Women's 40s Dress Floral Paisley Print Vintage Jersey Drop Waist Yellow Green Small VFG
This is an adorable early 1940s vintage swing dress. The dress has a 7" wide waist section - the bodice has small soft gathers below the bust to showcase your curves. Shoulders have small firm pads that extend a bit past the shoulder/sleeve seam. The bodice has a squared neckline with pleated fabric at the top - in the corners of the square, small horizontal slits (similar to bound buttonholes) allow for self-fabric strips to be looped through - I have shown them tied into soft bows. The short sleeves have smaller fabric strips at the bottom hems to repeat the theme. The skirt has two rows of shirred stitching where it is attached to the waist yoke.
SIZE: No size label
Measurements | Inches | Cm |
Bust | 35" | 89 |
Shoulders | 14.5" | 36.75 |
Waist | 25.5" | 64.75 |
Hips | 40" | 101.5 |
Bodice length from shoulder seam | 16.5" | 42 |
Skirt length | 25" | 63.5 |
Sweep | 65" | 165 |
FABRIC/COLORS: A bold print in vibrant shades of yellow and green with brown, gray, white and black. The print is a combination of floral and paisley. The fabric is smooth jersey knit with a wet hand - based on a fiber burn test, I believe it is acetate with perhaps a bit of rayon.
TAGS: No tags at all - I think this was most likely custom made, at a good skill level.
CLOSURES: The dress closes with a 9" metal side seam zipper. It still has its belt - self fabric with a slide buckle; i.e., no "tongues" or adjustment holes.
CONDITION: There is a patchy area of pinkish discoloration inside in the back yoke area near the zipper - see closeup. Amazingly, the fabric is opaque enough that it is not visible from the outside. No other issues noted.
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.