Thoughts on this dress

[Dee Dee Hall]

It does have a metal zipper in the back but serged edges inside. No label. Trying to age it....

 

[Pinkcoke]

Hi Dee Dee, the print, dress shape, length and ruffled decoration all look mid 1960s to me.

 

[Dee Dee Hall]

They done serging back then?

 

[Pinkcoke]

Yes, serging on commercially manufactured items goes back even further, it's home serged items that are usually more recent. Can you show the serged seams, zip and any different hems to help? It is possible it was home made much more recently from a vintage pattern and using vintage materials but there tends to be one or two tell-tale signs.

 

[Dee Dee Hall]

Hope this helps. First pic is of the bottom hem. Second is breast dart, third is top of collar, fourth and fifth is zipper..

 

[furwise]

Pretty dress. My thoughts are that it's a homemade dress made from early 80s fabric and a metal zipper having older inspiration in mind.

 

[Circa Vintage Clothing]

Such different opinions! I see very early '70s and think it's professionally made, perhaps by a dressmaker - the lack of labels suggest it's not commercially made as such - and I wonder about the arm holes, how are they finished? With facings like the neckline or some sort of bias? I think there were sleeves originally and they've been removed and that's throwing the design off a little.

Fabric looks like a poly cotton. How is the ruffle finished off? Overlocked or hemmed? It looks like it might have some sort of fancy blue stitch on the edge, which will help date it.

 

[furwise]

We do have different opinions on this one. Looking back at it though with the overlocking on what looks like a inside side seam that is going up from the hem makes me agree with you Nicole that it may have been made either by a dressmaker or someone who was sewed well because I am thinking some less experienced home sewers might leave that inside seam unfinished. The hemline looks really nice and neatly done too.
I think the style looks a bit older too and the fabric also looks like a poly cotton to me as well. The fabric made me think it might be 70s but the colors made me think early 80s with an older era style in mind.

 

[Dee Dee Hall]

First pic is outside sleeve, second inside sleeve, third collar ruffle, fourth inside ruffle hem on bottom.

 

[Dee Dee Hall]

I have included more pictures above. Anyone....

 

[furwise]

My thoughts are really still the same. I think early 80s maybe up to about 84 with those colors however I could see the type of fabric used being used in the 70s and forward. The color scheme is really again what makes me think early 80s.

Nicole has a lot of experience with sewing techniques and materials used in the making over eras. Let's wait for her to come back and chime in with her thoughts after she sees your newly added photos.

 

[Circa Vintage Clothing]

Thanks Caryn - the construction is still looking early '70s to me but I'm thrown by that ruffle trim. It looks like the sort of fancy stitch a home sewer would do or perhaps even a little hand crochet, which seems unlikely. The colour is at odds with the rest of the dress too. Also - more importantly - it looks like it's not finished off properly, like the hem has just been folded over with the raw edge underneath and then the fancy stitch applied to the fold. This does not look consistent with a professional dressmaker at any time so either a) it's home sewn and more modern, perhaps even early '80s as you suggest Caryn, made by an older person who has more traditional methods - or it's an update and addition.

Dee Dee, the colour is more vibrant on the ruffle so rather than it being from a repurposed part of the dress, I wonder if it was an unused scrap. Also, you haven't mentioned the arm openings.