Antique-Gown

Elegant reception dress, ca. 1912, label: Grant Bros * Croydon. Croydon is a large town in south London, England. The antique dress is a one-piece. It comes with a turquoise blue waistcoat, which has the same floral embroidery as the dress. Back to the dress: the basic colour of the dress is pink. A lace overdress is attached over the silk underdress. Beautifully designed walking slit. Flowers on the chest and back - pink fabric, gold-coloured lamé. We have rarely seen a dress that has been closed so cleverly and ingeniously with hooks and eyelets, but also with press studs. Clearly a dress that would have required a lady's maid. The dress is in good condition. It could still be carefully worn today as it is a more "normal" size. The only drawback: it has a few stains (on the waistcoat, the lace, the underdress). As a reception dress could also be worn in the afternoon or at dinner, we assume that this one - because of the stains - is a dinner dress. Provenance: English collection from Croydon. The pink feather boa and jewellery are not included.

Grants department store was founded by Mr Richard Grant and his brother Mr William Grant in 1877, as a modest drapery business at no. 17 Croydon High Street (then No. 8). The family lived above the shop, but within a few years they needed to expand the shop. In a few years the department store had over 60 departments, including Hairdressing Salons, China, Glass, Hardware, Restaurants, and outside catering. Richard Grant died aged 75 in January 1924. William Grant died on the 3rd of March 1931 aged 79. The Grant family sold the store in 1983, and it finally closed in 1987. 

Bust:  ~ 90 cm
Waist: ~ 75 cm
Length: ~ 140 cm