"Pin-me-up" frocks! In 1925 Modern Priscilla offered these two evening dresses to its readers: one for a matron (on the right) and one for her debutante daughter (on the left).
From the description I gather Modern Priscilla provided everything: from the lengths of fabric already cut out to the trimmings. All that remained was sewing up the seams. Which sounds like... ready made with extra steps?
I've quoted the text from the magazine in full, because it's so informative.
PASSAP was a high quality (engineered in Switzerland!) double bedded knitting machine. Apparently a bit harder to learn than an ordinary knitting machine, it was famed for the different kinds of stiches and effects it could produce. In 1970, the year this booklet was published, PASSAP's top model was the Duomatic 80—operated by punch cards!
A knitting machine can't function without patterns, so twice a year PASSAP issued a magazine containing its latest styles. The cover of this issue features a knitted pantsuit suitable for casual entertaining: very modern and suitable for making up in the latest synthetic yarns.
Smart trouser-suit for ladiesSize: to fit a 34" bust approx.Materials: 19 oz. brilliant synthetic (or Lurex) yarn, waist elastic, 1 buckle for belt if desiredPattern: The complete trouser-suit in stocking stitch, purl side outwards.
Stalked by a pantomime dame and wearing a dress made of foil wrapping paper, this cover girl is all set for Christmas.
Cinderella on-her-way-to-the-ball is Andrée Melly. Her gown. . . a golden tissue of lamé organza, looped into the prettiest princess dress (with its own foundations for a perfect fit). By Three Kings.
(All right. Her dress wasn't really made of foil wrapping paper!)
Andrée Melly was an English actress, probably best remembered for her role in The Brides of Dracula.
Long evening dresses certainly existed in the mid-1960s, but they were reserved for the most formal of occasions. If you wanted to go out to a restaurant, on a date, to a party, for cocktails or dancing at one of the new trendy "discothéques", you would probably choose a knee-length skirt instead. Below are some very stylish outfits for a night out from Skylark Fashions.
Style 828—SHEER ILLUSION—A floaty, flatering outfit that will lift your spirits right up to Cloud #9! You're an angel, a blithe spirit, a fairy princess in this charming dress and drifty cape outfit of lace and nylon sheer. The dress is fully lined with taffeta; the wispy coat has a face-framing lace collar that makes you look as beautiful as you are. Maize, blue or pink with white lace.
We're nearly at the end of the 1940s at this point, and the fashions foreshadow the 1950s. The Australian Home Journal still reports on Hollywood fashions, but in this issue is very much focused on the latest collections from Paris.
The way that women look will not have greatly changed due to the Paris Spring dress collections...
Shoulders, despite a move to square them, remain on the slope. And there are still plenty of princess, beltless dresses although we have said goodbye to the difficult Empire lines which rose so high under the bust...
Necklines
Necklines are styled this year. For example, there are star-pointed collars, a mandarin neckline which develops from a bib-yoke of contrast stitch, a button-opening neckline with small Peter Pan collar and bodice-pocket flaps repeating the curve of the collar.
Pattern 7452 (the centre one on the cover) shows how a more "styled" neckline could be adapted to meet the needs of a home dressmaker.
Peterson's Magazine for November 1878 shows a selection of dresses in the style of the late 1870s: close fitting (worn over long, boned corsets) to below the knees, with the bulk of the ornaments and the material pushed to the back in the form of trains. The look is balanced by very high hair-dos and hats. Even the "walking dress" has these features—reminding us that the outfit was intended for promenading rather than serious exercise.
FIG. I. WALKING DRESS OF OLIVE-GREEN CAMEL'S HAIR...
FIG. II. VISITING DRESS OF EMERALD GREEN VELVET...
FIG. III. VISITING DRESS OF GRAY SILK, TRIMMED WITH NARROW GARNET VELVET...
FIG. IV. RECEPTION DRESS OF YELLOW SILK, PRINCESS SHAPE; worn under a dress or black Spanish net which is woven to fit the figure.
FIG. V. CARRIAGE DRESS OF SLATE-GRAY SILK...
Number 4 strikes me as being the most interesting garment of the lot. It's curve-hugging silhouette and plunging neckline could almost be from Hollywood circa 1950!
Let's take another look at high fashion in the days leading up to the Second World War.
We shall be seeing many stripes this season —worked straight, slantwise or as you will. Anny Blatt, who makes these fascinating knitted models, has caught the fever with charming results. There is the neat tailormade in red and black stripes for the daring and debonair, and a delightfully youthful dress in stripes of grey, cornflower blue and wine red, simulating pleats at the hem. The almond green rib knitted suit has a graceful hip-length cape which doubles its advantages.
