1910s Clothing: How to Date and Value It

Last reviewed 2026-10-04 by the AntiqueCostume editorial team · Sources · How we research

The 1910s are the decade when women's clothing moved from the corseted Edwardian figure toward the loose shapes of the 1920s, and they split cleanly into two halves: before the First World War and during it. If you can tell an Empire-waisted, narrow-hemmed dress of about 1910-1914 from a wartime outfit with a tunic and an ankle-skimming or shorter full skirt, you can usually date a 1910s piece to within a few years. Specialist auction prices for 1910s clothing mostly run $300-$950, with couture and unusual pieces reaching $1,500-$3,000 or more.

Quick answer

Revived Empire (high) waist, softer natural figure, narrow column skirt, sometimes a hobble hem: about 1910-1914.
Tunics layered over skirts, the hem rising to the ankle and then above it, skirts fuller and sometimes tiered: about 1914-1918.
A looser, barrel-like line at the end of the decade leads into the 1920s.
Strong colour, Orientalist motifs, lamé and metallic lace point to the Ballets Russes and Paul Poiret's influence after 1910.
A zipper in a 1910s dress means a later alteration or a later garment; zippers were not common in women's dresses until the late 1930s.

Quick dating: how to tell it from neighbouring decades

Silhouette. 1910s: Empire waist and narrow column skirt about 1910-1914, tunics over fuller, sometimes tiered skirts about 1914-1918. Edwardian: the S-bend, with a pouched mono-bosom bodice and tiny waist. 1920s: the straight, dropped-waist chemise, which grew out of the barrel line of 1918-1919.
Hem. 1910s: floor or instep before the war, sometimes a hobble narrow at the ankle; at the ankle and then above it during the war. Edwardian: flaring to the hem and trained at the back. 1920s: just above the ankle early, near the knee by about 1925-1927.
Waist. 1910s: raised, Empire line, still leaning high in wartime. Edwardian: small natural waist over a straight-front corset. 1920s: dropping toward the hip.
Collars and sleeves. Edwardian day dresses have very high boned collars and, mid-decade, small sleeve puffs. About 1908-1914 the boned collar fades and sleeves become slim and plain.
Closures. Hooks and eyes, buttons and snaps in all three periods. Sundback's fastener was patented in 1917 but went on boots and bags first; a dress zipper is a later feature.
Seams. Machine sewn, often hand finished; serged seam finishing came into use in the 1920s, so it is a warning sign on a supposed early 1910s garment.
Details that recur. Hobble skirts (about 1908-1914) and the higher waist straddle the Edwardian and 1910s labels, and women altered their clothes. When features disagree, the later feature is usually the safer date; check the waist, hem, collar and construction together.

Silhouettes and how they changed

About 1910 to 1914: the Empire line and the hobble

The 1910s opened with a softer silhouette than the S-bend of the previous decade. The bust was still emphasised early on, but a revived Empire waist emerged, and Orientalism took hold after the Ballets Russes performed Schéhérazade in Paris in 1910. Paul Poiret popularised draped fabrics, vibrant colours and a column-like silhouette; he introduced "harem" pantaloons in 1911 and is credited with the hobble skirt, narrow enough at the ankle to restrict a woman's stride. Hobble skirts were short-lived, peaking between about 1908 and 1914. His "lampshade" tunic belongs to the same years.

Poiret liked to claim he had abolished the corset, and other designers were also moving away from corseted looks at the same time. Other leading names were Jacques Doucet, known for fluid designs, and Mariano Fortuny, whose finely pleated silk Delphos gown dates from about 1907 and whose pleating process was patented in his name.

About 1914 to 1918: wartime

The war changed the shape of everyday clothes before the United States entered it in 1917. Tunics were worn over skirts, suits were the fashionable daywear, and, according to the Vintage Fashion Guild, the hem first rose to the ankle and then, during the war, to well above it. Bodices leaned toward a higher waist and skirts were full and tiered. Women's uniforms borrowed the long skirt-with-tunic look of civilian dress.

Pre-war or wartime? A quick comparison

Feature	About 1910-1914	About 1914-1918
Waist	Raised, Empire line	Still leaning high
Skirt	Narrow, column-like, sometimes a hobble hem at the ankle	Fuller, sometimes tiered, worn under a tunic
Hem	Floor or instep	Ankle, then above the ankle
Mood	Orientalist colour, draped and theatrical evening wear	Practical suits and tunics, uniform-like daywear

1918 to 1919: toward the twenties

After the war, simple styles continued and a barrel-like silhouette appeared, which would develop into the dropped-waist chemise of the 1920s.

Fabrics, fibres and new materials

Material or development	Date	What it tells you
Silk charmeuse, chiffon, crepe de chine, satin, velvet, tulle	Throughout	The core evening and afternoon fabrics
Lamé, metallic lace, beading and sequins on tulle or net	Especially pre-war evening wear	Orientalist and theatrical evening looks
Cotton lawn, voile and net	Summer dresses and "tea dresses"	White and pastel summer dresses continue from the Edwardian era
Linen, wool broadcloth and serge	Suits, walking suits, coats, dusters	Tailored daywear
Fortuny pleated silk (Delphos)	from about 1907	Fine permanent pleats; auction descriptions often note Murano glass beads along the edges and seams
Viscose rayon ("artificial silk")	US production from 1910	Possible but uncommon in 1910s dresses; the name "rayon" dates from 1924
Weighted silk	19th century onward	Brittle silk that splits along folds; a major condition problem

Construction clues

Fastenings. Hooks and eyes, buttons and snaps. Gideon Sundback's "separable fastener" was patented in 1917, but zippers were used for boots and bags first and only later for clothing; a dress zipper is a later feature.
Underwear. Mary Phelps Jacob patented her backless brassiere in 1914, and the term "cup" appeared in 1916. Letter cup sizing only arrived in the 1930s.
Seams. Machine sewn, often with hand finishing; serged (overlocked) seam finishes came into use in the 1920s, so serging is a warning sign on a supposed early 1910s garment.
Union labels. In the US, the "White Protocol" label was agreed in January 1913 between the ILGWU and the Dress and Waist Manufacturers' Association to show a garment was made in sanitary conditions; Steel Zipper's union label guide says the program ended in 1918. Our ILGWU and union label guide covers later labels.

Labels and makers

Couture labels you may see from this decade include Poiret, Callot Soeurs (founded 1895), Lucile, Paquin, Worth, Doucet, Drecoll, Babani and Fortuny, along with Maria Monaci Gallenga's stencilled velvets. Most surviving 1910s clothing, though, is unlabeled or carries a department store or dressmaker label. Check any famous name against the Vintage Fashion Guild Label Resource, and see our label dating guide.

What 1910s clothing sells for in 2026

Figures below are realised prices at Augusta Auctions (US, including buyer's premium) for lots dated 1910-1919 sold from 2022 to 2026, and at Kerry Taylor Auctions (UK, "sold for" prices including premium). Many lots contain two or three garments. The low end usually reflects damage or group lots; the high end is complete, very good and often labeled. All figures are estimates as of 2026.

Garment	What it looks like	Low end of results	Typical	Strong results seen
Evening dress	High waist, tulle, chiffon or charmeuse over a foundation, beading, lamé	About $160-$340	$340-$690	$3,000 for a hobble-skirt evening dress (February 2024); £1,430 for an early Callot Soeurs Orientalist dress, 1912-15
Beaded or sequined evening dress	Beads and sequins on tulle or net	About $220-$310	$310-$560	Around $875
Day or afternoon dress	Silk or cotton, high waist, tunic layers	Under $250	$340-$1,060	$3,375 for two silk day or afternoon dresses (December 2025); £910 for a Jeanne Paquin silk dress, c.1919
Tea dress or lingerie dress	White or pastel cotton, net, lace	About $220-$250 for two or three	$340-$560	Around $940
Coat, cape or opera coat	Cocoon or kimono-like evening coats, wool day coats, dusters	About $160-$400	$400-$940	$2,000-$2,750 for Babani and lamé evening coats; £1,300 for an Assuit evening coat
Suit or walking suit	Tailored jacket and skirt, linen or wool	About $160-$310	$310-$810	$1,440 for two wool walking suits dated 1910 and 1914
Wedding dress	Silk satin, lace, high waist	About $280	$470-$880	Around $1,190
Shoes and boots	Buttoned boots, evening shoes	About $220	$400-$810	Around $1,250
Wartime uniform	Red Cross, work and service uniforms		$440 for a US Red Cross uniform, 1918	$3,875 for a "Womanall" cotton work uniform

Sold prices on eBay: antique 1910s dress · 1910s edwardian evening dress

Couture names push results sharply: Augusta sold a Paquin taffeta cape dated Spring-Summer 1915 for $1,937.50, a Drecoll walking ensemble coat for $1,875 and a Worth brocade evening gown, 1912, for $2,750. Fortuny Delphos gowns sit in a market of their own; recent Augusta results ran from $6,250 to $18,750. For general marketplace comparisons, which usually run below specialist auctions, try check sold prices for antique 1910s dress on eBay or check sold prices for 1910s edwardian evening dress on eBay.

Accessories and imported pieces. Smaller items have their own steady market. Kerry Taylor sold a pair of black leather button boots with lattice cut-work uppers, dated 1919, for £390, a Japanese embroidered silk robe made for the European market in the 1910s for £416, and a Cantonese embroidered silk shawl of about 1910 for £442. At Augusta, three Art Nouveau beaded bags made $312.50 and three Mandalian painted mesh bags $343.75 in 2022, while a cloche and a hat with Wiener Werkstätte enamel buttons reached $3,125 (December 2023), showing how a design-history connection can multiply the value of an ordinary-looking piece.

Menswear. Men's clothing from the 1910s turns up mostly in mixed lots. Recent Augusta examples include five cotton or silk men's shirts for $687.50 (December 2024), unworn gentlemen's stockings and an undershirt from France and New York for $437.50 (December 2024), and a collection of Chicago menswear spanning 1910-1955 for $375 (June 2024). Unworn, labeled or documented pieces (a named wearer, a tailor's label, military history) are the ones that stand out.

What moves the price. Completeness and the condition of the fragile layers: tulle, net and chiffon tear, beads drop, and weighted silk shatters. Labels, a strong Orientalist or avant-garde design, provenance and wartime history (a documented uniform, for instance) all add value. Our condition grading guide explains the terms auction houses use.

Costumes and reproductions that get mistaken for the 1910s

Late Edwardian and early 1920s pieces. These are genuine antiques, just misdated. A high waist with a narrow hem is early 1910s; a straight, loose, dropped waist is 1920s.
Film, theatre and reenactment costumes. Costume houses build convincing period outfits; Kerry Taylor's November 2025 sale of film costumes from the London costume house Cosprop is a reminder that these are collectible in their own right, but they are not antiques. Check for polyester thread, modern lace, zippers, serged seams and modern hooks.
Altered garments. Some 1910s dresses were shortened or restyled later. That makes them altered antiques, which can still be interesting and saleable.

Our full checklist is in reproduction vs antique, and identifying fabrics covers how to tell silk from rayon and synthetics.

What to photograph for an appraisal

Front, back and side on a form or flat, with any tunic layers and train arranged so the shape shows.
The inside: foundation bodice, waist stay, seams, closures and any label.
Close-ups of beading, lace, lamé and embroidery, and of any shattering, splits or bead loss.
Measurements: bust, waist, hip and full length.
Provenance: photographs of the wearer, military or service history for uniforms.

See photographing and listing vintage for lighting and layout, and storing vintage clothing before you put a fragile tulle dress away.

Not sure what you have? Appraise a photo