threads of the sixties
Mid 1960's
1964 Pink beaded midriff dress
Material: polyester
Donor's story
Margaret Mae Lentz (1925-2023)Â formerly lived in Bremerton, now resides in Shelton, WA.
Affectionately known as Mimi, Margaret was always the family member who brought everyone together for Thanksgiving or Christmas at John and Margaret’s Bremerton home, or a summertime gathering at Lost Lake. Mimi was born in Elma, Grays Harbor County, WA, on September 27, 1925 as Margaret Mae Newquist and was raised in Tacoma. She and John had three children, son Frank George Lentz and two daughters, Carol Ann Lentz Cornish Smyth, and Janet Lentz Breuel. Mimi’s love of family inspired her to hunt for long lost relatives through her genealogy searches. She was always busy with hobbies, such as photography, making dollhouses, sewing clothing, and creating all sorts of needle work mementos to commemorate special family birthdays and weddings. She loved to waterski and had her last jump in the lake was in 2019.
Description
Mother-of-the-Bride dress worn by donor at her daughter Janet’s wedding July 11, 1964 to Kenneth Darrell Breuel. Polyester fabric, back metal zipper, elbow-length sleeves, pink acetate lining, bead work around midriff, boat neck in front and scoop neck in back. No label—home made by donor.
Polyester context
A polyester textile is the same PET material (polyethylene terephthalate) as a plastic soda bottle, only extruded into a filament rather than molded into a container. In 1950 DuPont was the original maker of polyester in the US (based on British science researchers). By the 1960s their invention freed women from their ironing boards as they poured into the workforce, feeling liberated in their double-knit pantsuits. Polyester held bright colors better than cotton, linen or wool, making it ideal for psychedelic prints, disco attire, and sports teams on new color televisions. It was inexpensive, and it didn’t wear out.
