Pity Purchase and historical puzzle: An old dress constructed from older

MagsRags

MagsRags

Administrator
Staff member
VFG Past President
I think it was Jonathan who referred to these as "pity purchases" and we've all done it. I'm more ruthless than I used to be, but I've come across a few irresistable pieces in recent months.

salvagedressa.jpg


The dress is an XL, maybe XXL. I'm guessing it was created in its current form during the depression when most folks had to "shop" in their attics when they needed something new to wear. You can tell by the areas of illogical seams and old stitchmarks that it used to be something rather different. The embellishment also looks much older to me.

salvagestitchesa.jpg

The fabric is a crisp lightweight silk with a bit of a sheen, selvedges mostly have a red border, some have green. Some seams are hand sewn, some machine, some french seaming. The dress has that faintly sweet/smoky scent I associate with very old fabric.

salvagefabrica.jpg

salvageflawa.jpg


There are small areas of shattering on the dress, but the embellishments still look good. The netting in particular is much sturdier than I'm used to seeing.

salvagedetaila.jpg


salvagebackclosea.jpg


Sorry for all the photos. I thought folks might enjoy a close look at this. I'd also love some input on dating both of the original (and what it might have looked like) and the remake. When I get pre-20s, I feel the waters closing over my head.
 
I vote for a 1900 - 1907ish gown redone in the early 30s. Something with a lot of skirt , that's for sure. The cuffs, collar and pockets may have been kept pretty much intact.

Hollis
 
I was hoping you'd take a look, Hollis. There's so much extraneous and illogical seaming on the sleeves that I think they were cobbled together from pieces of the older garment, but looking inside, I can believe the cuffs might have been cut off the old garment and re-attached at the end of the re-constructed sleeves. The pockets are handsewn into place - the close-up I showed with the vee-shape of old stitching is at the bottom of one of the pockets - I bet the seamstress changed the angle the pocket was placed at and the old stitching would have been the point of the previous pocket.

I picture a Jane Darwell or Marie Dressler needing a respectable dowager dress for her husband's funeral (or her grandchild's wedding) and making do. With that image in my mind, I couldn't leave it where I found it.
 
What does the hem look like? It has some later elements and could be part of a dress ensemble from c1915 - 1918. It could be the 'tunic.' Even though it has been altered - let out - the bodice has a more relaxed fit. Might have had a sash/waist-band.
 
The two closeups that show the colored selvedge also show the hem. I don't think it's original/original. It's machine stitched, 2-3" deep.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top