Mystery Dress!

I have been having fun on EBay again. My latest purchases, whilst bargains, have posed me a couple of dilemmas; namely, (a) what to do when a dress is so far out of season it would be foolhardy to try to wear it out and (b) who the bleep was Lois Young?

I discovered a clearance line from the dress agency Corina Corina and picked up a couple of items for a fraction of their usual price. That is to say, for this sheer 1960s scooter cut dress, £1.99. Yes, under £2. Considering their usual retail prices are £30-£200, I think this counts as both a sale bargain and an ebay victory. Smugness.

It seems to be good quality home-made, with no labels or factory stitching. The no-labels thing may well be why it was such a bargain, as it wasn't apparent exactly what size it would be ('small to medium') nor how, exactly, to care for it. Additionally, the photos, being a clearance line, weren't that flattering. But I whacked in a £2.50 bid and came in well under. Yay! In terms of care, I laundered it on a delicates cycle and it came out just peachy (I use peach fabric conditioner, you see).

Bust detailing: note the sheerness..!

The only delay in wearing this dress is finding a nude slip for underneath and styling it for winter. It is a little too clean-lined and mod cut for an obvious 70s-trash-look slip underneath but it is very, very sheer. A trip to trusty M&S is on the cards for a nude underdress (so, not quite a £1.99 bargain- but then again the nuddy slip will be worn with almost all dresses as it gets colder, I stock up on therms annually). Once armed with that, I will be rocking it Helga style with bright tights and heels. Advice on warm tights and jacket/cardi combos is welcome- the white background is unusual for me and I prefer bright tights to pastels.

My other purchase was (gasp) £7.99. Sold as a 1950s piece and size 14 (being American and vintage, not a current UK 14) I went with an eye on the measurements and was glad I did, because to be honest I would place it as a UK 10 with a generous bust. I don't have the tights to model it today (i.e. my tights go from black, to sheer black, to floral black right now) however it does have some fantastic detailing such as these bum-pleats, which add incredible swish without a petticoat. I wonder if this is down to the warmer climate in Dallas, where lighter foundation garments would surely have been welcome?

I made up the word bum-pleats

I was intrigued as to whether it was actually 50s; something about the collar says 'early 60s America' to me...

To t'interweb! I googled around attempting some research, but all I have been able to throw up is that there is a lot of this Lois Young Dallas around. From price and range, it seems in the same ball-park as St Michael was in the UK - good quality but affordable and everyday. Designs crop up from (some sellers claim) the late 40s to the 1970s... cynically, I saw a major glut in the 60s with some 50s styling and designs becoming more conservative towards the 70s. Perhaps brand loyal customers from their 50s youth sticking with the brand once settled into career and/or home?

Anyway, frustratingly I could find no links to biographies, a brand website or even a Wikipedia entry. The case has gone cold, for now. If anyone can find any clues, please do pop them in your comment - it has now become one of those things which will drive me mad about an otherwise delightful, wearable and, let us not deny, cheap dress.