A Look at Two Original German Dresses

 

As of now, my collection of German patterns has grown considerably to include about over 600 individual patterns. These patterns have offered some insight into the fashions and clothes worn by women who lived in 1940s Germany and even 1930s and 1950s Germany as well. Of course patterns, like words in a book, cannot stand again true original clothes. Looking at originals offers a more tactual history because we can touch, feel, open, play with the buttons and zippers, and get a more rounded view of the clothes. Here too we can study the insides and see how they were made and not just assume based on a pattern. Today I want to take a much closer look at two original German dresses that I have in my collection. I have acquired both from the same reputable source and have worn both of them in the fall and winter. One of them you have already seen, the red velvet one, and one you have not yet seen. Each of these dresses is quite different and equally similar.

The first of these dresses is the red velvet one. This was my first German dress and is one that I have worn many times. There is no inside label for this dress and studying the inside of it, I believe it may have been made at home either by a professional home sewer or a plain home sewist. Either way it is quite well made but in a way that suggests it was not factory made. The dress opens with front buttons and a side zipper (metal and colored red to match the dress. The zipper paint has chipped at some spots). The buttons are rounded ones and covered with the same fabric as the dress. The buttons are not all uniform but some have been replaced with similar ones and then recovered. When I received this dress, there was a button missing so I am responsible for adding one of them. The buttons holes are bound and the center front is faced with a narrow strip of cotton.

Red velvet dress - back lining tacked in at the under arms and shoulders.
It is a cheap cotton

This dress has some charm to it in the shape of a peplum, where there is a side opening to accommodate the side zipper. The peplum is hemmed in a soft fine cotton bias tape in a color that matches the velvet. There is a self -fabric belt with a small bow that is lined in matching colored cotton. The bow is a permanent fixture to the dress and snaps closed although I have added a hook and eye to keep it closed.

detail of the bow belt and peplum finishing

There is no collar to this high necked dress and I think there was never one for it. . .When I wear this dress I wear a small detachable collar with it. At the neck there is a snap to keep the neckline closed.

Detail of the neckline of the red velvet dress. The front of the neckline has a narrow bias facing,
the back is finished with the back lining.

Detail of the little strap meant to keep your slip or bra strap from falling off the shoulder.
Called a lingerie strap.

Detail of the metal snap of lingerie strap.

The inside of the bodice front of the red velvet dress.
The center front for the buttons if faced with a narrow piece of cotton.

The top of the sleeve crown, it was darted with small darts.
Note the seam finishing. . .The only interior finishing that may have been done on a machine.

On the inside, there are simple seam finishes in the form of hand whip stitched edges for the most part and the skirt has been pieces together at the sides. That suggests to me that the fabric width that this dress was made out of was not wide enough to accommodate the skirt which is in the A line style and is tailored at the waist, no pleats or gathers. The bodice too is pieces but in a more intentional way to look decorative. The piecing was done to formulate a large ‘V’ formation to almost trick the eye to make the waist look smaller and the bust, larger. The stitching was then top stitched for durability and a decorative touch. At the neckline there is some bias tape to finish the neckline front but the back neck is finished with the back lining. The back lining is really unique and is in a brown cotton and is really only hand tacked into place at the underarms and shoulders. There are also lingerie guards to keep ones slip straps in place. These are made from narrow stitched strips of the lining cotton and then there are small metal snaps. There are no shoulder pads to this dress and the way it does fit I think this dress probably never had them. The sleeves are a short puff sleeve with some gathering detail.

detail of inside seam finishing

detail of inside seam finishing

detail of the inside finishing of the skirt. You can see how it was pieced.

Detail of the sleeve gathering

detail of a bound button hole

This velvet dress also has a lovely feature in the form of under arm dress or sweat shields! I think these are awesome because they prevent sweat stains from appearing on the outside of the dress. Such a practical idea! These are a fine cotton and soft to the touch. They feel like on the inside there is something there like a plastic of sorts but it may be a waxed cloth. The edges are finished in a zig zag stitch and even have a stamp on them indicating that they were a purchased item or an afterthought. They are hand tacked in.

detail of the sweat shield

the stamp on the sweat shield

Close up of the fabrics of both dresses . . . .

The next dress that I want to take a look at is my second dress that I acquired. This dress is a woven multi colored dress that is blue at its most dominant color but with red, yellow, white, and other hints of color thrown into the mix. This dress has a label at the back of the neck which suggests to me that this was professionally made at a somewhat commercial location. There are large metal and colored buttons down the center front and there is no side zipper.

Detail of one of the buttons . .

Detail of the front of the dress with the peplum, buttons, pleated waist at the skirt.

Detail of the print.

To get into this dress easier, there is a skirt placket that closes with a small hidden button. Also at the waist edge are two set of hook and eye. The first set is on the inside of the dress where the skirt and bodice seam have been bound with a white cotton tape. The tape extends to hole a hook and eye in metal. The second is on the outside waist to keep the dress closed. The hook is metal and with a thread loop. This dress also has a peplum but a very small one. This one is a little over an inch wide and is box pleated at intervals. This dress features a small collar in white that is set on to a band to make it a stand up collar. The collar is lined in a fine white cotton.

detail of the tag inside of the blue woven dress

detail of the shoulder seam inside the dress. The seams inside the blue dress are not finished at all.

Detail of the waist hook and eye clouser and some of the waist line finishing.
This is the only inside seam finishing for this dress aside from the hems

The sleeves of this dress are a long to ¾ length that are gathered into a cuff. The crown of the sleeve is fitted into the dress. Unlike the red velvet one, there are no finished seams here, the body is fitted but not pieced, and the skirt is in the A line style pleated to the waist with deep pleats. Here too there are no shoulder pads and I believe there were never meant to be shoulder pads here. As a final detail, the stripes line up beautifully here! They line up along the side seams, sleeve seams, and even at the darts. The craftsmanship here is really lovely. The material is also very soft to the touch.

detail of the skirt button placket

Detail of the metal snap at the neckline

Detail of the underside of the collar. You can see the band of dress material and then the collar.

Detail of the inside of the collar. Note the netting at the edge to finish the collar and then the large whip stitches.

This dress is unique, although all original dresses, but this one has a very traditional quality to it that the other one does not have. This dress gives off a traditional air in the material and the overall fit. Looking at photographs, Traditional German clothing, and tradition inspired clothing, has a fitted look to it in the body but the skirts still have that A line shape. This dress when worn has that fitted-ness to it and the very high neckline enhances that look too I think. The materials here too have a traditional look and feel to them as well. I think that this dress balances and bridges the two side of German fashion: modern and tradition. German women desired to look chic and modern like their American, British, and French Counterparts ad they had to balance that desire with the wants of the Nazi regime that wanted their women to wear traditional clothing, no makeup and have a healthy look. To balance both of these demands seems to be a monumental task because what is modern is not necessarily traditional and vise-versa. However, I think that this dress does manage to bridge those two sides of competing fashion.

1940s German fashion was very similar to 1940s American fashion in many ways. Some of the trends that both countries followed were for A line skirts ending below the knee, tilt hats, and overall creativity in dress despite of a war that was putting a damper on fashion as a whole. Although German fashion and American fashions were similar, what makes them distinctive from one another are small things. . . For German fashion, their dresses were made to fit a bit more snugger in the body, neckline, and arm holes than American fashion. American fashion seems to have a more looser, more sporty look.  German fashion had to bridge modern looks with traditional looks which can be seen in some clothes more than others. . .  German fashion is unique in a way by itself and studying patterns can only offer so much insight. Studying originals however, we can fill in the gaps and see how the clothes were made, how they fit, and what materials they were using. By taking the information we can gather from originals and pairing it with patterns, a more accurate and well -rounded view of German fashion can be created and a better understanding gathered.