The examples in this post feature photos from after 1900. To see examples of earlier fashions see the first post here. A timeline of photography and relevant links are at the end of the post.
The clothing details in an old photograph that will narrow down it's date range the most in both men's and women's wear are found in collars/necklines, sleeves, shoe styles, and hats. Specific to women's wear will be telltale details like a skirts length or fullness and blouse fit. Specific to menswear will be waistcoats/vests, pants, and hats. For photographs that are bust style portraits; the sitters hair style will also be important to consider.
****
It's easy to miss the delicate floral embroidery at the ankle of her stockings. The detail looks out of place when you do notice it but decorated stockings were actually common throughout the Victorian and Edwardian periods. The embroidery on the stockings in this photo are most likely 1905-1910.
 |
| Stockings detail |
Her blouse is a typical Edwardian tuck waist style popular from about 1910-1920 except that it seems she decided to skip the light shirt/collar that was often attached or worn underneath resulting in a rather low neckline for daytime wear.
 |
| A 1915 tuck waist blouse Image from AgelessPatterns.com |
Her hat is smaller than the picture hats of the Victorian period but still quite large. It's still adorned with feathers like earlier versions but only has two feathers instead of an entire bird. It's probably from between 1910 and 1920 when the large and impractical hats that were covered in flowers and feathers in the previous years had begun to go out of style because they couldn't fit inside of cars.
 |
| Hats of 1917 Image from VintageDancer.com |
Likely date range of photo: 1910-1920
***
Continue reading after the jump
 |
| Jacket detail |
 |
| 1948 Suits Image from VintageDancer.com |
 |
| Shoe detail |
Likely date range of photo: 1945-1950
***
Dresses got progressively more simple after WWI when loose fitting "popover" dresses became fashionable instead of earlier dresses worn with corsets. To modern eyes it looks as if her dress is too big but this was an intentional style choice meant to make the wearer better fit the ideal body type at the time which was flat chested and boy like. This trend is highlighted in the "necklace scene" in Thoroughly Modern Millie and reiterated in this promotional video for the film. Also in fashion at the time was the drop waistline. Drop waists became lower and lower during the 1920s while dresses got shorter. Since this dress has bead or sequins details and a longer length (which could also mean she was just a modest dresser) with a waist only slightly lower than her natural waist its probably an evening dress from 1920-1925
Her strappy Mary Jane style shoes came into fashion at the end of the 1910s as the button up boots of Edwardian period looked odd with newer style dresses that fell above the ankle. Learn more about 1920s women's shoe styles here.
Likely date range of photo: 1920-1929
The photo below is also from the 1920s. I'm including it because it's a perfect example of how someone with limited funds would make due by restyling older clothing to fit the current trends. Her sweater is probably second hand since it's a bit too tight to fit the current trend for boyish figures but she's tried to counter that with a low slung belt or sash tied around her hips to mimic a drop waist. Her shoes are entirely out of fashion but her checkerboard edged hat and long necklace are right on trend for the time and were presumably much cheaper than buying new clothes.
***
The guys outfit is kind of unremarkable and hard to place in any specific era at first glance. The most telling details of his ensemble are his wide fit pants and the style of his vest. The vest has six buttons and four pockets (which are hard to see but trust me all four are there) and was standard during the 1930s. Earlier vests were double breasted with two pockets and therefore considered more formal but in the thirties fashion was becoming more casual and only older men kept to the older more formal styles.
The crease in his pants came into fashion during the 1920s and can still be seen in men's and women's pants today. In the 1930s there would have also been a second crease at the back along with a cuff.
 |
| Vest and pants detail |
Based on the shade of his clothing I think it was probably a deep tan complemented by a darker tie with what are probably golden colored dots. Tan was a common suit color for summer wear in the 1930s. (And yeah, this image is in black and white but when I say shade I actually mean value. My art school education has turned out to have all kinds of applications.)
 |
| Examples of suits from 1937 Image from VintageDancer.com |
Likely date range of photo: 1930-1940
***
Sources
Disclaimer: I'm not a fashion historian and the dates given in this post shouldn't be taken as absolute fact but guidelines for dating your own photos.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Spam and comments that do not respectfully contribute to the discussion will be deleted.