Questions about a 40s Dress

K

kasey

Registered Guest
Hi Everyone! I am very new to vintage clothing. I have always admired it.. but just recently found some really neat pieces and now I'm hooked!

This dress I am pretty positive is 40s. The label reads, "a Garland dress" . I have tried to research this some on the internet but no luck.. of course.. when you type in dress and garland.. a multitude of Judy Garland topics come up...

There is also some yellowing on the bottom of the dress on the white flowers, what is the best way to clean this dress? I don't think i trust the dry cleaners around here. Is it safe to wash this by hand at home?

Does anyone have any information i could use about this company or dress? Thanks so much! I love this site!! :)

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I'll add a pic of the whole dress..
kasey
 
it has a side metal zipper, asymetrical collar, and side drapey thing.. it's so pretty..

it's clipped in the back.. my young model doesn't have the curves to fill the dress out, but she is tall, this dress is long!

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good morning, Kasey ~

if you search (upper left of this page, where it says search) for cleaning tips, yellowing, spots, you should be able to see previous posts about help for the cleaning questions, possibly ~

THAT IS GORGEOUS!! i can see why you're hooked!

i'd agree, it has draping from the 40s, and the fabric looks like a nice crepe, we'll see what others have to say
 
Thanks Mary! yes, it does have shoulder pads, it also has thread loops for a belt, but the belt was not with it.
 
It looks late 40s, 1947 - 1952ish. And it is a find!

If you wash it it will shrink several inches at least and the shape will be distorted. The color will run as well. I would set it aside until you find a cleaner you can work with. My best luck has been with family owned, local cleaners that have been in business a long time. The new, more corporate cleaners who crank it all through are fine for modern clothing, but they don't seem to take the time or realize that older pieces need care and individual attention.


Hollis
 
It's a gorgeous dress! Glad you've gotten hooked on vintage....

I totally agree with Hollis--don't wash, and find a cleaner you can trust. Which is likely to be a privately owned place that's been in business for ages. You might have to drive a bit out of your immediate area to find one. Call first and find out if they have experience with older clothing and fabrics. I had a fabulous cleaner that I used for years, but they sold out to a larger concern, and although the new place is decent, they are not as good as the old guy.
 
thanks so much for the replies! Okay.. i'm going to call .. there are a couple of cleaners in my town that have been around awhile..

Any ideas on the company who made the dress?
 
You might try google books and make sure to put in garland dress for your keywords. Also when you do a google search, did u try putting garland dress in quotation marks to clean up your results. Finally, I recently saw a thread on the ebay vintage forum asking about a garland dress...don't remember what it said but worth a look. I have a garland sweater but I think logos are different. Don't have sweater in front of me. Good luck.
 
Well the dress is back from the dry cleaner's.. it looks pretty much the same as before i took it! has anyone had success in getting yellowing out of this type of material at a dry cleaner's?? i really don't have anything to compare it to.. I think i am going to sell it and just let the buyers know about the yellowing.

I also took a wool balenciaga adaptation suit jacket with major underarm staining.. it looks the same as before too! hmmmm... it's such a cool jacket, the way it fits is so flattering, just too small for me! i'm going to add a pic to show you..

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does the jacket still have value even though it has the damage? i looove it!! if only i weren't so busty! lol! my daughter's 14 year old friend had to model it for me. sigh....

oh and what do you call the scarf thing.. ?? i'm at a loss as to what to call it, lol. built in scarf just doesn't sound nice enough.

kasey
 
It's a stunning jacket - dress, too. I couldn't find anything about Garland Dress, either. I got a lot of hits for Garland, and dress and Judy Garland dress but nothing on the company. I agree it looks '40's - late.

I think that you can sell the jacket as long as you disclose the underarm staining which really does not show when worn. I'd be tempted myself - it looks great on your daughter's friend. BUT - I live in Hawaii and really, really don't need another warm jacket.

Good luck with it.

Linn
 
I'm trying another dry cleaner for the next suit. I can't believe it!! this jacket sold within 30 min. of putting it for sale!! wow!
 
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