What is this 40s dress about?

Dusty Butterfly

VFG Member
Hello friends, I have this neat 40s taffeta dress but don't know how it works, or if it's missing pieces or what. It has adornments attached in 2 places - front & back toward the left side at waist level, so I think it may be a belt of some kind.

The pieces are sort of tubular, with large bell shaped ends. The bells have colorful trim on the inside so I would think they're meant to be turned out when worn, but the center of that trim deepest into the bell, is unfinished. So I'm thinking maybe some other piece was attached over that unfinished part to cover it...?

I tied the belt just to show a possible way to wear it, and I don't have any other ideas for that, but I'm not at all sure that's the way it's meant to be worn. As fabulous as they are, it seems like it would be pretty awkward to have those huge bulbous things hanging on your hip area like that.

Has anyone seen something like this or have any idea what's going on?

Thanks ~

It
IMG_0902.jpg
IMG_0898.jpg
IMG_0901.jpg
IMG_0899.jpg
IMG_0904.jpg
 
That is so interesting!

Can you tell at all which way the belts should go (I mean to the right or the left around the waist) from how they are attached to the dress?
 
That is so interesting!

Can you tell at all which way the belts should go (I mean to the right or the left around the waist) from how they are attached to the dress?

Great question! I checked that out but no dice - it's the same on both sides of the attachment. But yeah it might make more sense to have them wrapped the other way (opposite of my first pics). With the first way, there was enough slack to tie them, the other way (below) you'd need to pin them or something. COuld be a good clue...

And I have a separate question that this dress reminds me to ask - Ive always wondered about the little ledge or overlap that you find on some 40s dresses at upper hip level, that goes all the way around. it always seemed strange to me that it goes up instead of down. I put arrows in pic


IMG_0906.jpg
IMG_0908.jpg
 
Back
Top