Puzzled by this dress era

plousia

plousia

Registered Guest
This super adorable dress has me all kinds of confused. I was thinking 40s/50s, but the drop waist and the unusual shape of the waist, along with unusual belt loops (two on the front, two on the back, and strips of fabric rather than those thin twisted cords that seem more usual for 50s) and serging are throwing me off.

It's cotton, as far as I can tell pure cotton.

Commercially made. A back of neck label has been cut out, no other labels.

There is overlocking inside as well as straight stitching, no pinked seams.

The skirt is very full. It looks short because of the drop waist, but the hem appears original, and the dress falls to mid-calf on me, which seems about right for 50s-ish.

The print is amazingly adorable, black and white gingham with bows which are dotted with tiny hearts. It's almost TOO cute, like someone was trying to make something look vintage.

Maybe 70s does some other decade?? No polyester though, and the sleeves don't seem right for 70s, nor the length.
 

Attachments

  • PXL_20230912_220024184.jpg
    PXL_20230912_220024184.jpg
    134.4 KB · Views: 190
  • PXL_20230912_220208088.jpg
    PXL_20230912_220208088.jpg
    96.8 KB · Views: 198
  • PXL_20230912_220151329.jpg
    PXL_20230912_220151329.jpg
    83.9 KB · Views: 192
  • PXL_20230912_220120195.jpg
    PXL_20230912_220120195.jpg
    108.4 KB · Views: 194
  • PXL_20230912_220024184.jpg
    PXL_20230912_220024184.jpg
    134.4 KB · Views: 187
  • PXL_20230912_220010333.jpg
    PXL_20230912_220010333.jpg
    53.8 KB · Views: 191
  • PXL_20230912_220136112.MP.jpg
    PXL_20230912_220136112.MP.jpg
    62.7 KB · Views: 190
Last edited:
I'm not sure, but it looks like there is a true waist and then a basque waist type of seam, and that the dress is fitted through that upper hip. Looking at the print, my first though was 70s retro style, but I can imagine 50s being possible.
 
denisebrain said:
I'm not sure, but it looks like there is a true waist and then a basque waist type of seam, and that the dress is fitted through that upper hip. Looking at the print, my first though was 70s retro style, but I can imagine 50s being possible.
Click to expand...

Yes, that sounds about correct. It's really difficult to see the details because of the print. There is a waistband, then a V sort of waist extension below that, then the skirt is gathered into and flares out from the V (basque, I guess). 50s seems right in some ways, but there are some incongruities.
 
Finally got around to doing a burn test on the thread of this and it's synthetic. So between that, the overlocking, the unusual waist, and the slightly trying-too-hard print, I'm in the 70s-does-50s camp on this one.

Was that a thing? Or was there another decade that did 50s more? 80s maybe? 80s was into dropped and basque waists a bit, no?
 
One thing I forgot to mention that's kind of funny: in the same batch as this dress, I got an actual 1950s dress which was half the price of this one because it was marked as a "women's costume" :D
 
The vintage dress in question appears to blend elements from different decades, with a drop waist reminiscent of the 1920s and a full skirt that aligns with the 1950s. Unusual belt loops, fabric strips, and the absence of polyester suggest it's not from the 1970s. The unique design and details like serging and print may indicate a creative fashion experiment rather than a commercially made vintage piece. Identifying its exact era remains a challenge, and consulting a vintage clothing expert for a more accurate assessment might be advisable.
 
This one is a bit of mix of styles, but I sure do recall dresses like this style back in the 1970s, 1972 to 74 ish if my memory is working correctly. And Aqib, not all dresses were polyester in the 70s. Think it reminds me a bit of Betsy Johnson's early 70s designs, which were usually cotton and sometimes a soft rayon. And Jonathan is right.... we wore them with chunky shoes. And sometimes a beret or flapper style hat and a chunky short jacket if it was chilly.

The length seems right for early 1970s to me too. I do not see any 1950s influences, I see more of a 70s doing 30s-40s.

I am not saying that the dress is from the 1970s for sure, but that it certainly could be.
 
Last edited:
True, it feels like fashions tend to repeat in about 30-year cycles, don't they? I guess 20 years ago is too soon to start wearing those fashions, you just look outdated. 30 years is enough for it to be a cool retro look :D
 
I wanted to add that to me it does look to be a dropped waist as has been mentioned. I would call that a banded yoke waist.

And yes, seeing it on a real model or dress form will be helpful too.

Did I say it is very very cute? It is!
 
It is adorable. If it fit me I'd be tempted to keep it.

Sadly I don't have a dress form. Really need to get one. I've been trying to keep expenses to a minimum as I'm just starting out and have made few sales. But eventually a dress form will be necessary.
 
So I finally got a dress form to photograph clothing and am slowly getting around to re-shooting stuff. I did this dress today and it's totally different than it looks on a hanger. Turns out it's not a drop waist after all; that straight waistband is the narrowest part of the dress and would not go over the dress form's hips even on the smallest setting. I think it goes on the natural waist and the bodice is a kind of puffed-out blouson style and the skirt only falls to knee length.

The 70s was a weird time....
 

Attachments

  • IMG_6397.JPG
    IMG_6397.JPG
    95.6 KB · Views: 114
It's cute! Yes to blouson bodice - the skirt treatment is a sort-of basque waist, although some basque styles go above the natural waistline too, like a faux corset.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top