"The Ideal House Dress" (Girl's Own Paper and Woman's Magazine, October 1920)

 "... Sure to be Popular.  Notice the Absence of Openings, and Hooks, and Buttons"

By the 1920s The Girl's Own Paper had become The Girl's Own Paper and Woman's Magazine.  At this stage it was aimed at a readership of young women, whether married or single, and carried a mix of fiction and articles on homemaking, potential careers, cookery and crafts.  It also advertised its own dressmaking patterns in each monthly issue.  

One pattern would usually be singled out for description in detail.  The chosen pattern would not necessarily be for the most fashionable of garments, but for clothes the editors of The Girl's Own Paper thought its readers might find useful.  The picture and the description below is for a "house dress", or the working costume of an ordinary housewife.  

All home-dressmakers on the look-out for a really practical design for making a comfortable house dress will welcome with pleasure this pattern we are illustrating on this page.

Besides being easy to make and easy to put on, this little design combines all the essential qualities necessary to the comfort of the housewife when engaged in household tasks.

The dress slips on over the head, has no openings to get untidy, no gaps at the waistline, no tight belt, and no pinning or hooking to keep bodice and skirt decently joined.

The back is cut straight—hanging from the shoulders, and the front is made like a bodice and skirt joined with a belt at the waistline; the belt then extends free across the back—holding in the fulness to the figure—and fastens at the underarm.

By this means the bodice is able to be given the requisite fulness, without giving the bulky appearance below the waist-line, unavoidable in in the ordinary straight one-piece dress.  Another advantage this gives over the ordinary frock is, that when stooping, the belt adjustment prevents the skirt from dropping and getting under the feet—a great gain for a working garment.

The dress is also an economical one, as it only requires 3½ yards of material 36 inches wide.  Poplin, gingham, print or cotton crȇpe would all be good fabrics for the making.

The collar can be made of a contrasting material to the frock, if desired, and would look well in white if the dress itself is of dark fabric.  Saxe-blue with a white collar is a pleasing combination, or some of the pretty striped fabrics now so popular would be becoming for this design.

If the collar is white, it should be made detachable from the frock, so that it can be removed when the dress requires washing.  This can easily be done without much extra work, and as the neck of a dress is always the first part to get soiled and crushed, it is always an advantage to have the collar detachable and able to be laundered apart from the frock.  All that is needed is to bind the neck edges of the dress and collar in position instead of neatening the two edges together.  Half a yard of material will be sufficient for the collar.

Frock and Jacket from Paris (New Idea, March 11 1959)

 

Almost exactly 65 years ago, The New Idea published this pattern for a paired dress and jacket.  Home dressmakers who want to add a touch of fifties glamour to their wardrobe, should have no trouble in following the pattern today.

If you are a working woman or a housewife on a shopping spree, this is just the suit for you to wear to the city.  This outfit is simple in design and the instructions are easy to follow.

You will be perfectly at ease, without that negligent look, in this dress and jacket.  The outfit is quite suitable for this time of year, with its short-sleeved jacket and tuxedo lapels. 

MATERIALS:  2 2/3 yards of 56 inch flannel; 14 in. zip fastener.
CUTTING: Reproduce the pattern on paper marked with four-inch squares.

TO MAKE THE FROCK; Place the pattern on the unfolded material.  Make the bust and back darts.  Join the front and back by the side and shoulder seams.  Try on the frock and make any necessary alterations for the fit.  Join the neck facings by the seams AA and the armhole facings by BB and CC.  Place the facings right side against right side and sew.  Turn the facings inside and hold them in place by hidden stitches.  Make the hem at the bottom and place the zip on the left side from E to E.

TO MAKE THE JACKET: Fold the material in two lengthways and place the centre back on the fold.  Allow extra for seams and hems.  Make the bust darts and join the fronts to the back by the side seams from the armhole to A and by the shoulder seams.  Fold the facings of the side vents back to the inside and hold in place by hidden stitches.  Sew up the sleeve seams and place then with X to the front and B meeting the shoulder seam.  Make the hems at the bottom of the sleeves.  Join the facings by seams C.  Place them right side against right side of the coat.  Turn them inside and hold them in place by hidden stitches.

Just a few strands of pearls and long gloves will transform this dress into a cocktail frock that will be perfect for dinner and a show after a day in the rush and traffic of town.  

What We Wore in '74: Dresses (Simplicity Pattern Book, Spring 1974)

 Dresses are a staple in women's wardrobes in any era, but each era has its own fashion in dresses.  

The mid-seventies was very much an "in-between" era.  The best word I can use to describe the dresses of 1974 is "moderate": not as short and skimpy as the dresses of the late 1960s and early 1970s, and not as long and baggy as the styles of the late 1970s.  Judging by the pattern illustrations below, hems hovered around or just above the knees, skirts had a slight A-line flare to them, and collars were often used as decorative details.

Misses' Dress

Misses' and Women's Dress in Two Lengths

Misses' Short Dress and Two-Piece Short Dress

Misses' One-Piece Short Dress or Short Two-Piece Dress With Detachable Collar and Cuffs

Misses' Dress

Capes and Sleeves (Miroir des Modes, July 1924)

 And speaking of posting pretty pictures... this plate, from Le Miroir des Modes shows how very simple and streamlined women's fashions had become by the mid-twenties.  You would have to go back to around 1800 to find dresses as comfortable and with as few fusses and frills.  

For some reason there were no descriptions of these garments in the issue of Le Miroir des Modes where I scanned this picture.  However, since it advertises Butterick patterns, I was able to take the descriptions from a contemporary issue of The Delineator—but only for the figures on the left and right-hand sides!  

5199—Hand-fagoting at the neck, sleeves and on the pockets of this one-piece plaited frock is very smart.  The dress has a straight lower edge, slips on over the head and has a casing and elastic across the sides of a low waistline.  It may have long sleeves sewed into a body lining. 

5197—The new cape styles are irresistible to the young girls who choose a circular cape to wear with the one-piece slip-over dress.  Use plaid or striped wool with plain cape; or use soft twills, kasha, fine worsteds, wool crȇpe, plaids, plaid, striped or plain flannel for the entire costume.

"Soft Frocks, Won Over To The Cause of Inflated Sleeves" (McCall's, June 1935)

 Sometimes I post things because I have something meaningful to say about them.  Sometimes I post things simply because they look good.   Please enjoy this picture of 1930s summer dresses from McCall's.

TAFFETA is all over the place this season.  Here, in the navy chiffon frock, it makes the collar, bow and cuffs.  And of the various taffetas, the dotted ones are the smartest ones.  No. 8291.

SCARFS are as important as ever, and there are several new ways to wear them.  The white dress shows one of them.  You will notice that the sleeves are gathered into the armhole.  No. 8303.

RUFFLES, the kind that it's a toss-up whether to call them ruffles or capes, make pretty necklines.  The ruffled neck of the dotted dress is both high and low, and pleases everyone.  No. 8301.

"Gowns For Daily Use" (McCall's, February 1914)

 The remarkable thing about these "gowns for daily use" is how smart they are—what a contrast to the everyday fashions of 2024!   By 1914 fashion had well and truly left the curvy Edwardian silhouette behind and women were striving for a flattened and more streamlined look.  Skirts tend to be narrow and taper towards the ankles, but note the carefully placed pleats allowing some wearing ease.

NO. 5687, LADIES' DRESS⸺This is an unusually new model, wide tucks being combined with sleeves in semi-raglan fashion.  This frock, made of deep red serge, would make a practical addition to the winter wardrobe.  Revers of red-and-white plaid silk, with a crushed girdle of the same would be very smart.  Long, tassel-finished sash ends would be an attractive feature.

NO. 5699, LADIES' DRESS⸺The simplicity and good style of this frock would make it especially adaptable for business women.  

NO. 5671, LADIES' WAIST⸺Kimono or peasant styles still hold sway.  They are simple in construction and lend themselves to various styles.  The blouse illustrated, developed in heavy lace with tunic of the same, is very striking.  The fullness of the blouse is gathered at the neck, giving an entirely new effect.  The V-shaped neck and surplus waist is especially becoming to slender figures.

NO. 5697, LADIES' ONE- OR TWO-PIECE SKIRT⸺Dame fashion has given her approval to large waists, exaggerated hips and extremely narrow skirts around the ankles.  We have no model that so fully carries out this fashionable outline as this illustration.  The drapery at the sides of this skirt accentuates the outline of the hip.

What We Wore in '74: Platforms and Wedges (David Jones, Spring and Summer 1974)

 If you wanted to wear trendy footwear in 1974, platform soles and/or wedge heels were a must.   The photographs below show some fashionable sandals from the summer David Jones catalogue.  Cork and rope seem to have been popular materials for the soles.

Kick up your heels!  The new Miss Jones collection for spring and summer has arrived!  Smacking of the sea with nautical corks and comfy wedges, strappy uppers and breezy open toes.

Sandler have the summer sandal scene all sewn up.  Bright colours that outshine the sun, raised up on fun-loving platforms; a look that's totally young and carefree.

Shoes are one of the most important considerations in your summer wardrobe.  they must be ultra-cool (you know how uncomfortable hot feet are!) yet they must be able to stand up to the rugged wear of summer.

People who remember the era tell me that these shoes were very noisy on uncarpeted floors!  By the end of the decade, however, bulky platforms were "out" and fashion had swung to the opposite extreme, with strappy stilettos being the footwear of choice.