"La Pastorale" Catalogue (Summer 1961)

"La Pastorale" was a dress located at the "Paris End" of Collins Street in Melbourne.  Then, as today, the area was known for its high-class fashion boutiques.  Unlike today, when most of the stores sell international brands (Ralph Lauren for example) back in the 1960s many of the shops sold local labels. 

The summer dresses below look fairly simple, but judging by the prices listed, weren't designed for the mass market.  They range in price from around £3 to £6, which may not sound much to modern ears, but was was close to a third of the average male weekly wage (£18.5s.7d)—before taxes.

MIX 'N' MATCH CO-ORDINATES TO MULTIPLY YOUR HOLIDAY WARDROBE

 

DELICIOUS 'N' DELECTABLE, THAT'S YOU IN GAY GORGEOUS NEW COTTONS!

 

3 MORE NEW COTTONS, EXCITINGLY DIFFERENT AND OH! ... SO SMART!

 

COTTON! THE FASHION FABRIC FOR THIS SUMMER, IN 6 SMART STYLES!

 

AS NEW AS TOMORROW WITH EMBROIDERY, PIQUE, LACE OR RIBBON TRIM

 

EXOTIC COTTONS, RICH WITH COLOR... NEW ON THE FASHION SCENE!

 

A CHORUS OF LOVEABLE COTTONS TO WHOOP UP YOUR SUMMER WARDROBE

 

COTTON UP TO SUMMER IN ANY OF THESE GAY, SMART STYLES!

Comic Postcards of "Harem Skirts" (1911)

It all begins with the designer Paul Poiret who liked playing with orientalist themes and created some daringly modern fashions in the decade before the First World War.  In 1911 he introduced his most controversial fashion to the world: "harem skirts".  His design, influenced by costumes from the Near East, consisted of billowing trousers gathered in at the ankles and worn under a tunic reaching to the instep.

Naturally something so new, and so shocking (Women in trousers!  Whatever next!) came in for a fair amount of ridicule.  In Britain comic postcards were just coming into their own.  The publishers and the cartoonists who worked for them couldn't resist joking about the latest nonsense to come out of Paris.

I found all these in a collectibles shop in Melbourne.  Where it's possible to work out a date for them they all date from 1911.  It's fairly safe to assume that the remainder are from that year too.

In spite of all the fuss—or because of it!—very few women, apart from a few avent garde fashionistas, wore "harem skirts".   However, only a few years some women did start wearing trousers—war workers. These practical garments were a far cry from Poriet's fantasy "harem" pants, and that is, as they say, another story.

"A Hat For Every Frock" (Needlecraft Magazine, June 1929)

What is stylish 1920s outfit without a matching cloche hat?  It's no longer possible to run down to the nearest hat shop to pick one out, but fortunately it's still possible to make one.  Christine Perry and Maren Thoresen came up with these patterns in crochet originally published in 1929.

No. 3903 N—with Crocheted Brim

Using double thread (one end from each of two balls), chain 6, work 1 double in each of 5 stitches and 3 in end stitch, drawing up the loose end closely, so as not to leave a hole.  Continue with 5 doubles down opposite side of chain and 3 in second end. 

From this point continue round and round, increasing so as to keep the work flat by occasionally working 2 stitches in one along sides as well as the ends.  This is especially important at the beginning of the crown, as it must not "cup" or "peak" at the center.  Neither should the stitches be increased so rapidly that the crown shows a tendency to frill.

Work in this manner until the circumference of the top is of the same measurement as your head-size.  To make sure of this, measure with a tape drawn snugly around the head at the point where the hat is desired to rest, and multiply the number of inches by the number of stitches which your work counts per inch.  Then continue working without increasing until the side of the crown is of proper height, which necessarily varies with different individuals.

The brim is made in two parts—a front which falls softly about the face, and a back which turns up against the crown.  The length of the front must be determined by each worker, to suit her own face, and should extend to the point where the "turn" would come if the brim extended all the way round and were turned up across the back.  Mark the points where the brim is to end, with pins, remembering that the oval center of the crown-top should extend from front to back.

Work 1 row between these points without increasing, then chain 1, turn, 2 doubles in first stitch and continue across, increasing 1 about every 15 stitches, so as to keep work flat, the same as crown.  Work 2 doubles in end stitch, chain 1, turn.  Continue back and forth in this manner, always increasing in each end stitch, then chain 1 before turning, until brim is of the desired width—about 10 rows.  Fasten off.

For back brim, join thread and work back and forth without increasing, chain 1 each time before turning, for about 9 rows.

For the embroidered trim: Cut out paper motif, baste in position on crown and work row of running-stitches just outside edge, picking up only a thread or two between the surface stitches, which should be fully half an inch in length.  After this row is worked, remove paper and fill in design with rows of running-stitches spaced about a quarter of an inch apart.

For the embroidery use rope embroidery-silk in a contrasting color to that of the body of the hat.

 No. 3905 N—with Felt Brim

  The crown of this model is made in exactly the same manner as No. 3903 N.  After the brim is cut it is placed around half an inch inside the crown all around and secured both inside and out with fine sewing-stitches, making sure that the front and back are in line with the lengthwise oval of the crown top.

Although this model will work out attractively in any color-combination, it is exceedingly effective in a white crown with brim and trim in flame-red felt.

Eight or nine balls of No. 5 perle cotton will be needed for this crown, according to size of head.

Spring Hats from "New Idea" (May 1903)

It's spring in Australia, so time for some spring hats!

Once upon a time nobody left home without some form of head covering, and what you put on your head and the etiquette of wearing it depended on your class, age and sex.  This plate shows some of the latest styles available to the fashionable woman of 1903.   As you can see, the hats were both large and heavily ornamented—and hats and their trimmings would continue to grow into the early 1910s.

From top left to bottom right:

"This pretty little French sailor is made of alternate rows of rose-colored satin straw-braid and plaited ribbons of the same color.  Four bunches of dwarf rosebuds and foliage are held against the crown at the front, sides and back, by knots of two-inch rose-colored velvet ribbon."

"A fancy turban of black straw.  The brim is draped with white Cluny lace held to position with narrow black velvet ribbon.  A spiked aigrette of heron's feathers is fastened at the left side, and a rosette of black velvet ribbon with falling ends is set at the back."

"An exceedingly smart toque of fancy straw.  The crown is appliqué with a motif of coarse yellow lace in leaf points, which hold two white clipped quills in position.  A knot of black velvet ribbon at the right side is carried to the back through incisions in the straw."

"The "scoop" of an earlier day is to have a revival of popularity.  This is a graceful example of the style.  The hat illustrated is of white French chip, trimmed at the back with sweet peas and foliage and bows of pink and lavender Liberty ribbon."

"A beautiful evening hat of pale-blue Malines.  The form is covered with folds of the tulle, appliqué with medallions of Irish crochet lace.  The brim, formed of the medallions mounted on a backing of Malines, lifts decidedly at the left.  Thick folds of Malines are held to the edge with small lace units.  A bird-of-paradise-feather is fastened to the left side of the crown."

 You may also notice that some of these hats are trimmed with feathers from rare species of birds.  This sparked one the first modern environmental movements of the twentieth century with people working to get the "feather trade" outlawed. 

Exhibition: Balenciaga - Shaping Fashion

Bendigo is not one of the places that immediately springs to mind when you think of Haute Couture, but over the last ten years Bendigo Art Gallery has hosted some of the best exhibitions about fashion to appear in Australia.  Its latest is no exception. From the V&A comes Balenciaga: Shaping Fashion: an exhibition studying the work of one of the masters of fashion design.

Flamenco dress, 1961

Cristóbel Balenciaga was a Spanish designer who left his native country and set up shop in Paris during the Spanish Civil War.  Though he spend the rest of his career headquartered in Paris (where all the resources and talents of French couture were available to him) he retained strong ties to his birthplace.  Many of his designs had a strong Spanish influence, whether they drew upon the traditional costumes of bullfighters and flamenco dancers, or borrowed styles from ecclesiastical dress.

This exhibition mainly explores Balenciaga's work from the 1950s and 1960s, when he was at the height of his fame.

Because Balenciaga trained as a tailor he was an expert in cut and fabric.  His designs usually started with the fabric rather than a sketch—"it's the fabric that decides" he declared.  Outwardly simply garments were cleverly cut and put together with great precision.

Toile

Back to Balenciaga: Shaping Fashion.  As well as displaying lots of gorgeous gowns, the curators of this exhibition decided to devote a portion of their exhibition space to the construction of the clothes.  This included an x-ray of one of the evening dresses, showing the inner boning supporting the apparently unstructured garment (as well as a couple of pins the original seamstress had left in the hem!)  One of Balenciaga's toiles was mounted on a dummy, demonstrating some of the techniques of his craft. 

Opposite to the toile was a case containing various dressmaking tools used in the house of Balenciaga.

Cape in white gazar, 1963

There were certain motifs that reoccurred in Balenciaga's designs: for example, the fitted front and the bloused back, bracelet length sleeves and necklines that stood away from the neck.  (The last two of these were to allow his wealthy clients to display their jewels more easily!)  In keeping with the exhibition's emphasis on the technical side of Balenciaga's work the signage on the displays pointed out these and many similar details.  The label on one evening cape (originally worn by Gloria Guinness) not only explained how it was made in two parts, but also pointed out that there were concealed (and very handy!) pockets in the side seams!  

Tunic, 1967

This leads me from the technical side of Balenciaga to the commercial: who bought Balenciaga's clothes?  Firstly, there were the private clients.  Balenciaga made clothes for some of the wealthy and socially prominent women of his day, including Ava Gardner, Gloria Guinness (original owner of the cape, above) and the Baroness Philippe de Rothschild (original owner of the tunic, left).

Harrods fabric book

However, private clients, however wealthy, were not enough to sustain a couture house by the 1950s.  Balenciaga made most of his real profits licensing his designs for reproduction (usually to upmarket department stores).  The exhibition contained promotional material from Harrods spruiking their licensed Balenciaga designs, as well as a book of fabric samples, used to match the licensed copies with their designer originals.  

Also displayed were a number of dresses from "Eisa", Balenciaga's smaller (and less expensive) establishment in Madrid.

The last few displays in this exhibition were dedicated to designers who were inspired by Balenciaga, including Courréges, Givenchy, Mary Quant and Yves Saint Laurent.

Balenciaga closed his business in 1968.

From Eisa, 1951-

Suit, Autumn-Winter 1954

Courréges, 1965

Sari dress, 1965

Lastly: what is an exhibition without a catalogue?  I'm pleased to say that this exhibition is accompanied by an excellent book: Balenciaga: Shaping Fashion by Lesley Ellis Miller.   In nearly 200 pages the author explores Balenciaga's background, craft, clients and legacy—in other words, fleshes out the topics of the exhibition.  The book is illustrated by some excellent photographs of dresses in the V&A's collection (much better than my phone camera snaps!) as well as reproductions
of in-house sketches of his dresses and pages from contemporary glossy magazines. 


Balenciaga: Shaping Fashion
London: V&A Publishing, 2017
ISBN 978 1851 177 9031
191 pages

"Diana Dresses" (1955)

All sorts of fashions made their way down couture catwalks in the 1950s—the 'A Line', the 'H Line', the 'Sack' and the 'bubble' skirt.  However, judging from the advertising in the fashion magazines, one design remained popular with the public through the entire decade and into the next: light summer dresses with narrow waits and bouffant skirts.

Here are a few advertised by just one manufacturer in the year 1955.

"Make It Easy" Pattern 3 (1984)

In Part 3 of the "Make it Easy" sewing course we're given a pattern for a blouse and a jacket—shown here with a fluted collar and a skirt in matching material.

As our beginner sewer gradually gets more experienced the lessons become more advanced.  In this issue we learn about fitting that most eighties of fashions—shoulder pads!

Fitting Shoulder Pads

Foam rubber shoulder pads can be bought in two or three thicknesses.  These last longer if they are covered with lining fabric, cut in one piece on the bias and folded over at the armhole edge. Ready-covered pads are also available.  Check that the cover fabric is washable, or remove the pads before cleaning.

Before sewing in the pads, adjust their position until they look right.  Pin on the outside, on one side of the shoulder seam, not all the way through the pad, but just enough to hold them in place.  Stitch inside to the shoulder and armhole seam allowances only.