Vtg Antique 1920s ART DECO Gown Dress Ivory Silk Lace Flapper Slim Mermaid B34"

Description: Vintage Antique 1920's Authentic Art Deco Floor Length Slim Fit Slip Dress of All-Over Lace with a Mermaid Style Sweep Silk Under Slip Dress Attaches at Shoulders Dress was designed and constructed to be a long wiggle hugger.... ....Amazing Look and Fit! Please see & study all photos in zoom for construction. This rare, spectacular, almost antique gown has few faults considering the age. Lots of possibilities! Note that the dress was difficult to photograph and any blocks or flashes of color void are from lighting. The color is not blotchy, it is just lighting as i use mostly natural lighting. Pics of the most concerning issues that will need attention are at the end of the photo stream. I did not have room to show the dress with all the measurements, so I recorded and inserted them below, so keep reading. I love vintage fashion! It's getting harder and harder to find, and it isn't inexpensive anymore, but if I find something that grabs me at a fair price for the condition it is in, and it hails from a special era, I usually will take a chance on it for my collection or to resell. This being, provided my hand doesn't go through the fabric from far-too-gone age rot, there is no mildew, and it doesn't smell like smoke or animals..... those are deal breakers! My hopes are that someone that loves vintage fashion as much as I do can find a purpose for it..... whether it is to wear, recondition and resell in a boutique shop, repurpose the fabric, apply it for display, theater, or to study for the design. Hopefully to carry on the rescue I started and keep it out of the landfill. 98% of the time dresses of this age need TLC repairs and mends, and they will have flaws and need some cleaning. I purchased this dress some years back and have had it in my collection..... never could wear it, but loved the style and admired it, and now it is time to pass it on for someone else to enjoy. I purchased it from an estate sale and it was tagged as the great-grandmother's wedding gown, but imo it's only the color that labels it as "wedding", it is just as easily a special event or evening gown. Description/Construction: The design inspiration of this dress is very era appropriate as its Art Deco linear features show. There are panels in the lace of the outer dress that really show the special construct feature, and I tried to capture it by putting light behind the gown. The dress is very hugging to the body due to the lace being set on the bias so it has some stretch. Attached to this large pattern bias lace at the bottom is a fine netted soft lace that gives the dress some walking room and flounce.....and what comes to my mind is a Morticia mermaid style. The bottom hem edge is somewhat irregular, and if someone were walking across the floor in it, I suppose you would see glimpses and flashes of the silk under-slip dress as walking steps were made. The under-slip dress does have a side boxed in pleat that serves as a kick pleat for walking. The sleeves are quite long and were set-in at the shoulder, just slightly dropped for a smooth look with the extra sleeve length creating a purposeful slouched design on the lower arm. To keep the slouch above the wrist, there is a snap that holds them in place so they don't slip over the hands. The silk under-slip attaches at the shoulder seam to the outer all-over lace dress. The underdress has a soft lace netting like that of the hemline that edges the silk fabric along the neckline, and it also forms the top half of the shoulder straps. These features all aid in giving the appearance that the under-slip is a strapless dress as seen through the lace for the upper chest and shoulders. The style of the under-slip alone is a fairly basic straight shift that is just slightly A-line towards the hem. The silk is not a forgiving fabric, but the lace very much is. I turned the dress inside out and took all the measurements below based only on the under-slip since there is no give in that fabric. If the under-slip will fit you, the outer lace should follow beautifully on your figure. Fortunately, this design allows you to completely replace the under-slip with one that fits you because the bias all-over outer lace has that bias stretch that is much more forgiving. I fitted her on my junior mannie-girl form for photos, whose measurements are 12 inches across the shoulders and 30-26-32 for her bust-waist-hips. The under-slip was big on her, but the lace, having the "stretch" factor to it, sucked right to her form (even wrinkling the too big under-slip some). I also stuffed the bust so you could imagine bust shape, and with it filled and still on Mannie, I measured all the way around and got a circumference of 34"..... and I think there is probably another inch or so of fullness to be had. There is a left side seam hook-'n-eye closure just below the arm pit through the torso, but unhooked the dress probably would still be fit over the head. Maybe if you are very slim hipped you could step into it......Mannie doesn't do step-ins, so I put it over her head. Across the upper back there are two velvet ribbons that fit across the V-opening, and these would have been stitched down on the other side at the time of the occasion's fitting (or they were snipped loose on one side at some time...I'm not entirely sure which, but they were undone when I got the dress). IMO, I would forego these straps and insert illusion lace across the back.....maybe across the front also..... but these are just my thoughts. The bodice features simple bust darts, a sort of wide deep V neckline, and that V drop in the back. It joins smoothly to the skirt, and a same-lace fabric belt was made to go right over the joining seam. The belt has this wonderful old silver toned 2-part metal clasp that joins together in the center with a little slip hook, and the front is decorated with set rhinestones, of which a couple are missing. Presently the clasp is not sewn on to the fabric belt. The stitching was really loose, and I had to pin it to hold it on the dress for photos so I just removed it so I could clean it. You will have to pull the belt fabric back through the loops on the back of the clasp and stitch them at the finished length you want for the fit you want. The dress had never been cleaned when I got it. It was quite yellowed from old age, really dusty from exposure, and it needed attention as it had hung uncovered for about 90 years. I did two 24-hour Biz soaks on the dress and the belt and got all the dust out and most of the old-age yellowing. There are a few residual small spots here and there, but they are small and light and hard to show in photos. Although the silk slip dress looks pretty blotchy in some photos, I think that is mostly because of the sheen and shadows created off the silk itself. The ivory color left is the original ivory ecru color it would have been originally. When I find these old gowns I try to save them, I take chances on cleaning when I feel like there is no other option. I don't have a dry cleaner in my area any longer that specializes in vintage and antique clothing, so I do what I can when something must be done before I feel like I can offer it. It's always a risk as I never know what will happen, and sometimes I lose the garment completely, and sometimes I am thrilled to find that they come out nicely, like this one did. The worst of this particular gown are issues with the old silk under-slip dress. Silk often becomes quite fragile from age, especially if it was put away soiled. This gown shows pit marks that are more evident from the inside than show slightly through to the outside, and unfortunately the silk is rotting there, with one side actually having a hole, and the other side to follow soon. There is also a hole in the front "V" base of the soft netted lace facing where it attaches to the silk body of the slip. I held this dress up to light to really look for damage in the overall outer lace and noted only one 1/16" hole in the soft lace netting of the lower front near the hem. I won't claim I found every issue, but I tried. For the most part, the issues are with the silk slip, and it could be replaced. The belt shows a bit of wear on the edges, but this I believe is not so much from wear, as it is from just the lace being folding and having the pattern of it stick out in tiny bits along the folded edge. This is a 95-year-old dress, so perfection is not to be expected. Given the age, however, I think it is pretty amazing! Replace the silk under-slip entirely or find someone that can give you a consult of whether the pit areas can be repaired, if not replaced, and it could very possibly be carefully worn for a special occasion. Measurements - taken from silk under-slip dress inside-out, lying flat and on one side only unless otherwise noted: Shoulder seam to shoulder seam of inside silk liner dress - 17 inchesBust from pit-to-pit area - 16 inches (stuffed circumference on the mannie was 34" with probably another good inch or two to spare) Waist taken at the bodice/skirt seam from side to side - 15.5 inches (same front and back)Hips - taken 12" down from the waist seam and side to side - 19 inches Bodice length from top of shoulder by neck opening. straight down to waist/skirt seam - 15 inches Skirt length taken from waist/skirt seam straight down to hem edge - 37 inches Skirt width at hem edge, side seam to side seam with the side kick pleat closed - 22.5 inches Overall length from neckline top of shoulder to hem edge of inner silk slip dress - 52 inches Lace outer dress overall length is a little irregular/abstract due to the lower lace shape at the hem, but it is approximately 2 inches longer than the silk slip underdress - so approx. hanging length 54 inchesLength of belt fabric only (NOT folded under on ends or including the clasp) - 31 inches In closing, this is a beautiful Art Deco Era long gown suitable for evening, special occasion, era appropriate, or a wedding. For the age it has minor, fixable TLC faults. IMO it could be worn after repairs, but for display and study purposes, it has a lot to offer. It is sold as is, no returns. There is very little profit margin on dresses like this, so finding and spending all the time cleaning, photographing them, and describing them is pretty much a labor of love. Please message me if you have any questions and I will answer back..... even if I don't have an answer. Shipping: USPS with tracking, and a $5.00 handling charge to provide for full purchase price insurance. I gently fold/roll garments like this, wrap them with a covering of clean pattern tissue, then bag and box them for the best shipping safety. I have other vintage garments up for sale and I am happy to combine for shipping/postage savings if you request it from your cart before paying. I can't combine if you pay for items separately. I have to be able to send you a revised invoice that shows the newly figured postage costs per your zip code, and you pay from that invoice. Questions on this, just message me. Thanks for Looking!

Price: 299.89 USD

Location: Wichita, Kansas

End Time: 2024-11-04T15:48:26.000Z

Shipping Cost: N/A USD