Wedding suit?

Vintagiality

Vintagiality

VFG Treasurer
Hi all,

I hope everyone is healthy and safe.

I am completely stumped by this suit. It looks handmade to me. Possibly late 40s but maybe 50s? Or am I completely off? Not sure why I associate it with a wedding but that's what I thought when I first saw it. Is it?
What kind of fabric is this? Damask, jacquard? And the interfacing lining seems so strange. Was interfacing ever popular as skirt lining?

Any thoughts about the era, fabric, or purpose would be great.

Thanks
Victoria
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It looks like it might be lined in Pellon which Google tells me was invented in 1950. It looks like it could have been used for a wedding. It looks like satin damask to me - which would tell us the type of fabric but not the fiber. I'm sure others will be along with opinions. Is there a zipper and what kind? Unless it's been shortened, I think it might be early '60s. (Or very late '50s.)
 
I want to follow up on what Linn said about the fabric: "It looks like satin damask to me - which would tell us the type of fabric but not the fiber."
Mr Google gives a clear definition: "Damask is a reversible figured fabric of silk, wool, linen, cotton, or synthetic fibres, with a pattern formed by weaving." I agree that the fabric is likely damask, but we don't know yet if yours is made from silk, rayon, or polyester (a synthetic fibre referred to above). Our wonderful fabric resource:
https://vintagefashionguild.org/determining-fiber/
can help you figure it out. Remember more than one word is needed to identify fabrics. (Except for linen which can be both a weave and a fiber.)
Marian
 
Thank you Marian. I understand. Determining the fiber is by far the hardest for me. I don’t think it’s rayon and it seems heavy for silk. It almost has the weight and feel of satin.

Unfortunately, I can’t do burn tests in my apartment since I am really afraid of setting off the sprinklers and frankly I can’t tell the difference that way at all even if I did.

In terms of purpose, since it seems like it’s most likely 50s, would wearing something like that to get married in have been likely? I thought that sounded more likely if it was an earlier piece.

Thanks
Victoria
 
I am sure it feels like satin, but what is that satin made of?

This attractive suit would have been considered very appropriate to wear in the 1950's or 1960's for an older bride, or for a second marriage. Maybe even for the mother of the bride or groom.
You are welcome. I hope to help.
Marian
 
Satin is a weave and can be made from rayon or silk. Pellon was introduced on the market in 1951. I read the link you had about the 1930s, but that source is not quite right. She stole it word for word from a site about pellon, but it is worded in a misleading way. Nazi Germany was researching ways to make synthetic leather in 1938 and used a non-woven backing material. Pellon may have been something they developed, but non-woven textiles were also independently developed by Dupont and other manufacturers around the same time (Nazi Germany was not sharing its finds with the world...). Non-woven material is essentially paper, and paper was being used for fashion since the 16th century (hats, fans etc.) in Japan and China.

Anyway, because it has pellon it has to date after 1951. It might be the original hemline if she was petite, but it does look short for the 1950s - it might be more like 1962ish - I wonder if it was made from a 1940s wedding dress. as in her mother's?
 
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Thank you so much Jonathan! As always a wealth of information. Just one question, if non-woven backing material besides Pellon was in existence earlier, how do I know that this is actually Pellon? I think I assumed that to be the only available in the 50s.

I definitely think you are right about this being made from an earlier wedding dress because I think that’s what was throwing me off about it to begin with, the fabric just seemed so much earlier and so not correct for the style and later era.

Mary Jane, if you happen to have a photo of one of those dresses, I would love to see it! Does this sort of pattern have a name?
 
Victoria, I am pretty sure I have sold others but don't have photos anymore as I have been selling online for 20 years now and have gone through several computers in that time. I may have more hiding in storage, keyword "hiding".

Here are two I could find... not quite like yours but to show you the woven patterning. From you photos the patterning on yours looks like an embossed pattern. Difficult to be sure without having it in hand.

wedding with pattern woven.jpg


Wedding with Bow Pattern.jpg
 
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