Spring and Autumn (Vanity Fair, September 1956)

 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.

 

 

First the cover of the main issue.  In the north, summer was nearing its end and people were looking forward to colder days.  The model is wearing a wool jersey suit by Dereta—just the thing for Autumn!

 

 

And in the south, people were shaking off the winter blues and looking forward to summer.  The Australasian supplement, stapled inside the magazine, features two models photographed on Sydney's Whale Beach.  The model in the foreground is wearing a poplin "playsuit", while the one in the background is dressed in a matching two-piece swimsuit.  Just the thing for summer!

"Wedding Day" by Sara van Gelder (September 6 1972)

 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.

Man Made Fibres II: Terylene (Vanity Fair, May 1962)

 Continuing our series on synthetics we come to Terylene.  Terylene is a type of polyester.

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)."

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."

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!)

Fashions from McCall Style News (September 1940)

Sometimes it's nice to just take a snapshot of what women were wearing at one point in time. Here's an image-heavy look at the styles of  81 years ago, courtesy of one of McCall's monthly pattern pamphlets.

 

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!  

 

 

This is described as an "informal" evening gown, for satin or lame.   The neckline, front and back, is comparatively modest.

Also for evening: a dress with "wide straps" and a "slightly full" skirt, baring more flesh at the shoulders and back.

Dinner dresses, at the left in velvet, at the right with bows. 

"Ladies' Costumes" (Delineator, September 1905)

 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."