Can you help me date this item??

[Spiffy]

Could someone help me out with this one?
I purchased it from a Navy family who was stationed all over the world, and they had this mixed in with a bunch of weird built-ins where they were selling it. I sent a picture to my mom (big-time antique addict) and she said it was clearly made of pleather....but I'm just not sure. Is it office furniture from the 60's, maybe?

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[MaryDeluxe]

Thanks Lauren!

Spiffy I'm gonna say 70's maybe 80's.

 

[Sunny]

VB those umbrellas are so fun! I'd like to learn more so I'll wait for your post on them and try not to miss it!

I pulled this out of a goodwill bin today. Help me with a date please! There is a metal zipper that goes down the front of it past waist. Front hem is shorter then the back. It's velvet. There is a small label that reads... Woodward and Lathrop Washinton

That is gorgeous! I'm with Lauren - late 1930s into 1940s. I'll hazard 1940 or 1941, since those strong shoulders are 1940s but the bodice gathers (and full skirt) are typical of the late 1930s.

 

[sixsexsix]

as there was no interest in these shoes, i am going to put them on ebay but would like to be sure about the date before posting them. can you ladies help?
http://thefedoralounge.com/showthread.php?t=32731

 

[Miss 1929]

That is gorgeous! I'm with Lauren - late 1930s into 1940s. I'll hazard 1940 or 1941, since those strong shoulders are 1940s but the bodice gathers (and full skirt) are typical of the late 1930s.

Also the beading is way more typical of the 40s. Gorgeous hostess gown! The perfect thing for sitting around and drinking cocktails by the fire...

 

[Miss 1929]

Fedora glitch

as there was no interest in these shoes, i am going to put them on ebay but would like to be sure about the date before posting them. can you ladies help?
http://thefedoralounge.com/showthread.php?t=32731

I can't get at it - when I click the thread it tells me I am not logged in no matter how logged in I am!
Can you add the pic to this thread?

 

[sixsexsix]

sorry the images are kind of big

 

[Miss Neecerie]

Its this pair

which look 30's to my very poor eye...but the experts shall speak now


*makes mighty oz behind the curtain musics*

 

[Lauren]

I'm really stumped on these! The toes don't look 30's, but the styling does. The label looks kinda 50's... but I didn't think shoes came back in this style until the 70's! So basically, that's a useless guess... someone else can have a go

 

[Sunny]

I'm never backwards at being forwards...

The silver ones have a very 1960s-looking toe to me, but other than that they look pretty classic. The vamp looks... higher and rounder, or something, than most 1960s shoes, and the backs are also nicely curved; it's a very pleasing look. Can you take a profile view that shows the heel? 1960s heels are blocky and straight, unlike 1930s heels.

The black ones look like very nice ballroom dance shoes. The toe shape looks like a pretty pair I got in the late 1990s; but ballroom dance shoes don't tend to change much in shape over the years, so they could easily be quite older than that. Is there any elastic on the strap by the buckle? That's typical of character shoes.

On both of them, too, the insole writing looks newer (than 1940s at least). I suspect you've got relatively modern shoes with unusually good retro styling. What are the soles? Leather doesn't prove anything, especially if the black ones are actually dancing shoes, but hard plastic or rubber or something else is an indication.

 

[sixsexsix]

Thanks Sunny! I was relatively sure the silver ones were 60s, the heel is very straight and blocky. Here are the soles:

The black shoes might have a little bit of elastic, it looks that way in the picture (these shoes are at home and I am at work so I can't do a simple check). When you say character shoes what does that mean? Most of my mary-janes at home also have elastic near the buckle. Here are the soles, and another picture for good measure:

 

[Sunny]

Oh, yes, the silver are definitely 60s! And very nice 60s at that.

Character shoes.

Character shoes, or chorus shoes, are used primarily on the stage, and are traditional ballroom dance shoes. They're practical because they have a clean, not-attention-grabbing look, ankle straps for stability, and leather or similar soles to allow dancing. They have variations (like T-straps, or swivel straps like the picture), but the overall shape of the toe, vamp, and heel has been the same for decades. It's really obvious with your black ones, since they work so well for the 1930s. The appearance of the sole, the elastic on the strap (very common to make sure they fit), and the wear (not much on the sole, more turning on the right foot, and more dings than I'd expect from light street wear), all make me think these are character shoes.

I think that character shoes began way back in the 1920s, or whenever ankle straps came into fasion. I don't think there was a lot of specialized footwear then, certainly not like now, so chorus girls danced in regular shoes. And because they looked good and they worked, they stuck around. In the years since then, what were at one time regular shoes became specific dance shoes. It's the same for ballet shoes. The extremely square toes and ribbon ties are typical of 1830s ladies' footwear. In the 1830s, ballerinas were dancing in regularly-styled slippers. Toe shoes began to evolve then but kept both the square toes and ribbons of the 1830s. (It's actually possible that it worked the other way: Ballerinas were just beginning to dance on toe, and the square shape and ribbons are necessary for that technique. Ballet was extremely popular, so it might just be that those styles of slippers became so popular because of it. Nonetheless, slippers had been the dominant footwear for several decades by then.)

 

[Kitty_Sheridan]

I'd say the dark pair are 60s/70s. Mum had a similar pair. Made by Dereta or someone similar.
K

 

[Miss 1929]

I agree, the dark pair look late 60s, early 70s. Because look at the back of the heel - it is almost a straight line from the bottom to where it meets the shoe, a typical look then. If they were earlier (any decade) you would see an inward curve there. Cute shoes though, they would pass for 30s for any event, unless you really need to be perfect! They do look hella narrow, though, always a problem.

 

[sixsexsix]

Thanks for all the help ladies :eusa_clap

 

[BeBopBaby]

Can you help me date these? Two purses, purchased inexpesively at an estate sale:

A saddle brown leather box purse. Typically, box purses were fashionable in the 50s, but this one seems earlier to me - perhaps late 1940s? The shape of the purse and lining/labels seem a little older than 1950s to me for some reason.

A woven fabric white purse. Pristine condition, never used.

 

[Laura Chase]

BeBopBaby, could you post the picture again?

Ladies, I have a question regarding two dresses I've recently bought. They both have belts that are sewn on and buckles that are supposed to close on the back. I found this quite queer, can you tell me when this was popular? Perhaps Vintage Betty has a catalogue where this appears? I'd love to see...

I will post pictures of the dresses soon, they are nothing special, though, one is plain black cotton (why I bought it, needed a simple vintage dress) and the other is actually an amazing chocolate brown crepe dress, but unfortunately, it has lots of holes that need repairing. They were a bargain, though.

 

[Vintage Betty]

Standing by, catalogues in hand...

 

[Laura Chase]

Standing by, catalogues in hand...

Oh, lady, you are a treasure!

Here's my dress, as I found it (wrinkled and holed). Buckle and buttons are matching brown plastic. When do you reckon it's from?

 

[Tinseltown]

That's a really interesting dress, Laura!
Maybe it was made by a lady in the 30s who wanted to make a futuristic dress?? (in regards to the buttons and the placement of the belt.)

I hope some of you have some jewelery know-how.
These rings and brooches (and a lipstick holder) were my grandmothers. I have a feeling all of these things are either 70s or 80s since my family moved countries in the 70s and didn't bring many things with them.
That being said, jewelery isn't my area of expertise, so I am still curious from when they are! Either way I love these items because they remind me of my granny..

I looooved this thing as a child! Now I just need more lippies to fll it up!

The white stone in the middle of one of them is kinda shiny and has a pinkish tint.

The shiny effect can kinda be seen here:

Thanks in advance, ladies!