Backstage at the Goldstein: Sleeveless Dress, 1920s

Readers,

This morning, May 2, I put on a spring green cashmere sweater, a wool tweed jacket I made from a 1941 pattern with dark blue-green threads running through it, chocolate brown pants, my duck’s egg blue belted topper made from a 1950 pattern, and vintage 1950s French cherry-red rain shoes. I was doing my best to dress both for warmth and for spring.

It was only 38 degrees when I walked out the door at 8 am to catch my bus to the Goldstein Museum of Design at the University of Minnesota–but I felt lucky, because at least the Twin Cities dodged the storm that blanketed a strip of southeastern Minnesota with over a foot of snow overnight.

While working with museum donor files in my volunteer job at the Goldstein I came across the file of Angela Coleman Foster. Here is one of the garments she donated to the museum.  Dating from the 1920s by an unknown maker, it is a breath of spring and summer. No, not a breath but two bracing lungfuls.  Just what I needed.

Here’s the museum description:

“Sleeveless dress extends to just below knee length with uneven hem at back, rounded neckline in front with no collar, and lower rounded neckline in back, fabric is sheer peach with yellow, pink, red, purple, and green floral pattern, drop waist with wide gathered waistband, back sash and bow, peach underdress with sheer shoulder straps.”

Angela Coleman Foster, thank you.

And unknown maker, thank you.