Early 1920s Silk Dress Ensemble

This dress is one of those rare, delicious treats from the early 1920s jazz era...the time in fashion history that exuded both daring and as well as risqué elegance. 

This sheer dress with matching sheer liner or petticoat is dripping with lace and made entirely of silk. It would have taken weeks to create, as it is literally covered with heavily padded, ivory white on white hand embroidery. 

The photographs best describe the absolute beauty of the silken lace. Both pieces are original to the overall design and the dress dates to circa 1921-1924. 

The sensation of the silk upon your hand is memorable. It is designed with white on white, heavily padded hand embroidery and the dress is fully hand sewn.  

The period green silk ribbon will be included with the dress. It measures slightly over 2 yards or about 185 cm in length. It was used to tie up the outer overdress without putting strain on the silk. Again, this will work for display purposes...or a restoration may allow adequate strength within the casings. Originally, it appears that thin silk ribbons ran through the ruffled waist casings found within the interior of both the overdress and underdress. It appears these were designed so that they would have been pulled taut again the hips. This created a magnificent draped silhouette that emphasized the waist and hips. The original ribbons were not with the dress when the collection was presented. 

Of course, typical to this period in fashion history, no fasteners were used and the dress simply slips over the head. The original owner would have worn a simple silk slip beneath, in an ivory or very light pastel color of her choosing. 

The dress has a bust measurement of 32-33 inches or 81 to 84 cm. The hip measurement is a slightly generous 36 inches or 91.5 cm. 

The dress has a dropped hip silhouette that is approximately 3.5 to 4 inches or 9 to 10 cm off the natural waist. The overall length of the underdress from the back shoulder seam to the very bottom of the lace edge at hem is approximately 49.5 inches or 126 cm. The overdress is shorter so as to show the glorious lace of the underdress beneath. The overdress has a total length from the shoulder to bottom hem measuring approximately 47.5 inches or 121 cm.

Vintage 1920s Sterling Silver Lorgnette or Articulated Reading Glasses

Articulated reading glasses or lorgnette with Downton Abbey Style! 

Diminutive, but hard-working, these reading glasses are perhaps one of the most useful vintage 1920s fashion accessories.

Nearly a century old and made entirely from sterling silver, the eyeglasses unfold with quick, strong spring action. Simply push down on the little nob adornment and the little magnifying glass pops open to reveal the spectacles. It's a cinch to fold them back into place! 

In a sleek, classic style suited for either men or women, the eyeglasses are also designed for use with either the right or left hand. 

The magnification is most comfortable for anyone who is at that certain age where readers are needed…a rough guess is that they are somewhere between a 1.5 or 2 magnification with high quality glass that one rarely finds today. 

This delightful lorgnette is stamped “Sterling” under the nose bridge piece. There is no maker’s mark. 

The loop at the end of the handle may be used to slip over a chain and worn as a pendant for women…or could be creatively attached to a gentleman’s fob. Most certainly, this lovely lorgnette may be slipped into either a breast pocket, wallet or even the smallest evening purse. 

While closed into a magnifier, it measures approximately 3.5 inches or 9 cm in length. The magnifying glass is approximately 1.5 inches or 4 cm across. While open, the spectacles measure 4.25 inches or 11 cm across. 

This lorgnette is certainly a very wonderful example of 1920s glamour that will be appreciated by any Downton Abbey or Roaring Twenties aficionado.