This late 1930s dress in a brown and white rayon floral print may have been made for an older, more conservative lady of the era, with a slightly looser shape that harkens back to the 1920s silhouette. I have shown it unpinned from the mannequin in the last photo. From the measurements, you can see that the bust and waist are similar in size, with only around 4 inches difference between them, giving the dress a looser fit at the waist than typical garments of the late 30s. Regardless, this sweet floral print rayon dress is lovely! The deep V-neckline has rounded, notched lapels. 2 functional buttons adorn the front bodice, which opens to the waist only. The three-quarter-length sleeves are a bit longer in the back than in front. They are puffed/gathered by small darts at the shoulders, without shoulder pads, below a narrow vertical pleat at the shoulder seam. The waist seam has a tiny pleat running along it--which looks like piping, but isn’t. Below the waist seam, the skirt is gathered and moderately full in shape to the hem. The lightweight rayon fabric has a subtle crepe texture. Because the dress has no side seam snaps or zip opening, it must pull on over the head with only the 2 bodice buttons undone—so it was definitely designed to have a slightly loose fit. In very good condition, this unusual 1930s dress has only 2 minor issues: some faint yellowing at the inside edge of the collar (not seen when worn), and a ½” mend at the back of the left sleeve (see photo). It has been recently dry-cleaned and came through with no problem, although I did remove the buttons beforehand to protect them.

Size: approx. M, with moderately loose fit
Bust: 44” flat, to fit approx. 40-42”
Waist: 40” flat, to fit loosely for approx. 35”
Hip: 60” flat, to fit loosely for up to 50”
Length: 45.5” from shoulder to hem in front
Underarm to waist length at side seam: 9”
Sleeve length: 19” in front and 21” in back
Shoulder to shoulder: 15”
Label: none

This item is sold from a vintage boutique in Chicago, IL.