Please help me sort this teens (?) dress out

denisebrain

denisebrain

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This isn't the sort of thing I find often, so this is just my best educated guess and I could use corroboration or correction, please.

The b/w stripes really looks 1910-ish to me, but the length of the dress looks 1916-ish to me. This is not a fancily made item. It is definitely old, but could it be a costume? The fabric is muslin, with the dress having two snaps at the back of the neck. The striped fabric and collar are very light muslin; the collar has embroidery. There is a large inseam at the (slightly high, at least on me) waist, with the very large inseam being attached to the bodice, not the skirt, which has a smaller inseam at the waist. The jacket has quite fitted sleeves.

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Hi,

Pretty! I am not getting an antique vibe from this, it looks newer and either a costume or just a vintage inspired outfit with a modern flair.

It is too short for 1916, that would have been scandalous! At least in the photos it looks like to comes right below the knees. If it were 1916 the skirt would also be fuller and the waistline higher.
 
Well I should add that I am probably taller than the average woman of the time: 5'7"

As I said, the feel is older for sure...would you think 30s as a costume? If you could see it up close you'd know what I mean about the age...it just really seems older than 1940s.
 
I see a costume too - are all the seams like the photo, especially the jacket ones? The jacket looks to have a top-stitched hem and for me, that puts it either in the modern world or at least, altered in the modern world. I associate top stitched hems with the last twenty years.

You say it feels old, so perhaps that was an alteration? Eg, shortened jacket.

PS, the sleeves are a smidge short on you, suggesting it was made for a lady who was close to your height, rather than a lot shorter, so I don't think the skirt would have been long enough for a 'teens ensemble. It's very smart! I love the stripes.
 
Thanks very much for your thoughts. I can say that the only inseam that is really sloppy is the one you see in my photo. The rest are either narrow and slightly frayed or turned in to prevent fraying. I could easily believe the dress was altered to be a costume, or altered for some reason. Maybe it was a costume that was later altered to be a different costume, I'm honestly not sure. The waist length is 14.25", the skirt length from this slightly high waist is 31". One other thing is that the person from whom I got it said it came from the 1920s, but I rarely factor in what people tell me without further evidence.

I really like the stripes too Nicole!
 
Perhaps a 1930's costume made from older pieces?
I was shown a Butterick brochure today from 1932 and there was a page titled something like "The waist starts from the ribcage" which really stood out for me! The waistlines were indeed high.
 
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