Who can date this dress?

[Midge]

Got this dress at the Salvation Army secondhand shop (no kidding - they have good stuff!). Like many of my vintage dresses, it was probably made by a dressmaker or a talented lady who sewed her own clothes (I always end up with those - they usually fit me perfectly!).
Anyway, this dress puzzles me. Where would you date it, judging on the style? I am really at a loss here...

Except for the long seams on the side of the skirt, it was mostly sewn by hand, the fabrics are synthetic. The zip looks "old" to me - like the ones in 1950s to 1970s dresses that I have. There's a waistband inside to make sure the dress fits well, and there are tiny straps with tiny snaps on the inside of the shoulder to keep bra straps from peeking out. Nicely enought, these were not the ready-made straps that you can buy, but they were made of the same fabric as the dress is lined with!
The underskirt is not very wide, but the light and dark brown overskirt is made with a great lot of fabric.

Karin

 

[claireshaeffer]

I can't help with dating the dress but I can provide some information that might be useful.
Those tiny straps with snaps at the shoulders are called lingerie guards. Sometimes they are lining fabric and sometimes a thread chain.

The waistband inside is a waist stay. It anchors the dress at the waist or under the bust sometimes. It also reduces stress on the zipper because it should be slightly shorter.

Please don't be offended but I recently asked a dealer about a facing on the inside of a jacket. She didn't know what a facing was so I decided there was a need for some information. Claire

 

[Jonathan]

It looks early-mid 70s to me.

 

[Midge]

No problem there, Claire. Since English is a foreign language to me, I sometimes don't know the correct words for special things like these. The waist stay actually does a great job - all in all the dress was very cleverly made. It's a joy to wear because it fits so nicely. My friend calls it my "medieval maiden dress". *g*

Karin

 

[VintageFray]

Looks 70's. If it was home-sewn then the 'old' zip was probably just something the person who made it had in their sewing box. Great dress!

 

[camelbackcat]

I agree with the 70's. The neckline and silhouette scream 70's. It's a good guess that she used an old zipper...my grandmom was a professional seamstress and she did that all the time. It's a nice dress and I love the chiffon panels.
joey

 

[Midge]

Thanks for the advice everybody! The chiffon is the best thing of all about it - it feels so lovely when moving around in it. It cost about 18$ - not bad for something to wear to the opera *lol*.

 

[vintageclothesline]

Also brown was used a lot in the 70s. That is nice!

 

[adorevintage]

Very gorgeous dress! I would have guessed 1970s as well:duh:

 

[BagDiva]

l think we all concur 70's..