velcro in 1950s garments

Pinkcoke

Pinkcoke

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has anyone come across velcro in earlier garments that were not costumes? I'm looking at a felt dress which appears to be 40s or 50s and has velcro behind a faux button strip centre front, and that funny Z opening where it goes down the bodice, across the waist and down the skirt. Just wondering if it was used for everyday garments at this point, or it's use does indicate it was a costume of some sort...
 
I think its a costume of some sort. I don't think you see Velcro commercially much until the 60s, ( I think the patent was 1955) and if memory serves it was mainly on shoes. I don't remember seeing it as commercial dress closures at all. It doesn't work very well for that - vertical closures on the body tend to pop when the wearer moves their shoulder or stretches their arms.
 
Hi! I hope someone sees this post. I have a Kayser "Luxite" half slip which I believe to be mid-to-late 50s vintage. I've tried to find something similar online but no luck so far. It seems unusual to me to use Velcro as a closure on a nylon slip, so I'm thinking this was made very early after Velcro became produced commercially and was a real novelty. Anyone know anything about the use of Velcro on undergarments such as this?
 

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Nadia Amber said:
Hi! I hope someone sees this post. I have a Kayser "Luxite" half slip which I believe to be mid-to-late 50s vintage. I've tried to find something similar online but no luck so far. It seems unusual to me to use Velcro as a closure on a nylon slip, so I'm thinking this was made very early after Velcro became produced commercially and was a real novelty. Anyone know anything about the use of Velcro on undergarments such as this?
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Welcome! That is a fascinating garment and label, and clearly the velcro is original in this case.

If you show the a photo of the whole slip and the Kayser label, someone may be able to confirm your mid-to-late 50s dating. I expect you are right though, about it being an early use of it.

@NylonNostalgia knows her slips, maybe she's seen velcro like this before, and if not I expect she'll be interested!
 
Thanks, Ruth! Apparently Velcro was patented in 1955, and I just found a Nylon Nostalgia page which would suggest the slip was made between 1956-1959/60 based on the label specifics. Now I am trying to figure out the style name. Fascinating indeed! Here's a few more photos. It's very neat, has two layers, pink over blue! Reminds me of cotton candy.
 

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Nadia Amber said:
Thanks, Ruth! Apparently Velcro was patented in 1955, and I just found a Nylon Nostalgia page which would suggest the slip was made between 1956-1959/60 based on the label specifics. Now I am trying to figure out the style name. Fascinating indeed! Here's a few more photos. It's very neat, has two layers, pink over blue! Reminds me of cotton candy.
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Glad you found my Luxite page, Nadia! That's a lovely slip in many ways and as a fashion historian with a special interest in mid-century undies I find this one a fascinating shapshot in time, and indeed it's timing says everything about it. Yes, it was made somewhere in the latter 4 years of the 1950's, as per my label dating guide, but the interesting bit is the velcro - sorry, Velcro lol (don't want to get sued!). As has been mentioned earlier, Velcro was patented back in 1955 - earlier than most people think - but didn't really come into use commercially until the very late 50's (another pointer to the age of your slip). Velcro was a marketing man's dream, but a housewife's nightmare. Imagine - no need for stupid boring old elastic like your granny had when you can have the ultimate space age modern Velcro fastening that'll cope with even the most over-indulgent post-Christmas waistlines, dah-di-dah. What was not to love about Velcro?! Well, actually a couple of major faults. Undies get washed probably more times than most other items of clothing so the bad side of Velcro manifested itself more quickly for the unfortunate wearer. Firstly, Velco is a bloody fluff magnet, par excellence. Secondly, wash it often enough and it stops adhering to one another altogether. In no time at all granny's easily replaceable elastic didn't look so bad after all! The idea of using Velcro as an undie fastener was rather quickly and quietly dropped.

Love everything about that slip though - the style, the colours, even the Velcro. It's bang on the very later 50's in every way :) Colour-wise it reminds me of one I have, a tad later than yours but similar in a way...

Emms :)
 
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