This is a spectacular one-of-a-kind mermaid costume that is from the 1950s. It has 3 pieces—the lower body piece with fins, a long-sleeve top, and a full-length cape. It was very hard to show pictures that do it justice!

Newspaper stuffed in the fins is from November 1958. That doesn’t mean the ensemble was made in the 1950s (it could be from the ‘40s and was put in later), but I’m guessing it really was made in the ‘50s.

I’m not sure what the fabric is but it’s turquoise or aqua with tiny silver threads through it. The tailoring on these pieces is beautiful—I have pics on the details but not enough room to include them, so let me know if you want to see them.

Here’s a blow-by-blow of each piece, including condition issues—some of which may be hard to see in the pictures, but look closely regardless:

Body piece: From the waist down to the bottom (but not including the fins), it’s 34” long. The waist is 32” (it was originally much smaller but was let out). The hip measurement (about 8 ½” or 9” down from the waist) is 38”. It has a side zipper. The bottom has a slit and some of the seam down to the fins is ripped out so you can walk (just barely). The slit has snaps. The fins are made of turquoise felt and have silver glitter on the top; some of the glitter has worn away. As I mentioned above, they’re stuffed with newspaper. It has several light stains on both the front and the back, and a line of darker stains on the back—see pics. Some of the silver threading is worn away or snagged. It is lined.

Top. The top is 30” underarm to underarm, 17” long, and the sleeves are 21” long. The sleeves are pointed on the top end and have a snap closure. The neck has a snap closure on the side. The top has a zipper on the lower left side that doesn’t work. It is lined. There are stains at and around the neckline and some fading elsewhere. The silver threads are missing or snagged in some areas. The lower right seam needs about a 1” repair.

Cape. This is gorgeous in itself. It’s full length and lined, with 2 snaps at the top. It’s 49” long. The collar is turquoise felt and has little sequin crowns maybe intended to be Neptune’s crown. It has one noticeable stain on the side toward the back (see pic) and other lighter ones in areas, especially in the lower back. There’s a hole toward the bottom on one side toward the back—see pic. You don’t see the dark stain or hole from the front. Some of the silver threads are loose or missing.

I’ll include a nude-colored body suit to wear if the top doesn’t work for you and a set of plastic shell boobs with strings. The body suit is 25” long from shoulder to crotch, although it’s stretchy and can be bigger if you need. The sleeves are 17” long.

I have faithfully recorded the condition issues that I have seen, although there may be some I haven’t noticed. Despite the issues, this is a statement piece that will get you a lot of mileage!

I have more pics of this set than I was able to post. Let me know if you’d like to see them.

I recommend dry cleaning instead of hand washing, but up to you.

This item is sold from a vintage boutique in Jenkintown, Pa.