Can anyone identify this lace collar?

[Warbaby]

I know it's prolly not called a collar - does it have a name? What time period? How was it worn?

 

[LizzieMaine]

That looks like a guimpe (pronounced "gimpy") -- it's a sort of a fancy dickey thing intended to be worn under a low-neckline dress or jumper, or perhaps under a suit jacket instead of a full blouse. Very popular around the turn of the century, but variatons were popular for a while after.

 

[dhermann1]

Is that what this is? This is my grandmother ca. 1898, age about 13.

Or is it just a lace collar?

 

[Miss 1929]

That one directly above looks like she's wearing an octopus.
But the first one, how would you get your head through the hole? It looks small. Maybe it's a baby bib?

 

[phyllis1753]

The guimpe seems to have been fashionable into the late 30s. There are pictures of them in Schiffer Book's "Sears Fashions" series. A lace octopus! I like thatlol Size? Try it on and see. Cheers!

 

[Warbaby]

Lizzie Maine: Many thanks for the identification. I knew it must have a name. Funny - I've seen the word 'guimpe' before but never knew what it was.

dherman1: I love the octopus. Beautiful photo. I think I have a crush on your grandmother.

Miss 1929: It's bigger than it looks - the hole is about 9 1/2" in diameter. Overall size is 20" x 35". It would come all the way out to the shoulders of whatever you wear it over.

 

[Lauren]

Usually Guimpes were worn under things and collars on top of things. The Victorian illustration is a collar, but if it were a Victorian jacket with a little blouselette it would be a guimpe (like someone mentioned, we call them Dickeys today and I think they started calling them that somewhere around the 40's).

In the 30's because of the Depression and the 40's because of WWII and rationing Dickies and Collars which were detachable to be worn with different dresses were very popular. They often came or were made in sets so you could have matching collars and cuffs. They were either lightly stitched in or added with snaps or buttons, so they could be removed for laundering or for adding to a different ensemble.

The style and embroidery type you have on that makes me think it's from somewhere around the 40's or 50's.