Can you help me date this item??

[dani]

help dating a coat

my husband got me this coat last year for our aniversery, and i was wondering if ya'll could help me date it. also the sleeves are a little to short, but there is not enough fabric to take make them longer. would it look ok, if i took them up, and made it a elbow length sleeve?

i tried to get a picture of the tag, but my camera is not that great. the tag is labled Rubel Originals creators of Rich Mark. i am also going to post this in general attire.

 

[Helen Troy]

I'm thinking 60s-70s, maybe even 80s. I am no expert, but it's just something about the general feel of the coat. Nice coat, by the way!

Not so sure about the elbow lenght, though. What if you got som fur similar to the collar and lenghtened with that?

 

[Mary]

Laura Chase. It looks as if you have sewn pices of the cloth on the outside of the dress. Put the on them inside and I'm positive no one will see them.

Are there any pictures of the holes? Somethimes I just kind of weave them with some tread like you do with old stockings but for this dress I think the patches would be best.

Shrinking violet. Those shoes are so goodlooking! They look amazing and look easy to walk and dance in.

Smuterella. Such a lovely coat. I'm bad at dating something exact. But early sixties or late fifties. I'd love to be more precise and in time I'm sure I will.

Dani. I like colourful coats like yours. I'd say it's an eighties coat. I think it's the buttons which are shining gold and the pockets that are so straight. I'm not sure. I'd like to see the fabric and the label or something to be sure.

I don't know about shortening the sleeves. But go for it if you're not using it like it is now.

M

 

[Josephine]

Dani, I would spend the time from now until next fall looking for some fur you could add to the end of the sleeves. If you can't find any, try hemming them (not cutting the fabric though) to maybe bracelet length, like Jackie Kennedy wore many of her suit sleeves. That way if you ever do find the right fur, you can just let the sleeves back down.

 

[playbelle]

my husband got me this coat last year for our aniversery, and i was wondering if ya'll could help me date it. also the sleeves are a little to short, but there is not enough fabric to take make them longer. would it look ok, if i took them up, and made it a elbow length sleeve?

With the top part of the coat being so big, it seems like shorter sleeves might look kind of strange there, but of course it's tough to tell without seeing the coat on a person. Also, I don't know how cold it gets where you are, but definitely think whether elbow-length sleeves are a good idea for the weather you'd be wearing this coat in. I second Helen Troy, might be better to find similar fur cuffs for the sleeves? Or remove the collar and replace with something less... big and awesome. Although I really like it the way it is.

 

[Mary]

Lauren. You say one should check the buttons and button holes. I think I can see some diffences in the buttons but have never even looked at the buttonholes. What do you mean? How do they differ?

I'm very curious! M

 

[dani]

i like the idea of adding fur to the sleeves for length. as for the braclet length sleeves, i think that is what is is now, they only get too short if i lift, or cross my arms.

 

[Mary]

some shoes

I think they are 70's but the style is nice, I think. I'd like to know if you think I can do something to the leather. It seems to be made to look wrinkly!! Can you do something about that?

 

[Mary]

my favourite watch

Could you date this? You wind it up and that's about all I know about this armwatch. I really like that it looks both feminine with the small strap around the wrist and masculine with the fairly big clock.

 

[Mary]

night gown

Is this old or from the eighties? Found this real cheap in a charity shop last week and like to have your opinion.

I don't know what fabric it is. It's shiny on one side and matte on the other. There's no strech really and I think it's bias-cut. Is it?

And then I got a picture of the inside. The embroideries are poorly fastened to the fabric with a simple knot on the tread.

and the tag

it says designed by key mahim smith and 40. It's to big for my. Do you think I should try to make it narrower.

And the last on the front

And how should I wash it?

 

[Mary]

necklaces

And two necklaces I'd like to have dated.

This photo show how long they are.

They are both kind of heavy.

First the long one. The pearls are maybe in glass or something and then some shimmering added to the outside. And the beads are first small and the growing. I got this from my dear friend R who bought it in Paris on a flea market.

And the other seems to be like painted porcelain. I picke it up at an fle market and the had a lot of 70's stuff so maybe it's from that era.

 

[Mary]

MOWHAHA! I've taken over this tread!

lol lol lol

 

[ShrinkingViolet]

Great finds, Mary!
The only one I can help you with is the nightgown. It's definitely 40s-early 50s (I'm not sure when they started using nylon instead of rayon and acetate?).
It looks like rayon but if it makes a very rustling and swishy sound when you move it's probably acetate. I just handwash mine with a mild lingerie detergent.
Taking it in at the sides can be tricky if it's bias cut, because the seam is apt to bulge ... maybe others can come up with a solution?

 

[Helen Troy]

AS far as I know, acetate/nylon didn't become common before after the war. So if the nightgown easily gets static electrisity, it's probably nylon or acetate and from the 50s. If that's the case, be very careful with open flames and never smoke in bed! This kind of fabric cathes fire like wooooof!

 

[Sunny]

I think they are 70's but the style is nice, I think. I'd like to know if you think I can do something to the leather. It seems to be made to look wrinkly!! Can you do something about that?

I'm not an expert on later shoes, but I think more 1960s for those. The shape of the toe and the height and shape of the heel seems more like 1960s shoes. They are nice ones! A terrific neutral color and a comfortable height, but they have character and interesting details. The leather looks to me like it's supposed to have that texture. If it feels dry, it certainly wouldn't hurt to moisturize them. I've used mink oil in the past. Start with a little bit on the inner part of the arch by the sole, in case you don't like how it looks.

The nightie looks bias-cut, and I think it's called charmeuse. The tag looks fairly old, but the kicker is the unfinished/pinked seams. Everything is serged nowadays. I've no idea how old it actually is, but it could easily be 1940s. Good find! Things like that are usually fine to wash on the gentle cycle, but handwashing certainly wouldn't hurt it. They make special lingerie soaps.

I'm certainly not a jewelry expert, but these don't look like ordinary necklaces. The barrel clasp on the faux pearls is a good one, though, and it looks old. The graduated size of the beads seems a lot more common in vintage years; the knotting between them is a good-quality detail; they look very smooth and good quality up close; and the extreme length is straight out of the 1920s. That could be a <i>really</i> nice example of a flapper necklace. I know there was a brief revival among teenagers of the 1920s about 1945-1948, so it's just possible it's from then, but not too likely.

I've never seen porcelain beads like the other, either. To the eye they certainly look old, and I would assume most 1970s beads to be plastic. The way the paint is worn off even in the grooves certainly makes them look old. This string is also knotted. If it's 1970s, it's really nice; but I could definitely believe it's from the 1920s as well. Thanks for sharing those pictures! They were fun to see.

 

[Mary]

So lovely to come home and be able to post on Fedora Lounge! Saw the most awful film with a friend tonight.

From what you say I think it's rayon because the nightgown neighter rustles nor gets static electicity. But thanks for the warning. Are all nylonfabrics like that. Do stockings catch fire as easily?

I don't know about sewing either. Thanks about the tips for washing it. I'll handwash cause it's really clean as it is.

As for the shoes. I walked barfoot in them today cause the spring is finally here! It was the most fantastic weater today and I went looking for make-up and cute boys. And those shoes are so comfy and I think I can have them to a lot of clothes so I'm really pleased with them. They will probably replace my worn-down pair of brown leater shoes I've had about every other day.

Interesting to hear your thoughts of the necklaces, Sunny. I've always wondered about the graduating size of the beads. I find it a little hard to wear. If take it two och three times above my neck then the beads are very uneven and it looks a little stange. And it's hard to dance in to! I always end up being strangeled (the weight pulls it down) and the necklace sway quite a bit. I wonder how the flappers managed to dance? But for sitting still and looking good I think they work just fab!

M

 

[Rockapin-up]

I got this from my aunts apartment after she died a few years back, she never used it and I thought it was cute. She had alot of things that she never parted with from the 50's/60's and alot of stuff from the 70's still with price tags and receipts taped to them. This one's tag is faded and not readable so I thought somone in here might know.

 

[Mojito]

Interesting to hear your thoughts of the necklaces, Sunny. I've always wondered about the graduating size of the beads. I find it a little hard to wear. If take it two och three times above my neck then the beads are very uneven and it looks a little stange. And it's hard to dance in to! I always end up being strangeled (the weight pulls it down) and the necklace sway quite a bit. I wonder how the flappers managed to dance? But for sitting still and looking good I think they work just fab!

M

Like fringe and "carwash" hems, those long necklaces did add rather beautifully to the idea of movement while dancing. Here's the classic John Held Jr cartoon of the Charleston:

Have you tried knotting the necklace? that might make it easier to wear.

Lovely pieces!

 

[Mary]

Thanks Mojito for your expert advice! I love the picture. Won't be afraid if my necklace is out of control any more. It's suppose to be!

Rockapinup. I can't date that purse. If you posted a photo of the inside I might.

I haven't seen one like it but I'd guess the late 60's or later cause it's so playful and the color's so bright. Hope someone else will know.

M

 

[Lauren]

I'm guessing 60's, too, thought I don't know much about the era.