Vintage Empire Waist Dress with Hooded Cape Style Jacket, 1960s Evening Wear Set Size XS-M
Sleeveless empire waist dress with two long layers of skirt, and a matching hooded coat with 3/4 length puff sleeves. There are no tags in either piece but it came from the estate of a woman who had a lot of high end and designer evening wear. This is a truly stunning set and is really unusual! It's a bit of a baffle to me, but I feel like its such a great statement piece for so many aesthetics or occasions. Very fairycore, elven, white witch, Renaissance, Medieval. Great for evening or formal wear, but also beautiful for character or costume work.
The dress is a tank style with a large keyhole back and and empire waist that ties in back. The top is unlined, and the large opening makes wearing a bra challenging - but I did not have an issue with this being see-through. Of course, there could be an issue if there is stark contrast beneath (for example, if I wore a black bra underneath, the contrast against my pale skin may be noticeable). The skirt is two layers and not see through at all.
The jacket has 4 covered buttons at the yoke, at the top of the chest. Puff sleeves are 3/4 to bracelet length, and have a structured cuff at the bottom. There is a voluminous hood and the unlined fabric is quite long and full.
I would expect a more expensive piece to have either a lining or a more "finished" look inside (rather than the obvious seams with large seam allowances) so I am not sure what this piece was. As I said, the original owner had many designer pieces, so I wonder if this was custom made, or a work in progress, or a sample piece of some sort? It is unclear, but this is still quite stunning and unique.

I think the fabric is silk damask but there is no fiber content tag. This is a sturdier and more substantial fabric.
and it’s in overall good condition but does have some very light yellowing in a couple of spots as shown. There are also two spots where there is a red line in a seam - this is coming from print on the selvedge of the fabric, also shown. This has already been soaked and hand washed, air dried, and steamed out.

The original owner was VERY petite (5’ tall and a 25” waist) but this measures larger. I assume it was meant to be swingy, and it’s shown on a size small model who is 5'11". For best fit, please compare the measurements below to your own, or to the size chart of a brand that fits you well.

DRESS:
Bust: 40”
Waist: 28” (if opening is fully closed)
Hips: free
Shoulder to hem: 55”

JACKET:
Jacket measures pretty free.
Bust: up to 50"
Across shoulders: About 14"
Armpit to cuff: 14"
Shoulder to hem: 56"

Inventory AA5

This item is sold from a vintage boutique in New Jersey.