IDENTIFICATION

WHAT IS IT? 

CLASSIFICATION BASED ON:  FUNCTION, dress

 ON MATERIAL,  casual, summer dress

ON CONSTRUCTION,  mass produced, good/medium quality dress 

AUTHENTICATION:

I bought the dress at a vintage clothing store in Toronto, for $28,including taxes.  The store has second hand clothes as well, but there is mostly accessible-priced vintage.  Dresses' prices range between 20 and 60 dollars.  The dress came with all labels untouched, and it shows no signs of wearing.  Either the store’s owner bought it from another store,  or from its original owner who never worn the dress.

The fibers were manufactured by EUROMOTTE, a spinning company that still works today in Belgium and manufactures  fibers and yarns. The company was founded in 1907, under the name of S.A. Etablissements Motte. Its activities were originally the scouring, combing, spinning and dyeing of wool.    In the 1960's, Motte launched a continuous textured yarn made of  a polyester and acetate base.  Today, Motte Spinning Company concentrates its production  on three branches:  upholstery velvet weaving,  technical textiles ,and knitting.

 The company, which weaved the tricot and manufactured the dress,  is from Switzerland and is called CAMP.

 The dress is probably from the 70s ,but it could also be from the 60s.  During the 70s dresses with contrasting combinations of printed or knitted fabrics and plain fabrics, were very popular.  I could check the history of textile-caring labeling. There has been some international standardization ,and the label can yield some light as to when the dress was manufactured.

Other dresses from the 70's that look similar to the dress analyzed

EVALUATION

The dress was mass produced, probably with high standards of quality control. The seams are strong and neat, as well as the finishing details.  The fabrics require little care; they are easily washable and do not require ironing.  Although the colours might seem quite bright for today's taste, there is a nice balance between the patterned and plain fabrics.  The dress was probably intended for working women who wanted to look nice and fashionable,  but had little time for taking care of the garment. The dress was made in Switzerland.  It might have been  something different and not every Canadian might have had access to a dress like this. However, it is not a designer's dress.

CULTURAL ANALYSIS

The early seventies had three outlandish trends: clunky platform shoes, long dresses and hot pants.  They were more sixties than seventies in attitude.   pants were the successor to the miniskirt, succeeding in showing more leg, more cheek and more attitude than had been previously displayed.   About 1973, the sixties' freakiness faded out  and the real seventies style emerged.  It can be best described as " conservatisms with a choice." For a while,  conservative browns and beiges were popular.  Women,  moving in greater numbers into professional jobs, needed suits and conservative dresses , and thus, the dress-for-success look appeared. It was the decade of the pants, which showed more variation in just one season than the whole  fifties.  Sportswear was introduced into fashion main stream; women worn  joggings when they were not jogging and tennis outfits when they were not playing tennis.  Health and exercise became a way of life and a way of dressing.

Colour symbolism: Yellow is a warm color that, like red, has conflicting symbolism. On the one hand it denotes happiness and joy, but on the other hand it's the color of cowardice and deceit. Yellow can be perky.

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