Featured I need some help id'ing the era of these dresses

I bought 2 huge antique trunks full of antique clothing probably 2 years ago. I sold a few high dollar items to pay for it all and make some money then stuck the rest away until now.

I'm uploading some pics because I'm not sure if the majority of the dresses are late Edwardian or early 20's. I'm hoping you can help with that.

I'm also uploading a picture of a pair of silk Victorian shoes which are what I sold to make some money and the wedding dress they probably went with. I also have a Victorian/Edwardian swimsuit. I have a pretty good idea what the dress and swimsuit are but thought you might enjoy seeing them.

All help is greatly appreciated.

 

At a glance... The first one does appear to be Victorian. 1850s/1860s-ish. The bathing costume is Edwardian. But nothing Edwardian about the rest; they all appear to be 1930s. So vintage, not antique. How do the ones that aren't shirtwaist dresses close? Any labels?

Debora

 

Agree with Debora on dates.
Fantastic find!

 

Some have side snaps at the waist but they all pull over the head.

Only one has a label. I haven't gotten pics of details yet. Several are handsewn.

I had more that I didn't take pics of because they were too damaged or too plain and I didn't think they would sell.

 

Thank you everyone!

The main reason I thought they might be late Edwardian is because of the number of them that were hand stiched and the length. I have the mannequin set at about 5' 5" as what I think of as average height. The length of the dresses made me think they were older.

 

You need to do a quick internet search of Edwardian fashion then. Hemlines go up and down in fashion and hand stitching in this case likely means home made. The piece likely to have greatest interest to the collector is the turn-of-the-century bathing suit if the fabric is in good condition (e.g. no moth holes) and you have both pieces.

Debora

 

I've looked at those already. Most sell for over $100. This one has a worn patch at the crotch and someone put iron on patches on the inside of it. And another patch at the bottom of the opening at the back of the skirt. Neither shows when displayed but I know it will affect value.

 

Here's some quick information on the shirtwaist style. Those appear to be store bought.

Debora

 

As for selling, you might put together a lot of the least appealing -- "too damaged" or "too plain" as you describe them -- which would appeal to a crafter interested in the fabrics or trims.

Debora

 

That was my thought too. The cotton dresses would be great for quilting and other crafts.

 

What cool dresses! The ivory shoes undoubtedly go with the wedding dress. What great finds! Thanks for sharing!

 

Very nice. I wonder if prop houses would be interested in them?

 

I especially like the 30's dresses. I don't know if you sell on eBay, but 30's dresses seem to sell well there even if damaged. You could sell them as a lot, but since you already have such nice photos of each dress on a dress form, you may do better selling them individually. I recently sold a badly damaged 30's floral silk dress for over $130 (auction format starting at $8.45). It had several holes, some fairly large that I stabilized with nylon tulle basted to the back, other unrepaired small holes, some mended rips, and several stains, but in the main photograph none of that showed. I pointed out all the condition issues and said the dress would be best used as a costume or for display. It helped that it wasn't an extremely small size. If your 30's dresses are at least a modern size small, they could do quite well on eBay because they have such a typical 30's look. I would hate to see someone cut them up.

 

I was going to sell them on ebay at first but it's a pain to sell clothing on there because you get so many questions that I can't really answer well. One of the online auctions in Maryland just ended a sale that included old dresses and they did very well. So, I took them there today. I can add a link when they get the next sale up.

 

The local online auction sounds like a good idea. Yes, please add a link. I'm interested to see how your dresses do.

 

I really like the last floral dress with the accordion pleats. Great summer dress!

 

I don't remember seeing this discussion earlier. Yes, please add a link! I'd probably be just a watcher, not a bidder. But one never knows.

 

I took them to the auction house several weeks ago but they have a backlog. They're working on their latest auction now, but I don't see them yet.

 

They are finally listed and go off tomorrow.

https://banddauctions.hibid.com/lot/165371060/vintage-dresses-as-is

https://banddauctions.hibid.com/lot/165371061/vintage-dresses-as-is

https://banddauctions.hibid.com/lot/165371062/vintage-swimsuit-and-clothing-as-is