The other day I found this amazing sweater at my favorite thrift store (for only 6 dollars!!). I'm trying to figure out the date of it. I believe it may be from the 60s or 70s but I'm not too sure. I was wondering if anyone has any insight? The sweater has no tags and I believe that the fabric is wool. The details on this piece are spectacular. The collar, the buttons, and the peplum details stand out most to me. I wish I had a timeline of the evolution of women's sweaters and cardigans. None of my fashion books seem to go into depth about them. I'm surprisingly having a harder time than I thought finding information about the history of peplum sweaters.
I would have thought of this as earlier, too, but details seen with it in-hand could tell a different story.
I think late 70s, possibly early 80s. But it has lots of 40s influences. It's probably hand knitted, but I can't tell without seeing more close up pictures, especially of the inside finishing, seams etc. Are the buttons covered? It's difficult to date hand knitted items, because people do knit from vintage patterns. Someone could take a 1940s pattern and knit it up and you'd have hard time knowing if it was knitted in the 40s and lain unworn in a cupboard since then, or knitted in the 70s, or knitted last week. There are books on the history of knitting, but they usually focus more on techniques than the evolution of styles. However looking at vintage knitting patterns is a great way to understand, as they can usually be dated at least approximately by the photographs. I will try and find a similar garment in knitting patterns.
also the button band, looks to me like a rib stitch? that was picked up and knit from the edge of the cardigan front, eg knit at right angles to the body of the sweater. And therefore the button holes are vertical, rather than horizontal. I'd need a close up back and front to be sure. This is a more modern technique. Not unthinkable in the 40s, but much less likely. Back then button bands were usually knitted in a long strip and then sewn to the garment. Or knitted in one piece with the cardigan fronts, in the same direction. It's partly to do with the availability of long circular needles that this change happened.
The scalloped collar is very interesting, and I'm wondering how that has been achieved! It's a wonderful piece, I love it.
