"In this joyous June we are to celebrate an historic event with which the whole world is ringing,"
Weldon's Ladies' Journal was referring to the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria. Naturally the readers of the Journal would want a pretty outfit to wear to the celebrations, and the magazine was happy to oblige with a selection of patterns for dainty, ultra-feminine garments. (Ironically, most of the fashions featured originated in Paris.) Below are a couple examples:
Last (southern) spring I paused a series of posts I was writing about coats, saying that I'd pick it up once the weather turned cold again. Well winter has well and truly arrived. I'm picking up the narrative thread in the 1940s.
With the first half of the decade dominated by war, practicality and economy were the fashionable watchwords. |
| Farmers, Autumn-Winter 1940 |
A lot of magazines published sewing patterns for garments that their readers could make at home, but this issue of Flair included instructions for making a circle skirt without a pattern.
The instructions are fairly simple. A modern dressmaker's main problem would be finding a suitable substitute for the fabric recommended in 1958!
On page 24 and 25 we showed you the dual personality skirt made from Comspring's "Can Can" bonded cloth, which is 72" wide. We made our skirt in a reversible black and marbled grey . . . and incidentally made it in a matter of minutes. It's easy! All that has to be done is to buy a piece which is twice the length of your skirt length measurement, plus twelve inches, which is the diameter of the circle you will cut out for your waist. Then double the fabric lengthwise, and fold in half across the width. This gives four layers of fabric from which, at the corner that has all the folds of fabric, you cut a quarter circle, by measuring six inches down from the corner and tracing an arc from point to point in tailor's chalk. Next step is to measure down from the waist arc, the length of your skirt and again cut in an arc. When the fabric is opened out, there is your skirt in a full circle with the waist opening in the centre (this should measure approximately 37 inches).
To gather in the waist without a placket (necessary if your skirt is to be reversible without a lot of bother with zips and hidden fastenings), buy a length of soft 1" wide elastic (black in our example) which is the same measurement as your waist is. Then, stretching the elastic as you work, proceed with very loose stitches, to hand-sew the cloth to the elastic. The stitches must be loose to enable them to expand with the elastic when the skirt is pulled on and off. So there is your skirt — made with a minimum of cutting, a minimum of sewing, and no seams or hems to bother with. Wonderful!
The fashions of the 1970s often inspire mockery (I've made my share of jokes) but these coats are classics. I'd happily wear any of them today.
WOOL WOVEN AND WARM — Lean racy lines, accent on camel. Trimmed and terrific. All cut to really swing.
A. Donegal tweed, belted, detailed. A go-anywhere style in winter's fabulous camel, black brown, green and red. 8 to 16. $60
B. Classic over pants — elegant, comfortable. Easy-tie belt. Saddle stitching features. In camel only. 8 to 18. $60
C. Camel again, flattering double breasted, half-belt back. Notice the superb cut. Sizes 8 to 18. $60.
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