Vining posted a picture of her grandma's dress that had sat in an attic for 25 years
The internet helped her identify its origins by asking her followers to do the same.
She's learned more about her family history after she solved the mystery.
On April 30, 36-year-old Adeline Vining posted a video on TikTok in a dress that belonged to her grandmother. Vining told Insider that she had no idea that the dress she put in a suitcase in her attic would be viewed 7.5 million times.
It was quite overwhelming to have thousands of strangers tell me that I look beautiful because of a dress.
Vining was connected with a fashion historian and auction house who helped her understand the value of the Dior piece. She was able to connect with her family history as a result of digging and uncovering new information on TikTok.
Vining narrated the story of how she got her grandfather's Dior dress after his death, as she was the only grandchild who would fit in it.
She said that she couldn't find an occasion to wear a vintage Dior dress. I wanted to know more about my grandmother through the dress. She said that she contacted Dior about a dozen years ago but they weren't very helpful.
The comment section exploded last night. People tagged the Oscars in hopes of getting an invite for Vining to wear the dress, others offered suggestions on how to store the dress, and others shared stories of their grandparents' clothing.
Users tagged fashion historians in the hope that they could help. One of the people was Henry Wilkinson, who is based in London. He saw the video and thought it was an early piece from Christian Dior.
The zig-zag trim on Vining's dress helped him conclude that it was from Dior's autumn/winter 1949 collection.
The design was shown at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.
After discovering the dress's history, he advised her to get the dress insured.
She got in touch with Kerry Taylor Auctions in London after Henry encouraged her to get her grandmother's dress valued. Kerry Taylor told Insider that the dress was worth between 30,000 and 350,000 dollars. Vining was floored by the valuation.
Vining said that when he looked at the dress, he realized it had been taken from the bust and waist. The dress was believed to have been worn by her grandmother before she died.
Many viewers said they were hoping for more information on the dress. Vining created a separate TikTok playlist called "That Dior Dress" which has eight videos.
Vining and her family have been through a lot in the last few weeks. The attention the dress received on TikTok made her family share old photographs of her grandmother on their private Facebook group. Vining said that her uncle found a picture of her grandmother dancing in a dress.
My grandfather was so proud of his service to France in the foreign office that he became a member of that office. She said she was happy that she was able to meet her grandmother.
Vining wants to learn more about her grandmother's death. She told Insider that the story was straight out of Disney and that she would be sharing it on TikTok.
Check out the coverage from the Digital Culture team here.
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