Butterick Pattern Book, Spring 1951

The week has rolled round and I find I don't have anything prepared for my latest blog entry.  So instead of panicking, I grabbed an image at random from my collection.  

 5590—In the sprightly and enchanting mood of Spring, the bolero costume... brief, scalloped jacket over a smart, simple dress... 

Jacket is photographed in houndstooth check rayon suiting: the dress and jacket trim in Sanchu tissue faille, both fabrics by Burlington Mills.

Hat by Anne Rellie; Gloves by Wear-Right; Jewelry by Core.

Very neat, very accessorised, very 1950s! 

Found Online: Jay's Manual of Fashion (1858 & 1861)

 Rites of passage have always been opportunities to show off wealth and status.  In the 21st century weddings are our favourite occasions for display, but in Victorian times spending money on funerals and mourning dress were equally popular ways of showing off.  And given that in the 19th century life expectancy was lower, infant mortality higher, and families larger, there were many (too many) opportunities for wearing mourning.  

Not that people necessarily donned mourning only for their nearest and dearest, however.  There were carefully regulated graduations of mourning (first mourning, second mourning, half mourning) worn to commemorate everyone from a newly deceased husband to a distant cousin by marriage.  At one extreme, a new widow would wear the heaviest mourning with clothes covered in crape (a silk fabric treated to make it lusterless and stiff).  At the other the "mourner" would wear fashionable dress in sombre shades.

With all this, it was not surprising that an entire industry sprung up to cater for the mourning needs of the upper and aspiring middle classes.  One of the firms which rose to meet this demand was Jay's Mourning Warehouse which was established in 1841 in three large houses on London's Regent Street.

1858

Jay's introduces its 1858 catalogue, thus:

At the return of the present period, we submit to the public a series of ENGRAVINGS, embodying the Fashions of the Season.    It will be observed, that although there is considerable variety of form in the MANTLES here illustrated, they nevertheless preserve that unity for which Parisian invention is remarkable; and it is also well worthy of remark, that in Paris, at the present time, Black and White enjoy a decided favouritism.

In agreement with the requisitions of our Patrons, we have afixed Prices to the costumes, although it will be obvious that these must ultimately depend on the materials employed and the making up.  The price, therefore, may be lower, if it be so desired; or it may be higher than that which is given.  It is necessary to explain that the subject of the Illustrations are made up in various materials, suitable either for Ladies who adopt Mourning, or for those who wear Black in accordance with the taste of the day.

(The picture above depicts a mantle of cloth trimmed with velvet, a dress of poplin and a bonnet of terry and silk.)

1861

Equally fashionable are these dresses from Jay's 1861 catalogue, with only the descriptions to remind readers that they were made up in black and white (and hence suitable for mourning).  In the back of the pamphlet Jay's gives us "A Detailed List of Mourning As Usually Supplied by Messrs. Jay".  It's worthh quoting, if only in part, to see what was expected of respectable middle-class mourners in Victorian England—and their servants:

MOURNING FOR A WIDOW

PARAMATTA DRESS, deeply trimmed to the waist with crape.
RADZ-DE-MORT SILK MANTLE, trimmed with crape.
CRAPE BONNET, with deep veil.
TARLATAN CAP, COLLAR AND CUFFS, white.
DINNER DRESS of Radz-de-mort Silk, deeply trimmed with crape.
WHITE LISSE cap.

MOURNING FOR A PARENT
MORNING DRESS of Paramatta, trimmed with two deep tucks of crepe.
CRAPE COLLAR AND CUFFS, OR SLEEVES.
WALKING DRESS of Gros Royal Silk, trimmed deeply with crape.  MANTLE to correspond.
CRAPE BONNET, with Black Cap.  JET ORNAMENTS.

MOURNING FOR A BROTHER OR SISTER.
MORNING DRESS of French Twill, or Paramatta, with three or five tucks of crape.
BLACK COLLARS AND SLEEVES.
WALKING DRESS of Gros Royal or Berlin Silk, with Mantle to match.
SILK AND CRAPE BONNET.
NET VEIL, with crape hem.  JET ORNAMENTS.

SERVANTS' MOURNING
BLACK, OR GREY AND BLACK, GLACE DRESS.
GLACE MANTLE, or GRENADINE SHAWL
WHITE CRAPE OR CHIP BONNET, trimmed with Black.
WHITE NET COLLARS AND SLEEVES.

The complete catalogues are available on the Internet Archive.  You can find the 1858 catalogue here, and the 1861 catalogue here.

Australia's Lost Department Stores VI (The Mutual Store, Autumn & Winter 1938)

Finally, I'm escaping Sydney. I'm heading to Melbourne this post to visit The Mutual Store.  

As its name indicates, it began as a cooperative store.   It was founded in 1873 to provide members (who had to hold at least three shares) cheap provisions and household goods.  It got off to a somewhat rocky start, with members of the public writing to the papers to complain about the quality of the goods (or were they rival retailers trying to discredit the competition?)  However, it soon grew to be something much larger and very different.

19W1.  Fur Trimmed Coat in newest Angora coating, with luxurious collar of American Opossum.  Perfect fitting, fully lined, unique trimmed sleeve effect.

26W1.  Young Matron's Hat, in Fur Felt, new season's style, in all colours and fittings.

23W1.  Maid's Light Woollen Frock, smartly cut, with belt and button trimming, pleats in skirt back and front.  Green tea (as photo), Fawn or Rose.

26W2.  Maid's Felt Tam Hat, smart, attractive style, in all colours and fittings.

30W1.  Men's Pure Wool Tweed Overcoat, in neat check and overcheck designs in fawn, brown and grey shades—single breasted (as photo) or double breasted style in all men's fittings.

29W1.  Men's Hats.  The M.S. "Melolite"—a fine pure fur felt Australian Hat in brown, steel, rust, self.

"Unequaled Bargains" (Chicago Mail Order Sale, 1933)

 Every once in a while I like to move away from women's fashions and take a look at what the men were wearing.  This colour page from a Chicago Mail Order sale catalogue gives us a pretty good idea of what the average male had in his wardrobe in 1933.

Starting at the upper left corner we have "a man's handsome three-piece suit" tailored in "Extra Fine Quality All Wool Cheviot in self-color herringbone weave".  It's easily the most expensive item on the page, and probably would have been worn on the job by white collar workers, or as "best" by manual workers.

Next is a shirt in cotton broadcloth, "printed in the latest way, in a small, very modish plaid".

At top right is a "snappy pullover... in striking pattern and color combinations".  Men's clothes may have been dull by women's standards, but occasionally a bit of colour snuck in via casual wear or knitwear.  The same can be said of the "smart, dressy, summery socks" for sale at the bottom left.

For young men, and just that little bit jazzier (though teen fashions weren't yet a thing in 1933) are a pair of

cool, snappy, dressy, yet serviceable trousers.  Look like expensive "flannels", but are washable and shrinkproof.  Fine for dress, sports and all occasions.

These trousers were a trendy 22½ wide at the bottoms.

For younger boys we have yet another suit, a cheaper version of the men's ("½ Wool, Balance Cotton"), a boy's blouse ("Mothers!  To sew blouses for your boy when you can buy this good-looking Good Quality Percale blouse for so sensationally little, is indeed unprofitable and unmodern") and a two-piece outfit consisting of  trousers with wide cuffed bottoms and a matching v-necked "slipover".  As I said above, teen fashions weren't really a thing in 1933.  These youths are dressed like little men!

"The Correct Corset" (Australian Home Journal, October 1921)

 To corset or not to corset—that was the question in 1921.  The answer was yes... and no.

American Lady Corsets, 1921

The Corect Corset

Girls in general, says a writer, are divided to-day into two classes—those who wear corsets and those who don't!

Both, I think, are wrong, or rather, both are sometimes right and sometimes wrong, for corsets are like all other garments—there's a time to wear them and a time to take them off—even in the daytime.  Everyone should wear them in the daytime, and, this, for two reasons—if you don't you lose the support they give and therefore get twice as tired.  And also if you don't you will—whatever you like to say—get bigger, I mean, of course, bigger round the waist.

But—don't wear the terrible arrangements which some misguided people fasten themselves into.

Your corset should be short as possible, and above the waist be made of only a narrow band of elastic.  They should, when on, come barely above the waist.

And below it they should be very, very short.  As short as possible.

When evening comes and you get back from business, dress for dinner, go to the pictures, or do whatever you do of an evening, take them off.  Never wear corsets with an evening dress.

It's perfectly true that corsets, in reality, should be made of muscle—your own muscles—and not of whalebone, so, if your muscles are in proper working condition, you'll see no difference in your silhouette.  Which strikes me as a rather a nice way of putting it.

If you do see a difference—for the worse—it means that you haven't been doing those daily exercises you swore you would do—and so it serves you right.

National Style Book, Spring-Summer 1921

Also, upon reading this, it becomes very clear that the "corset" of 1921 was a very different beast from its Victorian predecessor.  It was well on its way to becoming the "girdle" of the mid-twentieth century.