And now to round off 2021... At first glance the garment on this cover of Burda Beyer Moden looks like a tent coat, but in fact it's a cape!
It's described inside the magazine as "practical", "extremely comfortable", "dead chic" and "particularly stylish for every type". It would certainly fit over most types of outer wear and adapt to all kinds of figures. The big patch pockets are accessed through slits in the side of the cape.
... And a Covid-free New Year to all my readers!
To celebrate the season I thought I'd post a text-light, image heavy, selection of December Stitchcraft covers from the 1950s.
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| December 1950 |
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| December 1952 |
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| December 1956 |
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| December 1957 |
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| December 1959 |
Alexandra Palmer has authored a number of books about Christian Dior. This one is a peculiarly specific book: not a biography, nor a history of the Dior label, nor of Dior's collections and designs. Instead it is an in-depth look at the Dior garments held by the Royal Ontario Museum, and it delves into the design and construction of each piece of clothing, how its original owner acquired it, and how she adapted and wore it.
Palmer begins by exploring how Christian Dior's postwar designs were constructed, from the way they were cut to the final embellishments added to them. Can I just say, that after reading this I've put Dior's clothes into my "lovely to look at, but I definitely wouldn't want to wear them" category? Each garment was shaped and reinforced with facings, linings and canvas and horsehair padding. The wearer herself was frequently re-shaped by built-in, boned, corsets and "waist-cinchers". Lastly, some dresses (particularly the evening ones) had such complicated fastenings that the wearer needed help in getting dressed!
The garments held by the ROM were often altered by their original owners. At least one wearer reduced the number of bones in the bodice of her dress. Others added straps and modesty pieces to their dresses, shortened sleeves, and did more mundane alterations such as letting garments in or out, and raising and lowering hems. Dior was generally generous in his hem and seam allowances.
Here we come to the meat of the book. The second (and larger) part of Christian Dior: History & Modernity, 1947-1957 looks at each piece of Dior clothing in the museum in chronological order. Each chapter starts with the history of the model, continuing with some background on how the original owner acquired and wore it, how it was constructed, and how it differs from the model originally shown in Dior's collections. Each chapter contains photographs of the garment from the museum collection, and may also include pictures of the in-house sketches of the designs, fashion and press photographs of the original models, photographs of the clothes being worn by the original owner and technical sketches and patterns showing how it was constructed.
All in all, a book not only for those who enjoy exploring the technical details of fashion, but for those who want to know what happens to haute couture after it leaves the catwalks and makes its way into the wide world.
Alexandra Palmer
Christian Dior: History & Modernity, 1947-1957
Toronto: Royal Ontario Museum, 2018
ISBN: 9780888545213
The first Christmas after World War II there wasn't much in the way of anything available for people wanting a consumerist splurge. Nonetheless, the upmarket department store David Jones in Sydney managed to put out a teeny-tiny Christmas catalogue that year. It advertised a meagre selection of toys for children, and some clothes and gifts for adults. Like most Christmas catalogues a number of its pages were dedicated to women's nightwear and lingerie.
Nightdresses (left and third from left), a negligee and a princess slip. The nightie near the right is described as an "uplift nightie". I'm not sure exactly what that is, but it sounds uncomfortably like the bodice of the garment functioned like some kind of bra!
It's the end of the year, and time to start looking at the fashions of Decembers past. Let's start with these fashion plates from The New Monthly Belle Assemblee" in December 1843:
At the top the half length figures depict: a morning dress, a morning visiting dress and a demi-toilette. "Demi-toilette" (literally, "half-dress") has been variously defined as a "subdued evening dress" and as a dress worn for a daytime party. As the model here is depicted as wearing a bonnet with her "demi-toilette" I would say that it is intended for day wear.
Figure A, on the left is wearing a very up-to-the-minute style, made up in a traditional Turkish print. Though it looks like the model is wearing a wraparound skirt over a top and a pair of short shorts, in fact she's wearing a "shortjump", or cut-down jumpsuit, under her skirt. The whole thing is made in acetate jersey—artificial fibres for the win!
Figure B, in the centre, has gone all out (to sea) in a jumpsuit based on a traditional sailor suit. Need I add it's made up in rayon acetate crepe?
Figures C and D on the right are wearing a cheongsam (from "The Orient ... Land of Beauty!"). It's made in taffeta lined acetate, designed to look like Thai silk. Modern westerners would hesitate to wear it, but the cheongsam was briefly fashionable in the 1960s and 1970s thanks to the influence of the movies.
Since summer is almost here in the Southern hemisphere (though the weather sometimes makes that hard to believe) I thought I'd treat myself to some "frocks" from the Australian Home Journal.
World War II ended just over a year earlier, and the general outline is still very "wartime". Maybe there is a little more leeway allowed in the way of gathers and skirt widths.
Rationing was still in effect in Australia, so dressmakers had to be careful with their materials. The dresses on the right and left look as if they could be made up from a mixture of smaller lengths. The peplum on the dress in the centre is a nice postwar touch. The dress on the left sports a some embroidery: a touch that would have been thought extravagant during wartime.
The fashions are similar on this page, including a two-toned dress on the left, and a dress with a peplum on the right.
The dresses on this cover range from the fairly plain (the coat frock, centre) to the quite fancy (the dress decorated with shirring and bows at right).
It's raining all down the East coast of Australia, and I've spent the last few days staring out the window waiting for it to stop. Meanwhile, my mind has turned to raincoats, so here is a selection from 1909.
Though they are cut on fashionable lines, they are slightly less ornamented and more, well, serviceable than ordinary coats of the era. They are made of "rubberized" materials (from left to right, rubberized mohair, rubberized taffeta, rubberized silk bengaline, Watercress silk moire and rubberized grosgrain moire). Rubberisation was a method of waterproofing fabrics by coating them with rubber. First developed by a Scotsman, Charles Macintosh, in 1823, the earliest "macintoshes" were heavy and smelly (reeking of a combination of trapped perspiration and rubber). They went in and out of fashion quickly—only to regain favour as technical advances made rubberised material lighter and less odorous.
The first raincoats for women were produced in the 1870s, around the time when the kind of women who could afford them were starting to live more active lives. From the beginning they were designed along simplified but fashionable lines—like the examples above.
Real Life (TM) made it impossible for me to update this blog for a couple of weeks, but now I'm back and ready to bring you the next in our "Man Made Fibres" series—Acrylic.
Courtelle, 1962
'Acrylic Fibres. Courtelle is British. Acrilan is of American origin, but is now made in Ireland. Orlon is America, Leacril is Italian.'
Courtelle, 1962
'The Acrylics make very good partners to wool because they look and feel like wool but add extra qualities such as easy washing, shape retention, crease resistance and quick drying. They also pleat durably.'
Courtelle, 1962
'You find the Acrylic fibres mainly in knitwear, either mixed with wool or in 100% qualities. They are soft to the touch and do not shrink. They can be either shaggy or so fine that they feel like silk. They are lovely in jersey. Acrilan also blends with wool to make tweeds and suitings which have a soft handle combined with all the easy-care qualities. Acrilan carpets are long wearing and stain resistant.'
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| Courtelle, 1962 |
Because of lockdowns and travel restrictions I was unable to go to an exhibition I particularly wanted to see this year. Happily, I was still able to buy the book which accompanied the exhibition!
Mary Quant (by Jenny Lister, with contributions by Johanna Agerman Ross, Beatrice Behlen, Regina Lee Blaszczyk, Susanna Brown, Elisabeth Murray, Janine Sykes and Stephanie Wood) was written to coincide with an exhibition held at the Victoria and Albert Museum between April 2019 and February 2020. It moved to Bendigo Art Gallery in Victoria in 2021, which is where I would have seen it if I'd been able to travel.
Mary Quant needs no introduction: she was most famous designer to come out of Swinging London. In fact she could be said to have inspired the entire look of the era. Though she began her career in fashion design in the late 1950s and continued working in the field until the early 1970s, her name is almost synonymous with the 1960s. Any pop-cultural history of the decade will have to give at least a mention to the originator of the "Chelsea look" and one of the creators of the miniskirt!
Jenny Lister follows Quant's career from her early days running a boutique in Chelsea through to her later years as a "lifestyle brand". Quant did not originally set out to design clothes. She sold other people's designs in Bazaar: "clothes and accessories ... sweaters, scarves, shifts, hats, jewellery and peculiar odds and ends" creating a look that was more modern and youthful than the styles then prevailing in post-war Britain.
When she did dip a toe into design, she began by adapting Butterick patterns and making up the garments herself using fabric purchased from Harrods! From these amateurish beginnings Quant eventually had her clothes made by a small factory, which in turn lead to the development of "Mary Quant's Ginger Group" and a deal in the U.S. with JC Penney. In the late sixties she began selling fashion accessories and makeup, all branded with her daisy logo. Her last collection for her Ginger Group was in 1975 and her business subsequently concentrated on licensing cosmetics, tights and furnishings.
While Jenny Lister follows Mary Quant's career chronologically, the other authors of this book contribute essays exploring tangential aspects of her work in depth. Thus Stephanie Wood contributes a chapter on the women who modelled her clothes, Susanna Brown one on how they were photographed. Regina Lee Blaszczyk explores Quant's business dealings in America. Beatrice Behlen discusses the history of Quant's cosmetic range—"young, no nonsense, problem-solving and easy to use". Janine Sykes dives into how the range was marketed, and Johanna Agernon Ross contributes a chapter on Quant's ventures into interior design.
So much for the text. However this book accompanied an exhibition, so what about the pictures? Well, besides many excellent contemporary illustrations and photographs, this book contains some excellent pictures of Mary Quant's clothes held in the V&A. Many of garments were donated specifically for this exhibition as the museum
"in June 2018 invited the the public to lend or donate specific garments as designed by Quant to enable the Museum to represent a more comprehensive range of her designs... Each of these garments is enhanced with details about the original wearer and their social background, why Mary Quant designs were specially chosen at the time, and the reasons for treasuring the garments for so long. Over 1,000 people responded offering Quant cosmetics and other memorabilia, some contributing photographs of Quant garments being worn at this time."
There isn't room to squeeze all the stories and photos contributed into this volume, but those that have made it into the book certainly make it a little bit special!
Mary Quant by Jenny Lister
ISBN 9781851779956
London: V&A Publishing, 2019
Now for the latest in our series from Vanity Fair about "Man Made Fibres". This time it's Crimpline! It was launched in 1959 and (judging by the advertisements in my collection) was still comparatively rare in 1962. It seems to have been most popular from the mid-sixties through to the early seventies when it was gradually replaced by newer polyester fibres.
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| Ladies Pride in "Crimplene" 1962 |
"'Crimplene'. A Terylene yarn processed specially for knitting.
'Crimplene' is a synthetic yarn with high bulk and low stretch suitable for knitting.
You find it in jersey garments, knitted sweaters and cardigans, and knitting yarns. It launders easily and never loses its shape."
"Our long and wintry summer has come to an end," writes "The Lady Dressmaker" in her October column for The Girl's Own Paper,
..."and we can only hope we may not be beginning a long and cold winter. Very few people have had the courage to wear their summer dresses this season, and the things most generally seen have been thin woollens in their almost endless variety."In spite of her wishes for a milder winter the author takes care to illustrate the "new" long cloaks,
.."as they are the latest idea, [but] I cannot be sure they will take the place of others; they are excellent wrap cloaks, most comfortable and warm. Short jackets are being made in black and blue pilot cloth, and black and brown plush is being made into covert jackets, with large buttons covered in plush also."
(Covert jackets were originally designed for outdoor pursuits in the country: since the ones the "Lady Dressmaker" describes are made of plush, I suspect they weren't intended to be worn for field sports!)
For additional warmth she recommends gaiters, "already much worn... by women who are obliged to walk or prefer it to driving... I see," she continues
"that one of the most sensible of our writers, considers that in the gaiter lies the true solution of the "Dress Reform" question; for were these comfortable articles of dress once adopted, the need for divided skirts would be obviated, as both feet and legs could be protected to any extent..."
Well that's a relief!
The second illustration to this column is of what The Lady Dressmaker describes as "Empire dresses" (i.e. dresses of the Napoleonic era). To modern eyes, there is no resemblance between these Victorian fashions and the original Empire styles:
As always in fashion columns of this era, some space is dedicated to the materials used to make up the styles described. (After all, the readers would not be buying their clothes ready-made!)
"I must give a few words now to the new colours prepared for the winter season. I think the generality of the cloths and materials seem to be either brown or green, but the tones are all rather mild, indeed, almost dull. Stripes are again the ruling idea everywhere, the prettiest perhaps being those about two inches wide of two quiet contrasting colours. Dark slate, black current, opium seed, as, stone colour, and lively drab are among the names I hear most frequently. Virginia and Etruscan are the only two reds; the former is the dark shade of the Virginia creeper when turning in autumn; the latter is a kind of terra cotta."
Imagine a modern fashion writer describing the colours of the moment as "almost dull"! As the article is illustrated only in black and white this detailed description is a boon to modern readers as well as its intended audience. It not only enables us to visualise what these late 1880s costumes would have looked like, it also provides a useful guide for anyone wishing to date a garment from around this time.
Nehru jackets! Named for India's first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, they featured mandarin collars and were modelled after traditional Indian coats. They made their way into western wardrobes during the 1960s when (thanks to the James Bond film franchise) they became the garment of choice for aspiring supervillains. However, Nehru jackets also became fashionable among less villainous trendsetters, being particularly popular with people in the arts and entertainment industries. They were apt to turn up at awards ceremonies and on red carpets. For example:
"Actor David Hemmings wore an elaborately frogged Nehru-style jacket when he accompanied his actress wife, Gayle Hunnicut, to the London premiere of "Oh, What a Lovely War.""While Nehru jackets were mostly worn by men, in the late 1960s they were also available for women. The Fall 1968 "Lana Lobell" catalogue featured a number of Nehru-styled outfits. No doubt they thought they offered an exotic and glamorous touch to women's wardrobes."What People Are Wearing Overseas" (Australian Women's Weekly, 14 May 1969)
"AT-HOME GLAMOR—the sweep of a sorceress jacket, the luxury of exquisite brocade! The new Nehru, curved from its scintillating collar, self-buttoned in duos—sleek tapered pants side-zipped. Divine in Cotton-Acetate brocade."
"THE "NEHRU" SUIT — exciting and elegant! Note the dramatic jacket, its stand-up collar, its golden-gleam buttons—its figure-carving flare atop the reed-slim skirt. Rich Coloray Rayon Knit, bonded to acetate. Elastic-waist skirt.
"LONG AND LONGER goes the new Nehru-collared jacket—smart and smarter goes the swaggering suit that says "fashion!" Lustrous Acetate Sharkskin bonded for shapekeeping—see the hip-top flaps, button-spiked sleeves. Skirt is very slender, elastic waisted."
"THE NEHRU JACKET—so divine with pants, so stunning with skirts that we give you one of each! Glamor at home or on the town in a silken-sheen blend of Rayon-Acetate—the top curves from regal collar to siren slit hem, takes a march of color-keyed buttons. Skirt and pants are slim-fitted—skirt with elastic waist, side-zip pants with slits that echo the jacket detail."
"THE NEHRU LOOK—done in a divine dress that' one smooth figure-following sweep from stand-up collar to A-line hem. Rich honeycomb Orlon Acrylic, bonded to acetate—note the welt-stitched seaming, the hip-top tabs, the chic back vent! Gleamy buttons to the hem for easy-on."
Through the years there have been many magazines called Vanity Fair. This one ("For the Younger, Smarter Woman") was published in London in the postwar period. It naturally had a very British focus (London-centric, really!) but it was also sold in former British colonies such as Australia and New Zealand. Occasionally the editors of Vanity Fair decided to add some special content for their readers in the Southern Hemisphere... like the Australasian supplement which they published with their September 1956 issue.
In Australia, September is the month brides start planning their spring weddings. This was as true in 1972 as it is now—as this little pamphlet issued by The Australian Women's Weekly illustrates.
This is from a spread titled "Evening Wedding Fashions". The bridesmaid is in a hooded georgette gown, $40 from Katies. The bride is in a crepe gown, $118, also from Katies. The groom, standing well in the background as grooms do in these fashion shoots, is wearing white tie and tails, and very seventies hair.
For "guests and mothers" from left to right: a crepe dress for $30, a chiffon dress, $44 and another chiffon dress, $40. "All in many colours." I suspect that the model on the right represents one of the "mothers".
Interestingly, though they are posed outside a church, none of the models are wearing hats! This would not have been the case a decade earlier.
Continuing our series on synthetics we come to Terylene. Terylene is a type of polyester.
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| Terylene, 1962 |
"'Terylene'. Another pure synthetic yarn made from chemicals. It is a British invention but is made under licence in other countries and by different names. You may occasionally see it in imported goods such as Dacron (American), Diolen (German), Trevira (German), Tergal (French), Tertial (Italian)."
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| Diolen, 1962 |
"'Terylene' has several tremendously important qualities. It pleats durably, it has complete stability, which means that garments made from it do not "seat" or stretch. It is very hard wearing, washes easily. dries quickly and dyes well. It is, of course, crease resistant."
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| Terylene, 1962 |
"'Terylene' is one of the best fibres for mixing and blending with other yarns. It has an excellent partner in wool worsted and this is where you knew it first in durably pleated skirts and slacks that kept their creases. Now it is helping to make linen more practical, to give cotton lawns an easy-care quality and you also meet it in many pure forms such as the new and versatile 'Terylene' lawn, net curtains, etc."
(Growing up in the 1970s I only ever heard Terylene mentioned in the context of curtains. Since the decade was awash in polyesters, I can only conclude that newer brands had overtaken it as a fashionable fabric. The latest advertisement for Terylene in my collection is dated 1966!)
Coats, nipped in at the waist or flaring out, trimmed with fur cloth (not fur, as indicated in the header).
Suits, a 1940s standby. These have some decidedly military touches (in particular, the pockets!) which show which way people's thoughts were trending.
A slim-fitting coat and a suit which really is trimmed with fur (as opposed to "fur" cloth).
Smart shirt-waisters with panels and pleats—also pockets!
Also for evening: a dress with "wide straps" and a "slightly full" skirt, baring more flesh at the shoulders and back.
Fashions in the Edwardian era were elaborate, impractical and very, very feminine. The following plates from The Delineator don't depict High Fashion, but the clothes depicted still hint at a life of conspicuous leisure. Many of the middle-class women who wore costumes like this must have had their work cut out making and maintaining them!
"...Simple street costume of primrose drap d'eté with silk pendant trimming around the lace-covered collar..."
"A two-piece costume that will prove serviceable for walking, shopping, etc., is here shown in sage-green panama suiting with braided vest."
"This graceful princess dress is of nile-green French voile, with dainty touches of oriental all-over lace and banding on the waist portion.'
"A soft shade of pink eolienne was used for this charming evening costume, and Persian trimming and Brussels lace afforded adornment."
"A combination of coat no. 8633 and skirt no. 8638 produced this stylish street suit of gray chiffon broadcloth with embroidery and lace decoration."
"Black lace is effectively displayed on this smart frock of wheat-colored soft taffeta, a union of waist no. 8629 and skirt no. 8651."
The postwar years were the golden years of synthetic fibres: their "easy care" properties were considered little short of miraculous and there seemed to be new ones on the market every year. If you flick through any fashion magazines or catalogues from around the years 1955 to 1975 you'll find hundreds of references to them, often going under confusingly different brand names.
Luckily for us, the fashionistas of the time were equally confused, which is why Vanity Fair published a quick guide to "Man-Made Fibres" in May 1962. I'm going to take the fabrics one at a time, starting with Nylon.
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| Bri-Nylon, 1962 |
'Nylon. This is a pure synthetic fibre made from chemicals. You find it under the British names of Bri-Nylon, Bri-Lon and, imported goods under various names such as Perlon (German goods), Lilion (Italian), Nylsuisse (Switzerland) and others.
'Nylon yarns were the first pure synthetics that we ever knew. It was the first yarn to give us easy-care qualities in washing and ironing and the first yarn to make us understand what long wear really means. It will not shrink or stretch. Avoid washing in boiling water.
'Mainly in stockings and warp-knitted lingerie. In both these sections it dominates the market. You also find Nylon in dress nets, lace, quick-dry sweaters, jersey fabrics, swimsuits, bras and girdles, party dress materials, sheets and as a strengthening reinforcement in many other items such as socks, woollen fabrics and carpets.'
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| Bri-Nylon, 1962 |
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| Kayser, 1962 |
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| Bri-Nylon, 1962 |
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| Bri-Nylon, 1962 |
