Tan 1920s Day Dress

         With the release of  
The Great Gatsby it was fitting to be examining such a beautiful garment. This piece is a wonderful reminder of the roaring 1920s.  It is mid-calf length day dress. 














         


             










         The dress has a square patterned print as well as a V-Neckline with a tan collar and matching cuffs. 

    




                 The dress also has a dropped waistline, which was popular during this era. This waistline is accented with piping. The front of the skirt has a tulip shape skirt; however, interestingly, the back of the skirt does not. 

                                                                                 There are no real closures on this garment. There are 15 brown faux buttons that start at the V of the neck and go down the middle front to the waistline. 

 
    There is very little trim on this garment. There is lace on the cuffs of the sleeves as well as around the collar. The lace matches the tan color of these areas.

     


      This garment is in fairly good condition. The color has slightly faded from the garment. The fabric is also extremely fragile. There is  a medium sized tear on the right shoulder. 

     The dress is made of silk with a crepe weave. The bust measures 40.5 inches, the (dropped) waist is 36 inches, and the hips are 42 inches. The skirt length is 20 inches. 

       


         Interestingly, the garment is likely to be a costume creation. The fabric wear indicates, though, that this dress is at least 50 years old. 
         There are no tags as well as several areas (such as the waistline) where there are hand sewn stitches. 

1930s Lavender

 
This lavender dress is mid-calf length and originates from the 1930s. 

       The waistline is no longer dropped, as is was in the 1920s;  it has raised once again to the natural waistline. At this waistline, there are belt loops, but we do not have the belt.  

       There is also quite a bit of attention to the area just under the bust with a high arching seam.    


     Common for the 1930s was the amount of focus and detail that went into waistline and the bust to really emphasize a feminine, elongated figure.



  
         There is a lot of really great detailing in this the garment. One example of this is the trapunto styled flower designs along the top of the dress.
      
          
    

  

   Trapunto is common in quilting where the fabric is first detailed with a design and then stuffed to cause the detailing to be raised and accentuated.
      

      Another great aspect about this garment is the beautiful button detail along the shoulders and sleeves.

     This garment has a tulip shape skirt to create a wonderful flow to this day dress. This dress is made of wool with a plain weave.

     






   















               As far as closures, there is a zipper on the right side from bust to hip. There is also the button detail along the shoulder to the sleeves, as previously mentioned.
      
 
    
    This garment is in fair condition. Unfortunately, there are armpit sweat stains and patches of light damage. There is also a minor hole in the back of the skirt. 

      

       The Bust measures at 36 inches, the waist measures at 29 inches, and the hips measure at 36 inches, creating a lovely hour glass shape. This is a beautiful garment that has been in our display cases several times at our theater.