1930 Blue lace dress
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1930-1934 A dress in blue cotton machine-made lace with a matching bolero
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The back of the dress
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The dress with the bolero
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The back of the dress with the bolero
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The hanging piece on one of the sleeves
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Detail showing the buckle at the front
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Detail of the lace
Description
The lace pattern has a repeat measuring 3¾" high by 8" wide.
The dress is mostly lined with blue grey crêpe de Chine which is now very fragile.
The top of the bodice has a lining of peach rayon georgette with short sleeves, sewn at bust level to the blue grey silk crêpe de Chine; the join dips to a V at the front and back, and under the arms.
Both shoulder seams are open with five press studs to fasten them, and there is no other opening. The front and back neck edges are bound with ⅛" wide blue silk.
A half belt of the lace, 3" wide, with crêpe de Chine backing, is gathered each side into 1¼" at the seams; the other ends are gathered into 1" with diamanté buckle clasps at the centre front; only the left-hand one is sewn to the dress. The belt covers the waist seam.
The sleeves are straight, with the ⅛" wide binding round the ends, which have a 2½" long opening in the seam with two press studs to close them. A circular piece of lace, 14" across, has a bite taken out of its edge, leaving fat crescent; the curved edge of the bite is sewn to centre of the sleeve running 13" up from end so that the rest of the circle forms a hanging piece 8" deep at widest.
The lower skirt is in flared sections and sewn on with a zig-zag seam which ranges over 2" and is 19" to 21" above the hem. Floating panels are attached from a point 6½" down from the waist each side, curving out diagonally to points 21" above the dress hem, from where they curve down to be 22½" long from the top point; they are 25" at the widest, and end 6" above the dress hem.
The matching lace bolero is sleeveless and has the ⅛" wide silk binding round the edges and armholes. A self tie, 3" wide, is folded to 1¼" and sewn along 3½" of the centre back neck of the bolero; it ties at the front where it widens to 4" at the slanted ends, 27" long on the right and 25" long on the left.
Contemporary illustrations
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Jane Millican in Petticoat Influence at the St Martin's Theatre, June 1930
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Fashion drawing in Country Life, July 1930
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Fashion drawing in Good Housekeeping, October 1930
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Fashion drawing in Woman's Pictorial, September 1931
History
The dress was worn by Rose Gibson, Rose Wood, of Crockenhill, Kent, who married Bruce Gibson in 1894.
It was acquired from Marjorie Robinson, her daughter.