David Jones catalogue (Autumn and Winter 1951)

 These pictures come David Jones's Autumn and Winter catalogue of 1951.  David Jones was (and is!) an upmarket department store, and its catalogues were aimed at its country customers.  The clothes advertised inside would have been good quality, but fairly conservative in style.

Apart from that I don't have much to say about the fashions below.  Let the pictures speak for themselves.

JAEGER coats box or belted style, all fully-lined

These beautifully tailored coats are made in camel-coloured wool and fully lined with good quality lining.  In cosy "Jaeger" with easy-fitting raglan sleeves, you'll be ready for the coldest winter.  Each has vent back.

"Bridal Fashions" (Australian Women's Weekly, June 17 1950)

 After the distressed 1930s and the turbulent 1940s came the placid and conservative 1950s.  The parents of the baby boomers were getting married and settling down in the suburbs, so I think that a bridal gown is the perfect way to kick off this decade.

This is a classically simple dress, made in what appears to be satin.  You'll notice that though it is quite décolleté it has sleeves and covers the model's shoulders.  This is because bare shoulders were not acceptable at a church wedding in the 1950s (and brides wearing this kind of dress would have almost certainly have been married in a church).

For some reason I couldn't find a description of the dress on the cover of this issue of The Australian Women's Weekly. (There were, however, plenty of other bridal designs inside the magazine, which you can browse here.)  And of course there were plenty of ideas in the issue's advice column:

As a constant follower of your dress column I am seeking your advice about my wedding frock.  Clothes are so expensive to buy, I wondered if it would be possible to have a frock I could convert after the wedding into a dress for dances.  Would a removable train be suitable and possible?  I am having white silk organdie for the frock, and as I am rather a girlish type I thought a frilly trim would be nice.

White silk organdie with self-pleated ruffles for the trim would be charming for a spring wedding.  The train could be made detatchable (yes, I think it an excellent idea) at the waistline.  Have the bodice top form-fitting with long sleeves plus a ruffle to form a yoke effect.  Later, sleeves and yoke can be revised.  Have the ruffle again to finish the hemline and outlining a long, oval-shaped train.

"Dress sense" by Betty Keep, Australian Women's Weekly, June 17 1950

June is in winter in Australia, so the fashions depicted here would probably been used in planning a spring wedding in September or October.

Vogue Pattern Book (British edition, Autumn 1949)

Since I began the decade with a Vogue pattern for a suit which could be worn as separates, I thought I'd end it with a Vogue pattern for a dress and jacket that looks like a suit.

ON THE COVER.  Matched colour—contrasted texture: an oatmeal jersey dress buttoning from neck to hem at back; oatmeal tweed jacket.

 Fitted and buttoned down the back—the very reverse of wartime practicality!

1949 saw the end of clothes rationing in Britain (it ended a year earlier in Australia).  The British edition of Vogue Pattern Book, which had been subsumed into Vogue magazine was once again being published separately.  Britain was still a long way from being a consumer society, but it was on the road to recovery.

"Those Extra Inches" (Needlework Illustrated no. 192, 1948)

 1948 and in the teeth of much opposition the verdict was in: women wanted to wear "New Look" (longer, fuller) style skirts.  Perhaps they were longing for some femininity and a dash of luxury after years of wartime austerity.  The problem was that, three years after World War II ended, there were still shortages of, well, nearly everything.  This was especially so in Britain where rationing and regulations still dictated fashions.  This is where Needlework Illustrated stepped in, offering its readers ideas for turning their dowdy "old look" skirts into exciting "New Look" styles.

Wakes, Winter 1947

 In the annals of high fashion, 1947 was the year in which Christian Dior unleashed his "New Look" upon the world.  It made a big splash in the news internationally.  The makers of everyday fashion, however, decided to play things safe. How could they tell whether they were looking at a genuine shift or just a passing fad?  This was especially pertinent when you consider that many countries still had rationing and/or shortages of materials.

The fashions from Wakes catalogue below illustrate this approach.  Waists are slightly emphasised, but shoulders remain broad.  Skirts are fuller, but still only come down a little way below the knee.

THREE PIECE ENSEMBLE

CYCLAMEN-RED AND JET BLACK team together in an all-wool ensemble incorporating all the new season's newest features.  The collarless jacket comes in the gorgeous new Cyclamen-Red illustrated.  Cut in 7 figure-hugging gores, with divinely figure fitted back, darted front panels and simulated hip pockets.  Appliqued Jet-Black motif on the front, smoothly tailored shoulders, narrow tie in front half belt.  The pencil slim skirt has a graceful long inverted pleat both front and back, dart-fitted back, firm waistband—zip placket.  The prophetic three-quarter length coat picks up the cyclamen-red in its appliqued shoulder motif, features full-cut sleeves, twin pockets, poker straight shoulders, boxy cut.  The three pieces team together, or form the basis of a wardrobe worn individually. 

 

Australian Home Journal, July 1946

 What were postwar fashions like?  As you can see from the picture below, in the short term very little changed for the average woman.  Perhaps they were  allowed an embellishment or two (like the peplum worn by the figure on the left) but rationing was still in force in most countries, and economy was still the order of the day.

So what were the emerging fashion trends of 1946?  Oddly, for this date, there was very little information in the July issue of the Australian Home Journal as the magazine's fashion correspondent appears to have gone missing in action.  Fortunately for us, there were lots of interesting snippits of information in other publications.

"Make Yourself a Summer Hat" (Stitchcraft, May-June 1945)

 In 1945 "make do and mend" was still very much in fashion.  Magazines were full of ideas for renovating, restyling and repurposing old garments.  This issue of Stitchcraft contained instructions on how to convert old clothes into a new hat.

The coloured picture shows this really elegant hat turned up at the side.  [Below], the girl has decided to wear the brim down all round.  Be sure to wear the hat dead straight on your head.

Materials: The original model was made from an old pair of silk stockinette knickers, dyed turquoise.  However, if you're at all like us you will not want to part with such a useful garment, and so prefer to copy it in material from an old flowered evening frock, gingham, cretonne or velvet.  It doesn't really matter what you choose so long as you follow the diagrams carefully.

You will need a piece of spartra or buckram, 21 by 18 inches, for stiffening, a yard of ribbon for trimming, and binding for inside headband.

Making: Cut out spartra as diagrams A, C, and D.  Cut out the V in the back of brim as shown, and join up cut ends with light but firm overstitching.

In same way join short ends of crown piece.  Start by making the crown first.  Cover the top C with a piece of material, tacking raw edges on to under side firmly, then stitching lightly on same side, so that the stitches do not show through.

Now cut a piece of material for crown 23 by 7 inches.  Arrange this over crown as in diagram B, gathering the top edge as indicated. The dotted line represents the line of the spartra crown under the fabric.  Now turn up this superfluous material, so that it acts as a lining to the crown, gather it, to match the first lot of gathers, and stitch together with previous gathers.

Stitch top neatly over the hole, pinching the crown to make a hard line for centre-front as shown in photograph.

For the brim, cut a piece of material 36 by 7¼ inches.  Fold over the brim, and sew along the edges of material with a fine running stitch, not sewing any of the buckram or spartra.  This line of stitching is on the inner edge of your circle.  Gather up so that the folds are evenly arranged.  Join the ends of the fabric neatly at back of brim.

Place crown over the brim, so that all raw edges are inside; stitch firmly.  Trim off raw edges of brim materialso that only about ¼ to ½ an inch remains.  Finish off this untidy edge with a piece of ribbon or bias binding.

Neaten the inside of the top with a piece of material cut in the same way as for top.  Sew on hat elastic and trim with ribbon.

Spartra was an open weave straw material, used to create the foundations of hats.  Alas, it is no longer produced.  Buckram, a stiff, supporting material, is still available if anyone wants to try making this hat.