This one is a multidirectional key and flower print on a black ground that was used for a short sleeved dress with a peplum.
Once again shearing is used at the shoulder to gather and soften the bodice.
A peplum was added at the waistline in solid black rayon fabric to simulate the effect of a jacket without actually using the extra amount of fabric that would have been required to make a jacket.
Here is a dress made by Anita Starr in the 1970’s for C’est Moi using pieces of cold rayon fabric salvaged from ragged old 1940s WWII era dresses that were no longer usable.
These dresses are made in the WWII spirit of mend and make do thereby creating a whole new dress design out of reused fabrics. One of them was worn by Geraldine Chaplin in the movie Nashville.
Anita Starrs dresses for C’est Moi used so many bits and pieces of cold rayon dresses that they serve as a library of cold rayon WWII era fabric prints!
Betsey Johnson used a fabulous cold rayon print in her 1990s cocktail mini dress in a nod to the 40s…
Liz Claiborne came along with this beautiful rayon print and her version of the 40s inspired dress in the 80s – again doing the short sleeves and the narrow skirt that elongated the woman’s figure
Rayon takes dyes very well so the fabrics created were bright and feminine giving women a much needed cheerful lift in the WWII era and easy to produce in simple geometric designs and floral prints.
The other day someone told me she wanted to see more Cold Rayon Dresses and wanted to buy them, and she asked me to post more. I explained that they are now very hard to find. I do put them in my online vintage stores whenever I come across one, but it is difficult to find them. If you see one you like in your size grab it! If you see a dress length of Cold Rayon Fabric buy that as well. It was usually made in 4 yd or 4 meter lengths of 35″ – 39 ” wide fabric which is barely enough to make a dress. You can make a dress or get a seamstress to make you one in a pretty WW II era pattern. There are a lot of old patterns out there and they are not hard to make. The fabric is not being produced anymore so vintage Cold Rayon has become rare and is highly collectable.
You can find several Cold Rayon Dresses and other rare and beautiful historic clothing and accessories for sale in my online shops.
