1952 – Mission Valley Ginghams

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.

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

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

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