Possible 1910s Jacket and Skirt, rough cond

[Mad Catter]

Help with dating or description? I'm going to list all my vintage items in a local auction but don't know how to describe a few pieces. This one is in rough condition but may be saved to use as a costume or display. No label to help tell me where it was from.

I found a drycleaner willing to attempt to clean it. Reminds me of Suffragette clothing but I could be way off and fooled by movie clothing.
Thank you for any help offered.

 

[Jonathan]

It looks like a walking suit from c. 1910. Other than the sleeve lining and damaged button, it looks pretty good to me - no holes? The buttons on the jacket look like they might have been moved over a tad? It's halfway between double and single breasted and looks a bit awkward. Perhaps the skirt was shortened a tad at some point? Hard to tell without handling it, but it seems a bit short - it should be about ankle length at the highest. It also looks like a good size, so it would appeal to film and theatre.

 

[Mad Catter]

Hi and thank you. The skirt has been folded up and the trim on it looks like it's newer. The front *almost lines up with the line on the front so it may have been moved over. I'll take a look at that tonight to see if I can find previous button stitching spots.
A couple pics to show what I mean.

I tried to sell the entire collection dirt cheap to a company in TO that I thought might be able to use them for extras. Only about 30 items are in top condition, other 100 or so items have imperfection or are downright Dickens. Only reply I got was a "No, thank you." Might be a result of pandemic closet cleaning. Everyone has too much stock? I only needed a new starter so I'm glad now I can take my time and list everything with proper details.

There are spots where some of the threads in the weave are gone in one direction but since I learned how to weave, I should be able to repair those spots. Example of damage in pics. It's also another garment that has the mysterious yellowing mentioned in my other post - see pic with fold.

I'll get more details and figure out the size tonight. Thanks again!

 

[Mad Catter]

Hello, If anyone is wondering, no the buttons haven't been moved. No sign of any sewing or holes inside or outside. Perhaps the maker gained a bit of weight after cutting the pieces? It looks like the skirt was shortened quite a bit. It's about a size 8 so not very saleable but I'll make sure the exact measurements are all there. Thank you for the reply.

 

[Jonathan]

the yellowing is just dirt and age - possibly old dry cleaning fluid. A fresh dry cleaning might help... It looks like there should be another row of buttons on the front then , for a double breasted effect... but it may not have had that - it would look better with it though - are they the original buttons? Perhaps they were relaced? As for the hem length, I would restore it to the original length, but its probalby not worth your time to recoup any added value - I would sell as is. The repairs are simple for someone who is comfortable with darning tweed, which is the easiest to do for the best looking result. Costume houses tend to buy what is needed for rentals at that moment, but I would have thought a sturdy suit would be a perennial favourite - perhaps it was just too much work to make useable, or you were asking too much? Costume houses like to buy cheap...

 

[Mad Catter]

The sleeve buttons are original but broken (2nd picture). They are black glass. I have enough antique buttons that I should be able to find some that are similar in style and material to replace the 2 sleeve and the larger front buttons.
I'll play around with placing a second set of buttons on to see if I can get it to look more like the suit jackets I found in old photos. Hem looks to be an easy fix because there's no wear or hard line where it was turned up.

The costume people didn't see anything in person, only a series of photos, mostly hats, capes and cocktail dresses. We didn't even get to discuss a price but I did tell them that I wasn't asking much. I don't recall the exact price I had in mind but I think I needed about $300 for a new starter. That was for about 130 pieces including antique hats and purses. I ended up trading one of the silk velvet opera capes for the work and car part.

Luck was on my side in the end but now I need the space for my loom and sewing machines so trying again but using a local auction co. Might keep this one out and put the work into it. The buttons alone would be worth more than a dollar so I don't want to put it into the auction only to have someone buy it for a buck and chop it up. No need to recoup any cost on this one, it only cost me a dollar at a garage sale. I'll see if the theatre at the university can use it. Maybe the museum at the university? They have a clothing history section.

I'll post pics after the fixes but it won't be for a while. Thanks for your help.

Hmm, I just thought of something else, maybe the conservation program at the University could use it for teaching.