vintage (I find "normal" business wear mostly so boring - at least what I see on other people I meet or work with!). I've just been on a super-short trip to London for a workshop, I wore vintage one day and vintage & modern the next, and I think it worked well enough. At least it adds some color, which is something I can't do without :).

Karin
 
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