Since this is the Labor Day weekend in the U.S., I have more time for dressing up in vintage clothes and sharing online. I also dressed my vintage fashion dolls up. Here are photos from this special day and my trip back in time to the time when my Mom and Aunties lived. Yes, they wore pretty housedresses like the ones by Pat Perkins. For very special occasions they had a sheath dress in a print or basic black. Other popular styles for day into evening had fitted bodices with scoop necklines, fitted sleeves and flared skirts.

1950s Pat Perkins day dress/house dress

This black and white checked dress is by Pat Perkins. The seller on ebay estimated it was early to mid 1950s. I agree with that because there is a side zipper. The bodice opens part way under the Princess Panel on the left so that the dress is easier to put on.

I plan to take detailed photos of this dress and will share a style and construction analysis. My next project will be based on this dress. I will use the new sloper I am developing for 1950s inspired outfits once it is finished.

1950s cocktail/evening dress-unknown dressmaker-custom sized

I bought this vintage dress on Ebay during Lockdown 2020. The seller described the dress as custom made around the 1950s. It is about one size too big for me, but still I enjoy dressing up in it and taking photos in it. I am not sure if this is considered a cocktail dress, an evening dress or a day-to-evening dress. Sometimes the subtler categories for when women wore what kind of clothing in decades prior to the 1970s pass me by.

This dress is exquisitely made. It is fully lined in a matching mandarin orange colored silky fabric. Both the fabric and the lining are either 100% synthetic or a blend. The brocade of the dress is soft and very comfortable to wear. The sleeves are short mounted sleeves with a gusset under the arm. I think in the U.K. the term is “grown-on sleeve”. The dress closes with a center back slot zipper. There are many other finishing and construction details I will share in the future.

When you see a vintage garment you are interested in for study and/or wear, buy it if you can afford it. Once you own it you have a piece of fashion history. You also have a study piece that will expand your knowledge first hand of how clothing was constructed in the past.