vintage dress
- Thread starter Deborah Cordell
- Start date
Deborah Cordell
Registered Guest
Thanks Carla. That's really helpful. It's really pretty, but it's tiny!. I bought it second hand because I thought it'd fit my daughter but it's too small even for her.
Joyatri
VFG Member
See "EDIT" below.
I have lots of Anokhi clothing I bought in India in my closet and I live in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where there were Anokhi stores (I recall 2 but I'm not sure they were open at the same time). I used to visit the store in the 1990s and early 2000s.
The Anokhi block-printing workshops started in the 1967 in Jaipur, India, and opened its first store in India in 1984. Now there are Anokhi stores all over India.
(Lots of the Anokhi clothing that I see online listed as "vintage" is, in fact, contemporary. You can visit the Anohki website to see some of its range: http://www.anokhi.com/anokhi/.)
I researched the opening date of the Cambridge, Massachusetts, store and found '1988.' The stores have been closed for at least 10 years. It has an online presence now, Anohki USA. http://www.anokhiusa.com/.
I don't know if the U.S. online business has the same owner as the bricks and mortar store, but you could email to ask the date of your dress.
Carla, perhaps you are thinking of Adini as the 60s - 70s brand?
EDIT: Because I saw "Cambridge" I immediately thought of the town in Massachusetts where I live. Actually, there was an Anokhi in Cambridge, UK, in the late 1960s. So, this dress could well be from that date. Sorry, for the mis-information -- I was just showing my geographic bias.
Last edited:
Joyatri
VFG Member
Carla, that dress is a real beauty! And, is definitely looks to be from the 1960s-1970s. To clarify what I meant, there is Anokhi clothing that is vintage. But as the brand is still in production, there's also much that is called 'vintage' that is probably contemporary.
Also, I jumped to the wrong conclusion on Deborah's lovely dress. See my edit above.
Also, I jumped to the wrong conclusion on Deborah's lovely dress. See my edit above.
Deborah Cordell
Registered Guest
Hi Jo & Carla, sorry for my late reply. I've emailed the Anokhi link that you kindly sent me Carla, and I've had a reply today from a lady called Rachel who is going to do some research on the dress for me. Interestingly, she says that in the 25 years that she's been working for Anokhi, and with her fairly extensive archive knowledge, she has never come across this label! I'm not sure if this is a good thing or a bad thing! She thinks it was probably made for the the US market. I'll keep you posted when she gets back to me. Deborah x
Deborah Cordell
Registered Guest
Hi all, I've had a reply from the lady who has done some research into my Anokhi dress. Please see below...
Dear Deborah,
Well, I have checked with one of the founders of Anokhi and several people also connected to Anokhi Cambridge USA or UK from
the 1970s/80s and onwards, and nothing rings a bell to any of them. What I can tell you is that it was not made in Jaipur by Anokhi and
that it was not made for Anokhi Cambridge in the US. Given the very specific label, it must have been made at some point for an
Anokhi shop and it would then seem that it was for Anokhi in Cambridge, UK. But, whoever ordered it for that shop had done so through
a Delhi supplier/business not at all connected to the original Anokhi business (Jaipur). I can’t tell you when it is from but the styling is very 70s and there are almost identical silhouettes in our archives from that period (late 70s). Also, cheesecloth was very popular at that time. The fabric appears to be checked cheesecloth. If you discover anything else I’d be interested to know!!
Dear Deborah,
Well, I have checked with one of the founders of Anokhi and several people also connected to Anokhi Cambridge USA or UK from
the 1970s/80s and onwards, and nothing rings a bell to any of them. What I can tell you is that it was not made in Jaipur by Anokhi and
that it was not made for Anokhi Cambridge in the US. Given the very specific label, it must have been made at some point for an
Anokhi shop and it would then seem that it was for Anokhi in Cambridge, UK. But, whoever ordered it for that shop had done so through
a Delhi supplier/business not at all connected to the original Anokhi business (Jaipur). I can’t tell you when it is from but the styling is very 70s and there are almost identical silhouettes in our archives from that period (late 70s). Also, cheesecloth was very popular at that time. The fabric appears to be checked cheesecloth. If you discover anything else I’d be interested to know!!