Since then, it has served as an parlor, aand a. The upper is connected to the sole by a strip of leather, rubber, or plastic shoe dating site is stitched between it and the sole, known as a. Until around 1800, welted custodes shoes were commonly made without differentiation for the left or right foot. Culture and folklore Haines Shoe House in As an integral part of human culture and civilization, shoes have found their way into our culture, folklore, and art. The first steps towards mechanisation were taken during the by the file. He developed machinery for the mass-production of boots for the soldiers of the.
Quick Tips for Dating Vintage Here are some quick, easy-to-remember tips. YKK — Japan, since 1934. Talon Zippers — U. Lightning Zippers — Canada. Eclair Zippers — France. KIN Zippers — Germany. Side seam zippers — late 1930s-1960s. Short, center-back neck zippers — mostly 1930s-1940s. Sleeve zippers — 1930s-1940s. Coil plastic zippers — invented in 1940, but not in common use until the early 1960s. Center-back dress zippers — seen occasionally in the 1940s and early 1950s, but generally later 1950s and 1960s and in most dresses since the 1970s. Velcro® was invented in 1948, but not used in clothing much until the 1960s. Vintage slips, bras, and garters have metal hardware, not plastic. SEW AND SEW The first practical sewing machine was invented in 1829 and was used to produce French army uniforms. Machines were not in common use for civilian garments until after 1845. Machine chain stitch came first, followed by lockstitch. Lockstitch seams are rarely found prior to 1870. Hand-sewn and machine-sewn construction as opposed to hand-sewn finishing coexisted for years — until the 1880s, if not later. The zigzag machine was patented in 1873 by Helen Blanchard, but a model for home use, manufactured by Italian company Necchi, was not available to consumers until 1947. The first overlock machine serger was patented by the Merrow Machine Company in 1889. The serger has been in use since the 1920s for seam finishing. This is the overlock or serged finish we still use today on cut fabric edges inside garments. Loops for hanging found inside the neckline of vintage jackets and blouses are usually of European manufacture. Hem tape generally indicates North American manufacture. It was never used in Germany. LOOK FOR THE LABEL Look for labels in the side seams and hems of older garments. Country-of-origin labels came about in the US following the McKinley Act of 1891. It joined the CIO Congress of Industrial Organizations briefly in 1937 and rejoined the AFL American Federation of Labor in 1940. AFL-CIO merged in 1955. In 1995, the ILGWU reformed as UNITE. Union labels reflect these changes. The NRA Blue Eagle label, denoting compliance with Manufacturing Codes, was used in the U. The NRA was declared unconstitutional in 1935. The National Recovery Board was created in 1934, as part of the New Deal. The Coat and Suit Industry National Recovery Board was a trade organization meant to ensure that garments were made in accordance with Fair Labor Standards. National Labor Relations Act was passed in 1935, so these labels are seen after that date. The Fur Products labeling act of 1952 required an accurate description of fur e. The Textile Products Identification Act of 1960 TFPIC mandated the use of fabric-content labels in the U. It was intended to eliminate false advertising and the information was most often presented on a disposable paper hang tag rather than on a permanently affixed label in the garment. Permanently affixed garment-care labels were required in the U. American garments with ASTM care symbols are almost always modern. A CUT ABOVE — garment construction Watch pockets can be found on the waistline or waistband of dresses of the 1840s-1880s, and elsewhere on the dress bodice from the 1880s. Cartridge pleating of the skirt at its waist is seen from the 1840s-1860s, fading out by the 1870s. Tiny piped armhole seams date a garment to the 1870s or before and were rare after that. Three-quarter and seven-eighth length sleeves were popular from the late 1930s through the 1950s. Diamond gussets in the armhole indicate 1950s. Armholes were cut high and fitted in the 1950s and the 1970s. MATERIAL WORLD — about fabrics 18th century silk brocade with white ground usually indicates English manufacture while yellow ground usually indicates French manufacture. Rayon, or artificial silk, is a semi-synthetic fabric processed from cellulose wood fibers. The process was first developed in France in 1855. Various formulations are known as viscose English process , Modal, and lyocell. The name rayon was coined in 1924. It was used extensively for lingerie and dresses until the 1950s, when nylon became popular. Nylon, developed by DuPont in 1938, was the first true synthetic fiber. First available to consumers in stockings in May 1940, nylon was not used in other clothing until after WWII. Antron nylon was trademarked in 1960, Antron III in 1970. Dacron trademarked by DuPont refers to several types of polyester yarn. Used in clothing manufacture from 1953. Qiana, developed by DuPont, and commercially available since 1968, is a filament nylon used for woven and knitted fabrics. Its most familiar use is in the slinky disco shirts of the 1970s. Spandex known outside the U. The Woolmark symbol was first used in 1964. DATING VINTAGE SHOES Vintage shoes from before the 1970s use AAAA-DDD width sizing, rather than M medium , N narrow , and W wide. So a pair of 1940s platforms would be marked size 7AA, while a 1970s pair would be marked size 7N. The Paris Point system e. Some countries that manufacture shoes for export sensibly mark shoes in the size system of the country they are shipping to. The dot is in the middle of the scale. Sandals entered the shoe wardrobe in mid-1930s, first in Europe, then the U. After the sandal came open-toe and sling-back shoes, in the late 1930s — never before. Mules open-back clogs are likely to be European if they predate 1990. Stiletto heels tall, very slim were first seen in Italy in 1955, and with pointed toes in 1957. DATING HATS Pre-1930s hats will normally have a hand-sewn lining. Hats with interior grosgrain ribbons started in the early 1930s. The last element of a pre-1930 hat to be completed is the lining. If there are threads sewn through the lining to anchor decorations, then those decorations are not original to the hat.
