#vintageeveninggowns

[professorpski]

Party Wear Early 1930s, Or Just Look at Those Seams (low whistle)

Fashion does not actually work by decades, so these early 1930s gowns for sale at Augusta Auctions have some of the hallmarks of the loose torsos that we associate with the 1920s, and the handkerchief hemlines too. But by the late 1920s, skirts were lengthening down wards from their mid-20s high point above the knee and belts had crept up from the hipline to reach the waistline again.

These two silks evening gowns are from the early 1930s, glowing in crepe back silk satin in what they call "ashes of roses" i.e. a greyed rose and in what they identify as pale pink which shows dark cream on my screen. I am featuring some of the close-ups, so you can see how they were draped just below the waistline, a feature that would draw attention to the sway of a woman's hips.

And you can see the complex piecing of the skirts. See how the cream dress has a diamond shape set into the bodice, and then multiple angles cut into the skirt which echo one end of the diamond. These look like cuts and seaming that include multiple bias choices which takes both careful cutting of the fabric and careful seaming so as not to overstretch the elasticity of the cut edges. By using bias-cut fabric around the hips, the designer gives a woman a bit more room to move, and also adds an erotic feature as her movements are closely followed by and revealed by the fabric. With such a sheen to the fabric, these movements would have just that much more slinky glamor in the days before stretch fabrics.

This is part of their Fall into Fashion Vintage Sale which you can learn more about here: https://augusta-auction.com/auction

[vivianvintage8]

Listed 1930's Eyelet Lace and Black Crepe Dress #vintagefashion #1930sdress #1930sfashion #30sstyle #30sfashion #vintagedress #vintageeveninggowns #truevintage #vintageclothesforsale #vintageclothing #vintageclothes #vintagestyle #womensvintageclothes #wearvintage #etsyvintageclothing #losangelesvintage #oregonvintage #seattlevintage #portlandvintage #seattlevintage #sandiegovintage #lasvegasvintage #germanyvintage #irelandvintage #scotlandvintage #newyorkcityvintage #brooklynvintage #vintagegirl #vintageoutfit #vintagefashionista (at Vivian Vintage 8) https://www.instagram.com/p/B92_d7rA8a8/?igshid=jp1res7rve99

[daniellecoleca]

Nice girls don’t. Nice girls don’t, vintage collage Don’t pretend to be nice. Don’t pretend to be happy. Boys aren’t trained to smile at people and hug strangers. #internationalwomensday #collage #rainbow #sexuality #depression #benice #vintage #storytelling #toronto #cactus #botany #burlesque #paperdoll #vintageeveninggown #feminism (at Toronto C•A•N•A•D•A) https://www.instagram.com/p/B9feS2EA2xV/?igshid=a39mqzde7ihe

[thegspotboutique]

New Vintage and Designer Gowns JUST IN. COME GET BEFORE FRIDAY. 20% CASH DISCOUNT!! #movingsale #vintageshop #promgown #vintageeveninggown #hollywoodstyle #oldhollywoodglamour #elisebrady #westchesterpa #gaystreet #shoplocal (at G Spot Thrift Boutique) https://www.instagram.com/p/Bu4IMAzlQ2E/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1povri8gkpu0r

[hugescandal]

Model in Givenchy strapless evening gown, photo by Richard Avedon for Harper's Bazaar - 1953.

[vintage-designers-clothing-blog]

Designer Unknown, 1970s cream-colored evening gown: #VintageEveningGown➤ https://goo.gl/2kjhxu

[professorpski]

The Sweeping Ball Gown, Vogue 1963 

This glamorous strapless evening gown dates to 1948 that has been re-issued by Vogue Patterns in modern sizes. It shows all of the luxury of post-war prosperity that one hoped for from post-war prosperity. Just a year earlier, Christian Dior had shown the New Look which offered up day dresses with enormous width at the low hemlines, cinched waists, and soft shoulders. It was a break from the more practical looks of the war years, with hemlines around the knee and padded shoulders, and narrower skirts. This was a silhouette which would live on into the 1950s.

Evening gowns followed suit with even wider hemlines, and here you have one that is more than 7 feet around . To create the mass of the skirt, hold it away from the body, and  make the waist look even tinier, crinoline net is used underneath as interfacing, some 3 plus yards of it. An overskirt cascades down the sides, a feature that will ripple with the wearer's movement. Such an abundance of skirts means that the dress takes around 8 yards of fabric at 60” width. Yes, that is a lot of fabric.

The bodice, which is boned on the inside, is also cuffed on the outside, with a clever shaping so that the front points inward and upwards towards the face. A graceful line and a dynamic one that indicates movement and energy. 

They recommend faille, satin, dupioni, and taffeta, plus brocade, but brocade will probably weigh too much. Satin is beautiful but you can mar it so easily, or at least I can, so I would recommend silk dupioni or shantung whose texture will wear better and catch the light in interesting ways too. And there are soooo many gorgeous colors to choose from. They do suggest that overskirt may be made of a different fabric and the illustration of the back of the dress done in white hints at that. If you look closely, you will see a more textured fabric at the lower left, a lace perhaps? But a harmonizing color might work too. So many possibilities. 

This bodice will need a close fit, so you may want to muslin it in a test fabric. Although it may be possible to use the fitting of the lining to ensure the fit of the fashion fabric. Obviously, with so much fabric on the line, you want to make sure it is something you love. If you have to buy fabric online, I would indulge and buy more fabric than a tiny swatches to make sure. 

You can find this at your local fabric store or online here: https://simplicity.com/vogue-patterns/v1963

[professorpski]

That Not So Simple Knit Dress: Simplicity 5364 from 1972

We tend to thinks of knits as perfect for very simple garments we simply pull on. The T-shirt, T-shirt dress, leggings, etc. But when knits first became common in women's wear because of innovations in machines that could knit fabric, they were not shown as all that simple. The T-shirt dress showed up in the 1950s and came with the full assortment of accessories including hat and gloves. The synthetic knits which became so popular in the 1960s still had zippers down the backs of the dresses they were made from.

Similarly, this formal evening dress from the early 1970s required a knit fabric, see the "STRETCH" directions on the front that literally stretched out the font. It was not a great deal of stretch, in truth. 4 inches had to stretch to a bit over 5 inches, while we have super stretchy rayon/lycras today that practically double in width when pulled hard. But it was far more stretch than the "bonded knits" which were popular for A-line shapes and had no stretch at all (and not purpose as far as i can see). They especially recommended matte jersey (which would be Quiana in those days), cire jersey (which has a wet look and would have looked sooooo louche), and tricot (which we see today only in lingerie fabrics). But any jersey with stretch from cotton to rayon to polyester or nylon was approved.

With only a bit of stretch built into the fabric, the pattern, which was close fitting, has shaped front and back pieces and back straps. It shuts at the back neck with buttons and loops while a zipper shuts the back bodice and then the top of the long gathered skirt.

It gives you an idea of how formal an evening gown could still look in the 1970s even after the Youth Quake revolution in fashion which claimed there should be no rules of any kind of clothing. But people still liked to dress up, so they never gave up on formality entirely.

[professorpski]

Trim Yet Swirled: A 1930s Evening Dress

We so often underestimate the past. I have students who are floored to discover sarcasm in fashion commentary from a hundred years ago, and they are equally surprised to find printed fabric that seems so modern it might be found today on a modern dress.

This delightful evening gown from the 1930s combines two sheers. The top of the bodice with a banded v-neck and sleeves is trimly made of white silk organza, a stiff fabric that has an air of formality as a result. But the knotted tie and the rest of the long dress are made of a printed silk chiffon, a softy, drapey fabric, with partial, swirling circles. They overlap each other giving a sense of movement which is further enhanced by the panels which flare out as the get nearer to the hemline. It seems a perfect combination for a sweet young woman who wanted to enjoy herself at a dance and let her dress cut loose just a little bit. The 1930s saw a difference made between day time dresses which hit the calf and evening gowns which dropped down to the floor.

Both fabrics need to be handled carefully in sewing as they are each delicate, and often the garment's life was short, but I like to think this one witnessed some joyful of occasions.

This dress is in the Elizabeth Sage Historic Costume Collection which is part of the Sidney and Lois Eskenazi School of Art, Architecture + Design at Indiana University in Bloomington. Kelly Richardson, the Director/ Curator of the Sage Collection was kind enough to show me items from the 1930s collection and those are her purple-gloved hands you see in the photo.

For more about the collection, go here: https://eskenazi.indiana.edu/exhibitions/sage-collection/index.html

[professorpski]

Beads & Velvet: Celadon & Cream Evening Gown

This gown from around 1930 indicates the shifts in fashion of that era. The 1920s had seen a lot of short skirts for all times of day, including the evening, on a lot of utterly flat panels of fabric that treated women's bodies as though they were shaped like test tubes. The flat panels were good for lots of decorative beading as the maker barely had to think about shaping the 2 dimensions of fabrics into the 3 dimensionsneeded for clothing. But then all this fell out of favor in the late 1920s. Hemlines dropped down, waistlines re-appeared, and garments drew closer to the curves of a woman's body. Floor-length became an evening time look. You can see this dress as embodying much of that shift, while hanging onto the decorative panel ideas of earlier years.

This is a panne velvet, or flattened velvet, which is actually more practical as silk velvet gets squashed when sat upon. The panels of fabric are fitted to the body and embroidered with metallic and pearl beads plus rhinestones. The skirt's inserts reverse the direction of the velvet, thus making the most of its nap, and allowing the light to catch the pale green color in all directions. You can imagine the lovely play of color as a woman danced or darted up a staircase, a mix of beads and fabric shimmering in the light.

It is for sale at Augusta Auctions, a vintage textiles and fashions auction house, part of their Summer Solstice Treasures auction on June 28th, 2023.

For more info, go here: https://augusta-auction.com/

[vivianvintage8]

Soon! 😘 #vintagedress #1950sdress #vintageeveninggown #vintagefashionista #vintagefashionista #vintageglamour #1950sfashion #vintageclothing #shop4vintageclothing #onlinevintageclothing #truevintageclothing #minneapolisvintage #melbournevintage #australiavintage #tokyovintage #portlandvintage #losangelesvintage #brooklynvintage #seattlevintage #detroitvintagestores #detroitvintage #chicagovintage #miamivintage #instavintagedresses #etsyvintagesellersofinstagram #instavintageclothing (at Vivian Vintage 8) https://www.instagram.com/p/CDr2fcKg5gO/?igshid=fvrh7j09mhk4

[daniellecoleca]

A certain kind of woman, vintage collage 12.75 x17 framed Wear what you want. Say what you want. Do what you want. It’s a freedom not all women have. #internationalwomensday #artofinstagram #blogto #nowtoronto #collage #vintage #storytelling #buylocal #toronto #cactus #botany #burlesque #paperdoll #vintageeveninggown (at Toronto C•A•N•A•D•A) https://www.instagram.com/p/B9fd4CPAcwi/?igshid=rncpnbfwka6a

[daniellecoleca]

Confident lady, vintage collage 12.75 x17 framed She embraces her prickly parts #internationalwomensday #artofinstagram #blogto #artistprojectto #nowtoronto #collage #vintage #storytelling #buylocal #toronto #cactus #botany #burlesque #paperdoll #vintageeveninggown #feminism (at Toronto, Ontario) https://www.instagram.com/p/B9fGq9rAWxX/?igshid=o5825ujg3aq8

[daniellecoleca]

They satisfy! Vintage collage 12.75 x17 framed Come see it tomorrow! @artistprojectto SHOW HOURS Thursday February 20 Opening Night Party 7-11pm Friday February 21 11am - 10pm Saturday February 22 11am - 8pm Sunday February 23 11am - 6pm LOCATION The Better Living Centre Exhibition Place 195 Princes’ Boulevard Toronto #artofinstagram #blogto #artistprojectto #nowtoronto #collage #vintage #storytelling #buylocal #toronto #cactus #botany #burlesque #paperdoll #vintageeveninggown #feminism (at Toronto C•A•N•A•D•A) https://www.instagram.com/p/B8v7_rghLmO/?igshid=1sd0y879ufnm4

[daniellecoleca]

Confident lady, vintage collage 12.75 x17 framed These paper dolls reflect my feelings about how I’m often perceived and how few f*?ks I give about it as I get older. I’ve had people call me aggressive and I always correct and say, you mean assertive? I have had a boss who often said I’m too passionate (this is not a compliment), and I’ve had another boss who offered to be there bad guy,’ on my behalf to which I responded I’m perfectly comfortable being the bad guy. I hope you enjoy these women and all their prickly glory as much as I do. Available @artistprojectto SHOW HOURS Thursday February 20 Opening Night Party 7-11pm Friday February 21 11am - 10pm Saturday February 22 11am - 8pm Sunday February 23 11am - 6pm LOCATION The Better Living Centre Exhibition Place 195 Princes’ Boulevard Toronto #artofinstagram #blogto #artistprojectto #nowtoronto #collage #vintage #storytelling #buylocal #toronto #cactus #botany #burlesque #paperdoll #vintageeveninggown #feminism (at Toronto C•A•N•A•D•A) https://www.instagram.com/p/B8uj7rGhUj9/?igshid=s107ye2n3n4f

[daniellecoleca]

Nice girls don’t, vintage collage 12.75 x17 framed These paper dolls are about any woman is ambitious and assertive and declines the title aggressive. For all of you who were asked to smile by some man and said no. Or why should I? Available @artistprojectto SHOW HOURS Thursday February 20 Opening Night Party 7-11pm Friday February 21 11am - 10pm Saturday February 22 11am - 8pm Sunday February 23 11am - 6pm LOCATION The Better Living Centre Exhibition Place 195 Princes’ Boulevard Toronto #artofinstagram #blogto #artistprojectto #nowtoronto #collage #vintage #storytelling #buylocal #toronto #cactus #botany #burlesque #paperdoll #vintageeveninggown #feminism (at Toronto C•A•N•A•D•A) https://www.instagram.com/p/B8tw8iTBuXq/?igshid=1xzfc9harca8z