PRESTON AIRE by JOAN PRESTON-Anybody know of this label?

rosaburke1

rosaburke1

Registered Guest
HELLO ALL :hiya:

This dress was purchased from New York.

The label is: PRESTON AIRE by JOAN PRESTON.

:help:My guess is it's from the early 60's but I'm hoping someone will confirm or help me with the era?

Dress has a fitted bodice and quite a full skirt. Both the front and back has a v shaped neckline. There is some sort of pleat detailing, going from each shoulder and stopping at the fitted waist. Lots of sharp pleats fall from the waist, slowly 'fading out' towards the hem.

Has a long back metal zipper which can be seen on the bodice but is concealed by the pleats at both the waist and skirt section. Has a hook and eye too!

Nicely made. You can see that the white floral pattern at the back is perfectly matched on each side! (This 'perfect' matching of the print is done everywhere on the dress).


:help:The inside seams have been cut with v shaped scissors or something. You can see what I mean in the 2nd last pic. (Can someone please tell me the correct term for this as I have a couple of dresses with this style of seam?).

:help:The fabric is quite crisp and somewhat sheer. My guess is chiffon. Again, help with this would be appreciated.

:help:I would love to know more about the PRESTON AIRE by JOAN PRESTON label too. I know nothing about her!

Thanks for having a look and I look forward to reading any replies. :hiya:


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The seams are "pinked" - that is, cut with pinking shears which make that zig-zag cut. It's to prevent fraying of the fabric. (please, someone, correct me if I'm all/partially wrong! Sewing isn't my thing, but this is the info I've retained!)

I think you're right on with the date - although maybe late 50's? Hard to see how long it is in the picture. Very pretty print!

Fabric is LIKELY nylon - it could be chiffon, I suppose - but my guess looking at it is that I would usually expect this style of sheer dress to be nylon.
 
Thanks Elsewhere & CircaVintageClothing for your help.

Apologies that my photos aren't great. I have had this dress stored in a plastic bag since the day that I got her, so she hasn't been ironed or anything. :camera:

I'm happy to hear that she may be from the 50's-YIPEE! That would probably make her the oldest dress that I own!
 
Lovely dress, but can't tell you anything about the label; sorry!

If this fabric is crisp, as you said, then I doubt it's nylon chiffon. Nylon would feel almost slippery and would drape--probably wouldn't feel "crisp" unless it was a nylon taffeta, which then wouldn't be sheer. I would guess it is a cotton, either a voile or lawn, both of which can be sheer to semi-sheer. Voile would be drapier than lawn, I believe. It's hard to tell from your photos; it's one of those things one has to "feel" in person. In any event, it does look like a cotton fabric.

BTW, just for future reference, "chiffon" can be woven in any number of fibers--silk, polyester, nylon, etc. When one says "chiffon," it's always helpful as well to try and identify the fiber, as that will lend different properties to the same fabric "name."
 
I checked two newspaper databases (Ancestry.com and NewspaperARCHIVE.com) and found only a few Preston Aire ads in each place . The ads in both databases were from 1951-1957 and they all emphasized the wash-and-wear qualities of the dresses. One 1951 ad (not for your dress) noted:

"Preston Aire ... nylon filmy as angel-hair, just as perfect for Christmas time. But the wonder is this ... nylon goes past the holiday season for year 'round pleasure. And Joan Preston's dresses promise strength, light weight plus quick-action care. (Navy, purple, teal, melon. 12 to 20. Only $10.95)"

Lynne
 
Well, I'll be darned; if it's nylon, I can't imagine it being "crisp." All the semi-sheer, chiffon-like nylon dresses I've had from the 50s have not been crisp, but rather have been soft & drapey.... And all the woven nylon ones I've had have not been chiffon like. If this one is nylon, it's a new one on me! But, then again, I'm always learning....
 
If the fabric is crisp and sheer, I would tend to think of organza. Chiffon drapes very softly - it is never crisp.

Preston Aire sounds familar - I think I've had a dress with that label - but I'm sorry to say I don't know anything about it.

Laura
 
Lynne, no, I didn't mean that you meant to contradict me! I meant that if this was nylon, it was a big surprise to me. The wording of the ad you found, even though it was not for the same dress, seemed as if it meant that Preston-Aire was specifically a nylon fabric....

As Laura notes, I did also think of organdy or organza. Hard to tell if it's organdy, which is cotton and usually treated for stiffness, without touching it. And organza (usually silk or rayon) is usually used in more formal wear and has a sheen to it (and usually is a solid or has subtle patterns or prints, not a print like this one).

After all is said & done, I still think this is a cotton, either lawn (which isn't used much today, but was in earlier eras) or organdy. Voile would be softer.
 
Personally, I have seen a lot of nylon and polyester organza, even in vintage. I had a late '50s/early '60s cocktail dress that was made of synthetic organza - it was nylon, if I remember correctly.

Laura
 
I do see a lot of poly organza in things from the 70s forward, but most (not all) of the things I've personally had from the 50s have been silk organza. I haven't had more than one or two items in nylon organza, but that's just my own experience. (I didn't say that ALL organza was silk or rayon--sorry if I wasn't clear abou tthat.)
 
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