need help dating a Chloe knit coat

[moehawk]

Hi Ladies!

I was out treasure hunting at the thrift stores today when i spotted this item. I have a ladyfriend who loves vintage sweaters as well as all things Italian, so I decided to pick it up for her. When I got home and was able to inspect it closer, I noticed what appeared to be a date on the top of the tag. Before I pass the garment along to my friend, I wanted to know ...

a) Is that number 28/11/73 actually the date of manufacture?

and if not,

b) any ideas as to the age of the coat?

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks, John

 

[Circa Vintage Clothing]

I've often thought how wonderful it would be if fashion came with dates, but alas - with the exception of tailored items sometimes - it doesn't happen. Or at least, I have yet to see it.

Fashion companies have their own inventory codes which provide internal information that often includes a year, or a season, collection, style, colour, fabric, size etc but outside of the company employees, it's not easy to decipher the code (part of the reason it's done that way of course). Sometimes these numbers look like dates but invariably prove not to be.

Another Norma Legge label with the same "del 26/11/73" appears on a late '60s-early '70s Dior umbrella at Sydney's Powerhouse Museum. It looks like Norma Legge was an Italian manufacturer who produced high quality goods, I've found other items from the '60s and '70s, including a two piece lace set that also had the "date" on the label.

And then I found an ebay community thread which asked a similar question to yours about a top (that looks '90s) and the response came back:
"It is on many if not most Italian garment care labels, regardless of maker or importer...to show that the labelling is compliant."

So there we have it.

Your Chloe label looks like the one found in a late '80s dress, according to the Label Resource but the font didn't change much through the '70s and '80s.

Your dress looks '80s to me.

 

[Julie C.]

"Norma Legge" is not a manufacturer but is Italian for "according to the law" or "under the law".

The "Norma Di Legge No. 883 (26/11/1973)" refers to Italy's fiber/textile content labelling law , effective on November 11, 1973.
So, in this case you can be 100% sure that the piece was made from exactly 50% Mohair and 50% Acrylic and no other cheap fibers. You'll find this label on most of Italian garments or at the back of care labels, unless the piece was made before November 11th 1973.

It is a lovely coat/dress! I think 90s...my sister had a similar one in the late 90s.

Julie

 

[retro ruth]

Good information Julie thank you.

It's a reminder that when actual dates (rather than numbers that look like dates) do appear on a label, all it means is that the garment can't be earlier than that, but could still be much later. Occasionally you find 'copyright' and a year on labels, but it doesn't mean the garment was made in that year. Eg I've had a few garments made in DAKS/Simpson house check fabric, and they often say Copyright 1976 on the label, which is when their house check was copyrighted, but the garment could have been made in any year since then.

 

[Pinkcoke]

I'm going out on a limb here and saying I think it is more modern - as I purchased a rib knit top with this collar myself around 2002. I may even have a photo or the garment still somewhere.

 

[Jonathan]

It might be late 1970s - Sweater coats were hugely popular then and the Chloe label looks like an older one...

 

[moehawk]

Thank you all for the information, especially clearing up the bit about the textile law of 73 thing. I apologize for the slow response to your efforts, my computer had some issues....

Thanks again, John