Zippers: How To Date Vintage

What We Share & Why We Care: In modern Western tradition, women's clothing is historically representational of our status in the community and eventually the workplace. Regardless of gender, race, religion, era, geography- as humans, we all use our clothing to express, rebel, or comply, with societal regulations. We recognize and celebrate the history in every stitch and style.

One way to date clothing and verify it's vintage authenticity, is by zippers.

Look to see what the zipper is made of, but especially where it is located! Metal zippers are all you will see, till the move to plastic zippers in the mid '60s.

Women's clothing will have zippers beginning in the 30's,, though mostly tucked away in the underarm, hidden under a flap of fabric, or very small in size.

In early dress fashions, the zipper was considered inappropriate or vulgar if worn by a woman... A little metal tease, or a reminder of the EASE in which a woman could be defrocked.

You look lovely in that dress

Can I Test the zipper for you?

Designers and dressmakers went crazy for zippers in the '40s and '50s. While the less obvious, or hidden location of a ladies zipper remained the prevalent placement style in gowns throughout the 1940's; by the 50's they are big -and they were (mostly on your) back.

1950s Tea Gown Size 4 $52.00

I adore vintage Tea Gowns or 50's dresses, I have many in my closet that I can only wear if someone is around, beside the dog. I can usually spot a 50's dress at a distance. Big clue is the full length, more visible, and really well-made, middle of your back -zipper. The kind you need a coat hanger to get on...

Why make it so hard, you ask...

Women were expected to live with parents, then husbands, well except maybe that "crazy" lesbian, Great-Aunt that lived in a women's boarding house and worked in the typing pool... But for everyone else, there was always some authoritative figure around to be the one delegating-up or down-who's zipper gets zipped.

Just think of what that zipper on your jeans represents historically!

Is being lace in & zipped up, just one step away from a chastity belt?

Moving into the '60s & '70s, zippers and their placement, is a reminder of our own personal freedoms, self-reliance, feminine identity and sexuality. We all know you can actually get almost any dress on by yourself and probably even drive your own car; but as always, women's clothing can be historically representational of our status in the community and workplace.

While the zipper has been around a while, over 200 years if you look it up, Its a small, but specific time period (about 35 years) that I refer to when dating an unmarked garment by zipper alone.

Note: It can be harder with handmade clothes, Many handmade or plus sized pieces have metal zippers or have been replaced with plastic. This information is based on my own collection and experiences. For more groovy info, check out my post next week about seams 'n such and my favorite- pinking shears :)

I won't even get started on the decadent decade- the '80s-

the glittering anomaly in a century of fashion.

Now go to your closet and feel up some zippers!

You are armed with a new skill.

A note to the collector:

When replacing an old zipper, I always buy vintage metal zippers. Buy online, or from sites like Etsy, remove bits from another piece of clothing... just always do your best to replace or remove vintage parts without adding new crap. It's a pierces to my heart when I see this sort of thing.

Photo Credit: https://whosayssew.com

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