Need help dating lace dresses....

[littlebluecottage]

Hi everyone, I have just come across a huge lot of dresses, mainly 50s and 60s but there are three or four of them that I think may be older.


:help:
I really need a bit of help dating them, my guess is 1930s but again, I'm not sure. I have only had time to photograph 2 of them (I have 2 little people under 3 who are also fascinated by my vintage finds but not in the same way as me!!)

Anyway, here are the photos, the first has bias cut, it is black silky satin fabric and lace. There is also lace inserts to each sleeve.No fastening, pulls over the head. Looks like the whole dress is stitched by hand...

The lace pattern is very inticate, any ideas on the type??

And the second one is completely lace, I have turned up the hem in the front on the first picture where the dress is layed flat:

The has press stud fastenings to the front of the bodice, can anyone help identify the type of lace also?

I really appreciated you all helping me and allowing me to increase my knowledge and confidence in dating vintage pieces.

 

[Jonathan]

Early 30s on the first, a little more mid 30s on the second one.

 

[littlebluecottage]

Thank you, any ideas on the lace anyone? Also, why do you say that, is is becuase of the sleeves? thanks

 

[MagsRags]

I'm lace-impaired. But the second one looks like it was shortened at some point.

 

[littlebluecottage]

Thank you Maggie, do you mind me asking why do you say that? Thanks

 

[MagsRags]

The lines of the dress definitely do look 30s. But hemlines in the 30s moved down from the 20s. Think about movies, for example, Ginger Rogers in her movies with Fred Astaire - her day dresses were closer to the ankle than to the knee. Here's a drawing of three 30s dresses that illustrates

It might have been shortened during WW2 when fbric rationing brought hemlines back up, or it could have happened in the 60s when scissor-mad girls were thinking more about the latest trends than preserving the past

 

[Linn]

Hemlines also went up in the very late '30's - 1938 - 1939, so it may have been shortened then - if it's earlier.

 

[MagsRags]

Linn, the OP is in Ireland, so I figured late 30s actually fit into the WW2 timeframe

 

[littlebluecottage]

Thank you everyone, I would love to know the type of lace though, any ideas where I can see some examples? thanks so much

 

[pinky-a-gogo]

Sorry but I had to delete your pictures.

They are too large and stretching the forum.

Feel free to repost them IF you make them a normal size....(no larger than 500 pixels wide)

Thanks.

 

[littlebluecottage]

Oh I'm sorry, I have compressed them and put them back here, I hope I have done it right!

 

[littlebluecottage]