Women's 60s Cocktail Dress Vintage Fully Beaded Elsie Tu Hong Kong Medium VFG
This vintage 1960s cocktail dress is fabulous, completely covered in glass beads, and weighing an impressive four pounds! The silhouette is a lightly fitted sheath with rounded neckline. The body of the dress is opaque but the 3/4 length sleeves are peekaboo sheer. The dress is completely covered in glass beading sewn onto a net background. The neckline and sleeve bottoms are edged in a narrow band of bugle bead in a pattern that resembles braiding. The rest of the beading is an overall pattern of stylized flora and swirls.
SIZE: No size label. Please consider the measurements.
| Measurements | Inches | Cm |
| Bust | 38" | 96.5 |
| Waist | 36" | 91.5 |
| Hips | 38" | 96.5 |
| Length | 39.5" | 100.25 |
| Sweep | 41" | 104 |
FABRIC/COLORS: The dress is uniformly black. The glass beads are a combination of small bugle beads and fairly large seed beads, each about 2mm in diameter or a little less. The beaded layer is done on a sturdy net, backed with lightweight organza to lie smoothly against the skin. The body of the dress is fully lined in satin, with the silky side against the skin. I don't have access to snip fabric for a fiber burn test - I would guess either silk or rayon.
TAGS: Elsie Tu, Hong Kong.
CLOSURES: A long metal YKK zipper down the back.
CONDITION: No stains, holes, tears or other issues noted. There may be some small areas of missing beads but nothing obvious.
I measure the outside of garments, unless stated otherwise.
For menswear, the chest is measured at armpit level.
For womenswear, the bust is measured a little below armpit level, including the room created by darts or gathers.
Waist will be measured if there is one, and hips are measured about 9" below waist level. Sleeves are measured from shoulder seam or an approximation in the absence of a shoulder seam. Garment length is measured from the back of the neck, unless otherwise stated.
The measurement numbers refer to the garment, not the body inside. For best fit, measure a similar type of garment which fits you well and compare.
If the garment is shown on Josephine, my mannequin, her measurements are 31/24.5/34". Sometimes she wears a padded bra. My live models measurements vary depending on the day and year, and I don't ask them to share that.