Fashion

1952 – Mission Valley Ginghams

The all important plaid dress for back to school

As we continue our look at mid-century kids and back-to-school, we come to the all-important plaid dress. This ad from Mission Valley Gingham gives us a glimpse of a typical mid-century girl’s dress. Both the little girls and big girls style have a button closure and bow in the back. The look always includes bobby socks and mary jane shoes.

What makes the look mid-century typical is the fullness of the skirt and crispness of the fabric. This ad is not actually for the dress, but for the fabric.

Mission Valley is the kind of gingham designers like to work on and mother love to have their children wear. colorfast . . . Mercerized . . . Sanforized–easy to launder and always looks so crisp and fresh.

Mission Valley Gingham Ad – Good Housekeeping August 1952

I was able to find a few mid-century vintage plaid dresses on Etsy. Here’s 2 from Apricot Vintage.

Vintage Girls Plaid Dresses – 2022

Plaid continues to be popular for little girls dresses. Although the silhouette has changed a bit, the look is still loved by little girls.

Plaid Girls Dresses 2022

Mission Valley Textiles was established in 1921 and still operates in  New Braunfels Tx.

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About Janet

I'm an American baby boomer with a strange hobby. I collect mid-century women's magazines. My blog, MidCenturyPage.com is a result of a 20 year passion to scan the pages of these magazines and share them with anyone who wants to understand what mid-century women thought about, cared about, and worried about while living in the 1950's and 1960's

3 comments on “1952 – Mission Valley Ginghams

  1. Grandma's Ramblings's avatar

    I had dresses just like that with the bobby socks and Mary Jane shoes.

    Liked by 1 person

  2. Pingback: 500 Posts – A Mid-century Milestone – Mid-Century Page

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