"Paris Plays With The Eternal Feminine" (Woman's Journal, November 1938)

 Now for another look at high fashion in the final months leading up to World War II.

Creed

A year of browns, but all sorts of warm, alive browns, and a year of long coats, and all sorts of outlines in coats.  These three from that great tailor Creed show one fitted, and two straight and concealing.  There is a Magyar cut in the tweed coat on the left with a silk cord fastening twisted round the golden seal collar.  The centre model, in a brown that Paris calls brick, is one of those neat tailored sports coats of which no one tires.  The third model shows the new trim waist and the favourite seal fur on blue and beige tweed.

"Creed"was a French firm founded by an English tailor in the 19th century.  In 1938 most of the fashions produced by Creed were designed by the founder's son Henry and his grandson Charles.  Looking to the future, Charles Creed relocated to London after the fall of France, where he became the the first elected member of the Incorporated Society of London Fashion Designers.

Australian Home Journal, May 1948

 In May 1948, the Australian Home Journal offered its readers patterns for three "frocks" (depicted below) and its usual budget of fashion tips and news.  As you can see from the cover, the patterns were for dresses that were longer and fuller than their wartime predecessors, but still a long way from Dior's "New Look".

Here and There.
High rising necklines are accepted on day-dresses but are not particularly liked because they are not comfortable.  They are not wanted for wear after five.  It is felt the lower neckline is more appealing.

Everybody loves long sleeves, and hates capes because they expose the sometimes unattractive underarm and layers of underclothing.  Long sleeves are wanted on everything because they add to the long slim look of this season's favourite line.

Longer hemlines are selling well; in fact they started selling last season and are going well now.  They are popular on all type dresses because they are felt to be fashionable and make the wearer look slimmer.

Customers do not especially like dressed-up wool dresses.  They are buying jerseys and wools with sequin trim and detail because they can find nothing else.

It would appear that many women weren't satisfied with the clothes available in the shops!  Perhaps the magazine was hinting that they would be better off buying an Australian Home Journal pattern instead.

Found Online: Vogue, 1910-1919.

 Some generous soul (or more likely, institution) has put the complete run of Vogue  from 1910 to 1919 online at the Internet Archive.  That takes us all the way from the last Edwardians to the first flappers!

In 1909 Conde Nast bought an ailing weekly called Vogue, dedicated to recording the doings of high society (and their clothes).  Nast took this uninspiring magazine, gave it a new look, issued it fortnightly instead of weekly, added a dash of arts and news reporting, and expanded its readership.  In short, he turned it into the Vogue we know today (though fashion and Society remained at its core).

So let us take a look at the women of the 1910s and their fashions as seen in Vogue.  Hang onto your hats, gentle readers, because this is going to a helluva long ride. 

1st April 1910

Styles of '65: Pinafore Dresses (Simplicity Pattern Book, Autumn-Winter 1965)

 The pinafore dress (or jumper) was usually considered to be a youthful fashion, so naturally it was popular during the youth-conscious 1960s.  These designs from Simplicity Pattern Book of Autumn-Winter 1965 were intended to be worn by sub-teens, teens and juniors.

6098 - Sub-teens', teens' and juniors dress or jumper

6134 - Teens' one-piece jumper with two necklines - Simple-to-sew

Pinafore dresses were also easy to make, which made them perfect for girls just learning to sew.  The designs above were both part of Simplicity's "How-To-Sew" series of patterns.

"New Ideas in Jumper Costumes" (McCall's Magazine, April 1908)

 I had something more elaborate planned for today, but Real Life™ stepped in.

In American parlance, a "jumper" or a "jumper" dress is the same as a pinafore dress in British or Australian English—that is, a sleeveless dress made to be worn over a longer sleeved blouse or top.

[Left] This lovely gown is made with a blouse waist of white China silk, with a narrow pointed yoke and and a stock collar of Irish lace.  The sleeves are short, reaching just below the elbows, but long sleeves can be used instead if preferred.  Over this blouse is worn a most attractive over-blouse of the skirt material, a soft shade of pink chiffon broadcloth.  This is edged with narrow black velvet ribbon, set off by a line of soutache braid and trimmed with tiny ball buttons.

[Right]  One of the new princess jumper skirts, worn over a waist of allover lace, is illustrated on the colored plate... A fashionable green and white checked woolen was chosen for the jumper skirt, but the pattern is suited to broadcloth, cheviot, serge, Panama, as well of fancy woolens of all sorts... The waist or slip in our model is of allover Renaissance lace, but any variety of lace, China, taffeta or fancy silk, allover embroidery or lingerie can used for its development if desired.

"All-Day Frocks" (Weldon's, 1934?)

 This publication doesn't have a date, but the original owner cut some of the free pattern pieces out of newspapers.  Searching Trove for some of the articles printed on the pattern pieces ("RAILWAY PILFERING.  Forty Bottles of Beer Stolen") I managed to date them to 1934.  This would indicate that Weldon's All-Day Frocks pattern brochure was published no later than 1934 (though it could have been published a year or so earlier!)

6248—Smart Dress with Draped Collar.
6249—Pretty Dress with Puffed Sleeves. 

Two delightful frocks, so easy to make and smart in any of the lovely Ferguson crêpes—such as crêpe Fersyl or Rosemary crêpe, or in Courtauld's satin, etc., either plain or patterned weaves, such as San-Toy.

The editors of this catalogue made a lot of suggestions for brand-name fabrics! I leave it to my readers to decide whether they were paid promotions or not.

Australian Home Journal, April 1956

Let's look at some of  the ladylike fashions of the mid-1950s, as depicted on the cover of the Australian Home Journal.  In Paris, couturiers produced an endless succession of "lines" and "looks" each season.  In the towns and suburbs of Australia, however, fashion in the 1950s took a more "steady as she goes", approach.  

Thoughts of what to wear in the coming months, as Autumn deepens into Winter, are uppermost in the minds of most of us just now.  Although there are no revolutionary changes in line, the new season's styles offer infinite variety to the home dressmaker.  The slender silhouette is a fashion leader.  Other styles, by concentrating attention on the hips, achieve the longer line which is so flattering to those who lack height...

The use of tabs for ornamentation as well as practical purposes is a feature of many autumn styles.  Artfully used at focal points they add importance to the line of a frock or coat.