1930s Vintage Pinafore Dress!

Description

This 1930s vintage pinafore dress is absolutely sweet!

This tiny gal is intended to be worn over a shirt, dress, or slip. The bib is open at the sides. It would make a fabulous period costume for film, TV, or theater!

This dress is in great vintage condition for a piece of this age. There is a very small spot just below the waistline buttons, which I’ve photographed in detail.

Features front button closure. No zipper.

Fabric is crisp blue chambray. This dress was handmade. Measurements, taken flat, are:

B: 13″ bib

W: 12″

H: Open

L: 42.5″ shoulder to hem

So, what makes a pinafore dress a pinafore dress? Leave it to the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising Museum to fill us in on the details. Basically, the pinafore, which rose in popularity in the late 19th century, is a dress with a bib overlay that it intended to be worn over a shirt or another dress. It offers a layer of protection for play or work.

I dated this to around the 1930s. It would obviously need to be layered on top of another article of clothing, like a shirt or dress. You couldn’t wear the dress alone. It wasn’t until the 1940s that pinafores became dress in and of themselves.