Need help dating a dusty rose lace and chiffon gown

zannew

zannew

Registered Guest
Hello and Happy New Year to one and all!

I was hoping you could help me with identifying the the following dress. The bodice is see-through - only lace, and the skirt is silk chiffon, cut on the bias. The sides are longer than the front and back. There is a side metal zipper and a matching belt. This looks like 1930s to me but I wondered about the zipper - would that date it later?

There is some staining on the underside of the hem. Any advise on removal or cleaning? There is also some discloloration under the arms.

Any information on this gown would be appreciated.

Thank you!

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I would date as 1940s - you could shorten the skirt to remove the stained parts, as the staining is very bad and hard to remove from silk. I wonder if the bodice was originally lined? Of course, a slip would be worn underneath.
 
Lovely dress and I agree with Nicole, it's 40s. You could try to use a very gentle cleanser at the underarm area. I would try to just use a lightly dampened cloth with a mild soap in that area. I would not rub too hard as often this kind of lace is quite fragile.
The stains at the hemline do look pretty bad, you could try this same method there and if that doesn't work as it does appear to be all at the bottom, a hemming would get rid of it all. If you find a dusty rose coloured full length slip that would great.

Happy New Year to you too!
 
Thank you both for your help. I will be looking for a dusty rose slip! I love the idea of shortening the dress a bit to take care of the staining problem. I do not think there was ever a lining in the bodice. Would soaking this dress ruin the silk? I have read another post here that mentions washing in woolite and peroxide and rinsing with a little cream rinse in the water. Or, should I only let a dry cleaner handle it (except for under the arms - I think I will try spot cleaning that area).
 
Lovely dress and color, and looks 40s to me as well. I wouldn't soak this dress at all.... I would do what Mary Jane suggests on the lace at the underarms (gentle blotting with a soft cloth or sponge with a weak solution of woolite and tepid water, then an equally gentle blotting with clear water). The lace is probably cotton, so if handled gently, should clean up some unless this is permanent discoloration rather than surface staining. For the staining on the bottom, I would mix the same solution using very cold water, and add the peroxide or ammonia (but,God forbid, not both!) to it, as those look like the kinds of stains that respond to either of those chemicals. Be very careful to not get the fabric very damp. If you spot clean, I wouldn't bother with the conditioner. If you can lighten these stains up quite a bit, and they do not show on the "right" side of the fabric when the dress is worn, I would, myself, leave the length alone. I've had decent luck lightening these up to where they present as more of an age discoloration and are not as objectionable (of course, I disclose their presence and would show examples of one or two in a listing).

Unless you have a dry cleaner you trust implicitly, I wouldn't turn this over to one.
 
I agree with 1940's. The zipper was probably original. The uneven hem is likely from the bias not hanging out long enough before it was hemmed. If the dress form is the right size for the dress, the hem could be evened up and maybe eliminate some of the staining, too. I have been having good results from applying an equal mixture of liquid oxygen bleach (Chlorox 2) and ammonia to underarm yellowing, then sponging off with water. (Use rubber gloves.) It doesn't work with everything, but I have rescued some orphans.
 
an equal mixture of liquid oxygen bleach (Chlorox 2) and ammonia to underarm yellowing,
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Marian, that sounds like a great cleaning mixture--I haven't tried quite that formula before, and have a silk dress in need of work to the underarm area--I will try that! My "how to clean everything" book does recommend ammonia for many organic-based stains such as blood, perspiration, etc., but I've never used it in conjunction with a non-chlorine bleach. Thanks for posting!
 
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