1950s Australian Designer Black & Gold Polka Dot Dress- New!
Measurements
Size: Small
Top
Bust: 36 inches +91 cm
Under Bust: 32 inches + 81 cm
Waist: 26 inches + 66 cm
Length from Outside Shoulder: 19 inches + 48 cm
Zipper Length: 12 inches + 30 cm
Skirt
Waist: 26 inches + 66cm
Hips: Free
Total Length from waist band: 27.5 inches + 70 cm
Hem Length: 3.5 inches + 9 cm
Zipper Length: 7 inches + 18 cm
Note: Measurements taken from outside, flat and stretched seam to seam.
Description
* Striking 1950s quality crisp black cotton dress set
* Fabric design features gold polka dots
* Painted swirl embellishment in gold paint
* Classic silhouette with cinched waist and full skirt
* Sleeveless bodice with notched neckline
* Bodice shoulders are also notched
* Bodice top can be worn under or over skirt
* Circle skirt with pellon stiffening for structure and fullness
* Unlined , raw seams with hand finished hem
* Back top with metal zipper, skirt with size metal zipper
* Label reads John J Hilton Individuals
Gyula Heitler, born in Bratislava in 1912, learnt from a young age how to buy and sell in his parents’ general store. Arriving from Europe in 1947, Gyula changed his name to John J Hilton and worked for his sponsor Alexander ‘Gigi’ Schwarz at Olympia Fashions, a dress shop in Pitt Street, Sydney. Then, together with his elder brother Emil, he started a business manufacturing ladies knitwear. Adopting the trading name, John J Hilton, they looked around for Australian creative-fashion opportunities and decided to focus on women in their mid-twenties and older, offering them elegant and durable dresses at a fair price. The business grew to 100 employees, with showrooms around Australia and representatives in Paris, New York and London. It was, in fact, one of Australia's largest women's fashion houses during the 1950s and '60s. The company's slogan was "It's a Honey, it's a Hilton". Hilton clothes were sold in all department stores. At its peak it made made more than 300,000 garments a year and Hilton was regarded as a doyen of the industry. John J Hilton was one of the first to export Australian fashion to Japan, as well as to Singapore, Hong Kong, Canada and United States. A pioneer in the use of wool in women’s dresses, John J Hilton was the recipient of fashion awards, including the Australian Wool Award. Hilton ran the company until the 1970s, when it was taken over by Osti, in turn taken over by the Dunlop group. Hilton continued to run the John J. Hilton division of Dunlop until he retired from the business in 1978. (Courtesy of Design and Art Australia Online and SMH)
Condition
This dress set is in excellent condition for its age. No flaws that I can see, absolutely gorgeous!!! Cleaned and ready to wear. Please drop us a line if your require additional information about this listing.
Shop Policies
Availability
This item is within our selling stock. In the unlikely event that two buyers purchase this item concurrently, payment will be immediately refunded to the latter purchaser. We apologise in advance should this rare circumstance arise.
Postage
We make every effort to post your item within 1-3 days of payment. Should a circumstance arise where we are unable to post within this timeframe (eg we are away at a fair) we will contact you immediately. Please note that our postage charges are based on standard international and domestic air packages - all with tracking. If you want to upgrade to express postage or require insurance, please contact us prior to checkout and we will adjust the rates accordingly.
LayBys/Layaways
Yes we do offer flexible layby/layaway options and are open to negotiation as to the time period. Obviously, the more expensive the item the longer the time you will have to finalise payment. Contact us to see how accommodating we can be :)
Special Orders
If you are looking for something that you don't currently find in our shop - let us know we may be able to help you with a special listing!
Photography
Our photos are taken with a mix of studio and ambient lighting. Whilst we take care with the colour balance of our photos, individual computer monitors register colours differently depending on their calibration. If you want the exact colour shade drop us a line and we will give you the Universal Pantone colours that match the item.