Vintage 1950s Coral Pink Linen Designer Dress - New!
Measurements
Size: Small
Bust: 36 inches + 91 cm
Waist: 29 inches + 74 cm
Shoulder Edge to Shoulder Edge: 15 inches + 38 cm
Hips: 40 inches +102 cm
Bodice Length from Outside Shoulder: 19 inches + 48 cm
Total Length from Outside Shoulder: 46 inches + 117 cm
Hem Length : 0,5 + 1.5 cm
Zipper Length: 12 inches +30.5 cm
Note: Measurements are taken from outside, flat and stretched from seam to seam. This is the maximum size allowable, so please consider individual fit and comfort.
Description
* 1950s coral pink linen commercially made dress
* Classic silhouette with a defined waist and wide skirt
* Bodice is sleeveless with an oval neckline
* Self-fabric piping around the neckline and armholes
* Bodice has diagonal darts that open just under neckline and a shelf bust
* Gathers either side of shelf bust
* Dropped waist with a semi-circle skirt that is one single piece
* Added panel on one side of the back hem to maintain arc shape
* Leaf-shaped cream embroidery panels at front bodice area
* Back with closed-in metal zipper
* Unlined, raw seams and hand finished hem
* Label reads Van Roth
Van Roth was an Australian designer fashion house. The history of this company makes fascinating reading. The firm E.H. Wade Pty Ltd was the clothing manufacturer that traded under the Van Roth label. In the early years, they made mainly utilitarian garments but immediately after the War, they ventured into more upmarket lines. The head designer was Colin Venn who was particularly fascinated with the New Look silhouette. When the Dior exhibition came to David Jones and Myers in 1947, not only did it galvanize the local fashion scene, but it inspired Colin to make local adaptations of the style. These were so impressive that he was offered work with Christian Dior in Paris. Colin declined, remaining with Wade for the remainder of his working career. The Van Roth label produced four ranges each year - one for each season with up to 200 designs in each. Many of his designs became ‘flag wavers’ for the apparel industry. He was also represented in ‘Gown of the Year’ competitions, entering expensive one-off designs, quite beyond the affordability of most Australians. The Australian fashion industry was tariff protected at the time and served a very small market, compared with the European and American fashion houses, so it must have been quite onerous to create so many designs for each season and, likely not commercially viable in the longer term. The day-to-day output of the Flinders Lane fashion houses was in dressing ordinary women of all sizes. The firm’s ‘bread and butter’ was the middle-income market, with the focus on everyday wear, theatre wear, racewear, mother of the bride, and gowns for parties, balls and receptions. They sold all over Australia, with agents in the major Capital cities. Boutiques in places like Broken Hill and Port Pirie took Van Roth frocks and gowns into the Outback. An excellent site entitled The Van Roth Style has been created by family members, it provides a fascinating inside look at this leading Flinders Lane Fashion House complete with some fabulous photographs. (Information courtesy of Van Roth Style).
Condition
Excellent vintage condition.
No notable flaws that I can see. The seam just below the zipper has been resewn using black cotton that cannot be seen from the front. I would assume that because it is a closed-in zipper, there would be some stress in that area. Perfectly fine as is or you could put in a longer zipper to aid with getting on and off. This is typical of closed-in zippers both side and back.
Please note that these are vintage items that have been used and loved over the years, As such, they may display slight evidence of their age. Any notable flaws above and beyond this will be highlighted here.
Comment
Amazingly beautiful and virtually pristine. These are hard to find and this one is a great quality piece. Please drop us a line if you require additional information about this listing.
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Availability
This item is within our selling stock. In the unlikely event that two buyers purchase this item concurrently, payment will be immediately refunded to the latter purchaser. We apologise in advance should this rare circumstance arise.
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Obviously, as these are one-off pieces, the fit may not be quite what you need. To this end, we also offer an alteration service by professional seamstresses. Please shoot us an email outlining what you want and we will quickly respond with a quote and timeframe. Costs are kept to a minimum for this service.
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Photography
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