"Make It Easy" Part 1 (copyright 1984)

"Make it Easy" was published in 26 parts by Marshall Cavendish in the mid-1980s.  It was aimed at beginner dressmakers and each part came with a multi-sized pattern and a booklet containing step-by-step instructions on how to make it up in all its variations as well as other sewing and fabric tips and tricks.

Beginning at the beginning, Part 1 naturally had the easiest pattern to sew.  The skirt is yoked and made in four panels and has an elastic waist (hidden here by a belt).  The top didn't have shoulder pads (Marshall Cavendish obviously thought inserting them too difficult for a novice) but the boat neckline and dropped shoulder seams give the effect of fashionable broadness across the shoulders.

The models jawline-length bob was a stylish alternative to the "big hair" fashions of the 1980s.

Styles from "The Delineator" (September 1916)

The Delineator promoted Butterick patterns, so the styles depicted in its pages were up-to-date but safe enough to appeal to the average woman.  Here we have a couple of plates that illustrate the way in which fashion was becoming more modern in the mid-1910s. 

As you can see, the fit is much more relaxed than it was even a few years earlier, and the models no longer have figures that have been obviously squeezed in and padded out.  (Most women would still have been wearing some kind of corset under their outer garments, however.)  The most noticeable  innovation is the shortening skirt: the hemline has now risen to about calf-length, something that had not been seen in fashionable dress before.

Lastly, many a modern woman would be envious of the pockets in some of these dresses!

Left to Right:

"... a smart trotteur like 8614-8402 is just the thing.  The skirt is in two or three or four pieces with a slightly raised waistline and may be finished with a belt and pockets.  The blouse-waist has a jumper which can be slipped over the head and closes on the right shoulder... The braiding makes an inexpensive but up-to-date trimming."

"There is a distinction and grace about this dress (designs 8632 and 8644) which leave you in doubt as to whether to credit the soft cord or tuck shirring at the front and back of the skirt, or the clever merging of the vestee into an eminently becoming sailor collar."

"The full body of design 8637 might or might not be called a 'sheer waist of good material,' but combined with 8619 it certainly makes a ravishing gown. The broken line suggested in the bolero is repeated successfully in the two piece lower part of the skirt, the straight upper section of which can be made in the regulation or slightly higher waistline."

Left to Right:

"A hint of the jumper is present in the blouse which may be made over a blouse body lining.  If you prefer a high collar for Fall wear, a very pretty style is offered as an alternative to the low.  There are also shorter length sleeves if you prefer them."

"Carrying coals to Newcastle isn't half as absurd as laying any more tributes at the feet (or hem) of the highly sung Russian blouse (8650-8118); and of all Russian blouses the plaited ones falling from a yoke are the newest."

"Of one stripe are this charming waist (8622) and this equally charming skirt (8638).  The stripes run up and down in the straight upper part of the skirt from the slightly raised waistline to the two-piece circular flounce, but they run as they list on the body and oversleeve which are made in one over a French lining.  A choice of collars and undersleeves is left to you."

"Rings on your fingers and bells on your toes aren't any more thrilling than buckles on your waist and skirt (8620).  You can use buttons instead if you feel that way about it, and you can leave off the straps and pockets and and shorten the sleeves and put on a high collar and otherwise vary the design without in the least affecting its utter smartness."

Suits by Molyneux ("Modes & Travaux, 1938)

Until the mid-1950s the covers of Modes & Travaux always depicted designs by well-known Paris couturiers.   This issue, from November 1938, features two suits by Edward Molyneux.

In spite of his name, Molyneux was born in England.  He got his start in fashion as a sketcher for the House of Lucile in London before the First World War.  After the war (where he served as a captain in the British Army) he set up his own fashion house in Paris.  By 1938 he had established branches in Monte Carlo, Cannes, Biarritz and London.  He was particularly known for his tailored suits and matching ensembles.

During the Second World War, Molyneux was based in London, where he became one of the founding members of the Incorporated Society of London Fashion Designers (along with such luminaries as Norman Hartnell and Digby Morton) and he was one of the designers asked by the Board of Trade to design prototype garments for the Utility clothing scheme.

Found Online: "The Australian Dress Register".

Oh my!  I just stumbled across The Australian Dress Register.  And what a gem of a website it is!

Day dress made by David Jones, 1890s

I think the best way of describing this site is to simply quote what it has to say about itself:

What is the Australian Dress Register?
The Australian Dress Register is a collaborative, online project about dress with Australian provenance. This includes men's, women's and children's clothing ranging from the special occasion to the everyday. Museums and private collectors are encouraged to research their garments and share the stories and photographs while the information is still available and within living memory. The Register encourages people to consider their collections very broadly and share what they know about members of their community, what they wore and life in the past. This provides access to a world wide audience while keeping their garments in their relevant location.

Paula Stafford bikini, 1950s

The website is owned by the Museum of Applied Arts & Sciences in Sydney.  It collates information about clothing held by small museums and private collectors throughout Australia.  The contents of these collections are far, far wider than merely fashionable dress.  The Australian Dress Register contains examples of clothing worn by men, women and children, including uniforms and work wear,  underwear and ethnic dress.  They date back to the early years of European settlement in Australia into the 21st century.

The owners of the garments are required to provide photographs and encouraged to provide as much information about them as they can.  This can include biographical details of the original wearers, and the context in which the clothes were worn.   It can also include details of the construction of the garments, where they were made, what they were made of, whether they were sewn by hand or machine, and how they were fastened.

In other words, this site is far more than a list of museum holdings with pretty photographs attached.  Taken together, each item on the register provides the raw material for a social history of costume in Australia.  It's obviously still a work in progress: not every collector in Australia has participated, and for those who have, researching and writing-up each item in their collection must be a time-consuming task.  However, I hope and expect this register will grow steadily in years to come.

Three Portrait Photographs from the 1870s

Photographer unknown.

There is no information on the back of this cabinet card about the photographer who took this portrait, so I'm forced to rely on the sitter's costume alone in order to date it.  She is wearing a dress typical of the "First Bustle" era, which means the photograph was almost certainly taken no later than 1874.  From the cut of the sleeves and the style of the bodice, I'm inclined to place it a bit earlier—from around 1870 to 1872.

Incidentally, "First Bustle" period is a bit of a misnomer, because bustles, and bustle-like underpinnings, had been fashionable in various periods before the nineteenth century.  The bustle fashions of the 1870s were imitations of the fashionable dress of the 1680s and 1690s, though constructed quite differently.  The concept of reviving old fashions did not originate in the twentieth century!

 George Fry & Co., Artists & Photographers, 12 Lower Seymour St., Portman Square W

This photograph can be dated with fair accuracy to either 1874 or 1875, as the photographer is listed in the London Post Office Directory at that address only for these years.  Because George Fry & Co was located in the West End of London his sitters were probably mostly well-to-do, and this young lady certainly seems prosperous and fashionably dressed for the mid-1870s.

 

 

Stewart & Co., Photographers, Miniature & Portrait Painters, 217 & 219 Bourke St. East, MELBOURNE

Over the years this photograph has come adrift from the card it is pasted on.

The subject of this portrait is wearing fashionable dress for the late 1870s.  This fits with the address on the back of the photograph, as Stewart & Co. expanded their premises from 217 Bourke Street into No. 219 in the New Year of 1877.

Stewart & Co. was located in the theatrical district of nineteenth century Melbourne, and according to some sources, made a specialty of photographing performers.  This stylish young woman might be an actress—though alas! who she was and what parts she appeared in are no longer known.

His & Hers Fashions on the Cover of "Stitchcraft" (1968-1970)

Stitchcraft was published by Conde Nast.  Though it contained all the usual patterns and projects found in craft and needlework magazines, it also (not surprisingly) had a fashionable slant.   The covers in particular were stylish, usually featuring fashionable young women wearing the very latest in knitwear.

Men, who weren't supposed to be interested in fashion, didn't make Stitchcraft's covers very often—occasionally popping up clenching a pipe between their teeth or pursuing some vaguely manly hobby.  That started to change in the 1960s.  By the late 1960s the His & Hers trend was in full swing, and Stitchcraft started showing couples in matching or coordinated garments on their covers.

June 1968

"Zipped Holiday Jackets.. easy and comfortable for holidays.  Zipped Jackets are practical for holidays.  Easy-fitting to slip on quickly—and smart for her to wear with culottes and slacks for rambling and biking.  Two sizes include the boy-friend."

(What could be more late sixties than a zip front-fastening with a ring pull no less?  The Nehru style collar adds the final mod touch to the outfits.)

October 1968

"Fashion for the active life... front-cover sweater match."

(Taken by themselves, the pullovers these models are wearing could belong to almost any decade of the twentieth century.   Their accessories, however, put them squarely in the 1960s—especially her fab little cap!)

June 1969

"START WITH A POPULAR HOLIDAY DOUBLE—clever colour changes and a new way with stripes."

(The knitwear is fairly sedate.  The font of the caption, however?  Groovy, baby!)

July 1969

"Double-up for the Sport Set.  Classic shirt styles are favourite looks with the sports crowd.  Cool and fresh to slip on after the game.  Four Seasons in a linen shade for hers and a ginger brown for his."

August 1969

"the late SUMMER SCENE.  Cardigan Team for a late holiday"

(Accessories for her: a scarf.  For him: an ascot.)

March 1970

"Colour team for the Weekend Scene... easy going looks for this classsic twosome—side panels add fashion interest and popular raglans make them favourites for spring."

(He's carrying baguettes, and she's wearing a beret.  Could they be on holiday in France?)

July 1970

"His and Hers Tennis Cardigans... SPORTS SPECIAL TEAM-UP match up looks with a subtle stitch variation—hers has openwork panels and his has more rugged cabling and a firmer, closer fabric—super in Snow White for the sports set."

To be honest, I'm not sure how many couples actually wore his & hers fashions—and if they did, how often did they wear their matching outfits together?  It's a cute idea, but actually putting it into practice sounds somewhat awkward!

"Dress Sense" by Poppy Richards (1950s)

A friend gave me this amusing little booklet for Christmas.  It originally came as a supplement to an issue of Woman and Beauty and has no date on it.  However the contents and the illustrations make it clear that it was published in the 1950s.

At 32 pages, it's far to long to transcribe in full—but there are plenty of quotable passages that give the flavour of this entertaining work.   So let's sit back and learn the tricks of the well-dressed 1950s woman.  The additional illustrations are from my own collection.

   "WHAT IS DRESS SENSE?  Dress sense is knowing how to pick clothes that show you at your best.  It tells you when to dress plainly, when to cut a dash, suggests the details which make all the difference between looking smart ...  and just missing the mark."

Heatona, 1950

   "MONEY WELL-SPENT.  Never sacrifice quality to quantity.  A good suit pays for itself a thousand times, and the same goes for a good coat."

   "KEEPING UP TO DATE.  Well-chosen clothes shouldn't have to be discarded until they are worn  broadly the season's fashionable silhouette (with the modifications necessary to your own figure.)  As fashion evolves slowly over a number of years you should have plenty of time to wear it out.
 out—and then you should regret them.  The outfit you continually set aside in favour of another is a mistake.  When ordering a new model you should be careful to follow
   "If old clothes—that is to say, clothes that have seen a season's wear—are no disgrace, an old hat is unpardonable.  Good hats give the impression of just having left the milliner's fingers—should have the knack of making any outfit look as smart as paint."

   “BUYING A SUIT.  There are two types of design: tailored and ‘dressmaker’ styles—the first streamline, the second softer in treatment.  As a good suit has a lifetime of at least a couple of years—another advantage!—extremes should be avoided…

   “…Where you can introduce variety is in the lining.  This may come as a complete surprise... and be all the better for it.”

Alice Edwards, 1955

   "BUYING A DRESS.  When dresses are introduced into your wardrobe, you have already started building it up, and are more experienced.  The sort of design you need is one which makes people say instantly, ‘What a pretty frock!’  This gives you kudos.  

   There is one model that always pleases, with fitted bodice and a full skirt…"

   "THE UBIQUITOUS HAT.  Unless a new hat makes you feel you can get away with murder, it is valueless.  A good hat is the gilt on the gingerbread of dress.  It can save a situation… or land you in one."

   "DRESSING IN THE DARK.  The most difficult occasion to dress for is the one at which you don't know what will be taking place.  The obvious thing is to try and find out, but if this is impossible, dress up...
   "If you have gone hopelessly wrong, save everyone embarrassment—and particularly yourself—by laughing about it quickly.  The fact that you know there is nothing basically wrong with your outfit as it stands should mollify you.  It will certainly prevent others making unkind remarks."

   "WEARING CLOTHES THE SMART WAY.  Watch your deportment.  Clothes are only about fifty per cent of the battle for smartness.  They way you wear them and good grooming account for the rest."

English Rose, 1955

   "SYNTHETICS.  No opprobium is attached in the smart woman's mind to artificial fibres.  Quite the contrary—for many procure her so much comfort.  Nylon is the revelation of the century.  It has revolutionised the fashion world... especially where holiday, travel, and casual clothes are considered—to say nothing of lingerie.  It makes pretty blouses, smart permanently-pleated skirts, tub frocks, jerkins, bathing-wear.  Terylene is another recent and wonderful development in the fibre range."

   "HELP YOUR FIGURE.  One of the real joys of fashion is that it helps us to conceal physical defects—we all have some!    We may have a flat chest and big hips, a high waist or a low one, be busty, heavy in the stern, but—if we dress correctly—nobody need know."

   "THE FOUNDATION OF THE SILHOUETTE.  No woman can hope to be smart until she has found the right corset.  This isn't something you can afford to be slack about.  Carelessness over foundation garments can ruin your whole appearance."

   "THE VALUE OF EXPERIENCE.  Round about forty a woman has reached an age when dressing should be an unadulterated pleasure...  She knows what suits her and has learnt how to be selective, adventurous, inventive.
   "If she has kept her figure—and she has every assistance in doing this today—she can pick out the latest fashions."

"Les Modes Parisiennes" (in "Peterson's Magazine", March 1862)

The plates in Peterson's Magazine weren't original—they were mostly copied from a French weekly called Les Modes Parisiennes Illustrées.  Peterson's colour plates usually appeared a few months behind the originals, and were often adapted to suit American tastes and social conditions.  (They were also printed on narrower paper, so the images sometimes appear cropped as in the example below.)

FASHIONS FOR MARCH

FIG. 1—WALKING DRESS OF STONE-COLORED WATERED SILK.—There is a quilling of black ribbon down the front of the dress and around the bottom.  Large black silk buttons also ornament the front.  The body is made open a short way down the front, with lappels also trimmed with black ribbon, turned back.  A plaited chemisette and worked collar are worn with this dress.  Sleeves shaped to the arm and trimmed to match the rest of the dress.  Bonnet of stone-colored and white straw, striped, and trimmed with black ribbon and pink flowers.

FIG. 2—HOUSE DRESS OF LILAC DELAINE—The skirt as well as the Zouave jacket are braided in black, and a white cashmere vest is worn under the jacket, with a cashmere collar.  Cape of guipure lace, trimmed with bows of lilac ribbon.

(More on the topic of "Americanizing" fashion plates can be found here: "Americanizing French fashion plates: Godey's and Peterson's cultural and socio-economic translation of Les Modes Parisiennes" / by Karin J. Bohleke, in American Periodicals: A Journal of History and Criticism, Volume 20, Number 2, 2010.)