Your vintage dress or coat or top has unique construction techniques that tell us which Era it's from.
These guides can usually date a mass-produced dress or coat or top within a decade (Designer & Couture garments are exceptions). You can always ask for more info on an individual garment.
- Dresses slip on over the head or open at tops of shoulder
- Dresses close with buttons, snaps or ties
- No size or cleaning labels; maker & union labels rare
- Busts & waists unfitted
- Hand stitching common; slightly irregular stitches
- Cottons, silks & wools most common
- Inside seams left raw or tucked in cleanly with french or felled seams
- Dresses open at back neck & sides
- Dresses close with buttons, snaps or metal zippers
- No size or cleaning labels; maker & union labels rare
- Garments curvier with defined waists
- Machine stitching replaces most hand stitching at seams
- Inside seam edges left raw or cut into zig-zag edges with pinking shears
- Dresses often made with flowing bias-cut fabric
- Buttonholes & hems usually hand finished
- Rayon replaces some silks
- Dresses open at back neck, side, & sometimes middle back
- Dresses close with snaps or metal zippers
- No size or cleaning labels; maker & union labels common
- Before 1947, shorter narrower dresses because of war rationing, with fewer zippers
- After 1947, dresses very fitted on top with wide full skirts, & zippers return
- Garments very structured, with heavily padded shoulders, narrow waists, elaborate darts, peplums, wide pointed lapels & pointy sleeve cuffs
- Inside seam edges left raw or pinked into zig-zags
- Buttonholes & hems often hand finished, especially coats & jackets
- Some nylon used in clothing by late 1940's
- Linings usually rayon or silk
- Dresses open on side or down spine
- Dresses close with metal zippers
- No cleaning labels, but size labels appear; maker & union labels common
- Shoulders less padded but waists even more nipped
- Circle skirts common using a full circle of fabric
- Swing coats flare at hem to cover big skirts
- Inside seam edges usually pinked into zig-zags or serged
- Buttonholes & hems usually machine made
- Acetate common for linings and fabric blends
- Acrylic & orlon more common for sweaters
- Nylon common for lingerie, dresses & gowns
- Polyester sees some use in fabric blends
- Dresses open on side till late 60s, then one long zipper down back
- Plastic zippers replace most metal ones by 1970
- Maker, union, size & cleaning labels common
- Shoulder pads rare until 80's
- Empire (babydoll) waists & A-lines join defined waists
- Doubleknits more common for dresses, suits & coats
- Thread-edged serging finishes inside seams
- Machine made facings replace many hand finished linings
- Buttonholes & hems almost always machine made
- Manmade fabrics & blends as common as cotton, wool & silk
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