For those of you who have been watching since last winter, you may have seen this dress before. BUT, the photo I had with me then didn’t do it justice. Now that I have Madge, I wanted to publish another one.
This frock was a rare find! For one thing, its age and superb condition makes it remarkable and it has such wonderful details.
The fabric is unusual. It may be a 100% cotton, as we might expect from the look of it, but it doesn’t feel that way. I’m not sure if that is age (though it’s in very good shape) or if it is another material or a blend. I’d love to have a laboratory where I could analyze the content of fabrics because it’s a fascinating question.
Another thing I love are the buttons. I believe that they are real mother of pearl, rather than pearlized plastic. Some of them are broken because they are a perforated design and somewhat delicate, but at least half of them are fine.
The slide-through buckle was missing (I could tell that was the type of buckle it was because of how the belt is made) so I added a vintage mother of pearl one that I already had and it’s perfect.
It’s another Bonnie Parker dress (remember – Bonnie and Clyde) and so much fun to have discovered it! Lots of imagination in this one – you just never know . . . . . . . . . . . ..
Morgana Martin, the Magicvintagespy
Blog: Magicvintagespy.com
Google+, Facebook, Twitter & Pinterest
Book: How to Find the Best in vintage Fashion available on Amazon.com
Through till Monday or so, it’s all about details. This dress doesn’t look like much on the hanger – it’s a custom-tailored wrap dress that needs the body to define it’s shape.
The most interesting points about it are in the construction. It’s a fun style that buttons off-side and has hidden inside ties to shape the waist and tame the overlap.
The seamstress used little metallic buttons and the fabric has gold accents on some of the flowers in the print. It has an Asian flavor to the style and the floral designs.
So far, you’re still saying “OK, ho hum, so what? I see stuff that looks like this all the time.” The big deal in this dress, to my vintage-spotting eye, is the fabric.
It is a closely-woven 100% cotton that looks and feels like nothing new. The best way that I can describe the “hand” (feel) of it is if your grandmother still has cotton sheets from the 1940’s or 1950’s that have gotten soft with wear over the years, but are still strong.
The fabric also has a polish. Good polished cotton is rarely, if ever, seen in modern clothing.
So, that’s the secret of this casual dress and what makes it special. . . . . . . . . . . .
Morgana Martin, the Magicvintagespy
blog: Magicvintagespy.com
Google+, Facebook, Twitter & Pinterest
book: How to Find the Best in Vintage Fashion available on Amazon.com
Magicvintagespy 