Are you ready to be a detective today? I am back as promised earlier this week with lots of details about this sweet dress. Once I started looking there are quite a few interesting things about it!
So let's start with the silhouette and overall shape of the dress. (This is one of the best ways to determine age of a garment.) This dress is very straight with short straight sleeves. When I tried the dress on (Yes, it fits me!), the sleeves; which look like normal short cap sleeves; suddenly looked like something out of a 1920's fashion illustration! Very straight and almost kimono looking.
There isn't any shaping in the back, it is one straight piece. The front has a waist seam and a drop waist seam. This is a very common detail for the 1928-1932 years as the waist made it's comeback.
The accented drop waist seam is also scalloped in dramatic points ending at inverted pleats. The only extra shaping or fabric is these pleats, no darts or pleats anywhere else. Not even shaped side seams!
I was very excited to see a tag, but alas, several google searches turned up nothing. I wonder if this was a small local factory or cottage industry?
The bodice front is also accent with red bias tape. I find the V ends that don't end in a point rather interesting. Was it shortened? Or intentionally made that way? The waist seam is another mystery. It is sewn with a serger, while all the other seams are french seams.
Side seam sewn with a french seam. Very tidy!
My guess is the dress was cut down to fit a smaller size. If the waist seam had been taken in, the side seams would also have to be taken in, so that doesn't make much sense.
A few repairs here and there made with red thread.
A tidy hand sewn hem, which was probably taken up (or down!).
All in all this cheery frock has quite the story to tell!
I know this post has a lot of pictures, but the dress captured my imagination and I got a bit carried away!