The Vintage Dancer Dress -1950′s Swing Dress Review

Today's post The Vintage Dancer Dress -1950′s Swing Dress Review from Vintage Dancer.

Did you hear the great news? Modcloth.com, my favorite online retailer of vintage inspired clothing, named one of their dresses after me, Vintage Dancer dress! It was such an honor to be recognized as a valuable blogger and an even bigger honor to get such a fabulous dress named after me.

Vintage Dancer Dress from ModCloth
List Price: $82.99

1940′s or 1950′s?

Designed by Hell Bunny (my current fav brand) the dress is made from blue and white dot 100% cotton with a fuller skirt, white shawl collar, double breasted button top, and matching belt. At first I thought it was a 1940′s style dress but after some careful research I see that this style was common in the early 1950′s. The larger shawl collar is what gives it that 50′s vibe. It was a detail seen on semi formal and formal dresses more often than casual dresses like this one.

LOVE this dress! Wearing a vintage blue hat (40s?), vintage 50s pearl necklace, new 50′s style flats (DSW shoes)

The Fabric

Love the blue and white polka dots!

Modcloth.com was kind enough to send me a dress to review. I love the cotton material. I am a big fan of all natural materials however many cotton’s these days are pretty aweful. I wouldn’t say this is top of the line cotton but it’s certainly not itchy, scratchy, see through, cheap cotton either. For the $82 price it’s very very good material. I do plan to wear a slip and petticoat underneath it but it is not necessary. The material is thick enough and soft enough to wear alone.

The Fit

I ordered a medium and it fits perfectly. Not too tight, not too loose, and not too low (which was a concern with the wrap top.) On the Modcloth charts I should be a large but a previous Hell Bunny brand dress I ordered was medium and fit just right. The skirt length is perfect one me (i’m only 5’3) so it comes down to mid shin. When I wear a petticoat it is the correct length for an authentic 1950′s dress.

Up top the wrap front does not drop too low. If you are busty it might be a problem but it’s not one for me. Where the top layer crosses the bottom I did put a small snap in place.I can image after wearing and washing it a few times the top flap might curl outward. A snap will holds it in place better (and it is a historical technique used on many vintage dresses.) Neatness and modesty was very important in the 50′s,

Even the back view is classic 1950s!

My only quibble with the fit of the dress is the arm ease. I have chunky arms anyways so I expect sleeves to always be a bit tight. These sleeves are snug but not uncomfortable. What it needs is more ease, which means, larger hole/more fabric in the underarm area. In this dress I can’t raise my arms past shoulder level comfortably. This is actually a correct fit for the 1950′s. A lack of arm movement kept women poised and proper looking. In the modern world, I need a dress with completely arm movement for lugging around a toddler or dancing the Lindy. I could and will dance in this dress the milder 50′s swing but it is not possible for the really arm crazy, swing-out style Lindy hop.

That’s it. Seriously this is an awesome dress! I couldn’t be happier with the quality, the price and the style. Be sure to get your own Vintage Dancer dress today and thank Modcloth for recognizing VintageDancer.com!

The post The Vintage Dancer Dress -1950′s Swing Dress Review appeared first on Vintage Dancer.