Tag: 1930s

1930's fashion, sewing, sewing patterns, vintage fashion

Irresponsible Fashion

Lisa

I got this 1931 McCall Quarterly catalog recently. When I was listing it in the Etsy shop today, I came across this article, and it made me smile.

“Sports frocks are somewhat uniform in style. Street dresses have many characteristics in common. But the afternoon costume is another story.

In fact, the formal day mode is varied to the point of appearing irresponsible. But there is really a chic purpose behind each of its moods.

The three models that you see on the right were created for early afternoon hours. and underemonious events. Their formality hints of the casual…in simplicity of lines…fabrics taht are not too elegant…skirts that clear the floor by about ten inches.

For later hours and more formal occasions, designs become a little more feminine, fabrics a ilttle more elegant and skirts quite a bit longer. Sleeves may be either long or short. For a change you may prefer the full-length sleeve in the same from with an ankle length skirt. This combination has a provocative new look about it. “

They go on to talk about choosing accessories: gloves long enough to wrinkle at the wrist, and purses chosen as ornamental, not utilitarian.

It’s funny to look at this with today’s eyes, as we would likely never consider these beautiful garments to be irresponsible or even anything but elegant. But then again, today’s sportswear is anything but elegant, and thinking of an afternoon dress has likely never occurred to the majority of the population. I love this insight into the psychology of fashion in the 30s. It’s one of the reasons I love studying fashion so much, and why, as Miranda Priestley so eloquently put, it’s not just a blue sweater.

sewing, sewing patterns, vintage clothing

New York Pattern 120

Lisa
New York pattern 120. Mid-1930s.

This is a beautiful pattern from the 1933-1936 range. It has the small NRA (National Recover Act) seal on the bottom left front of the envelope. NRA patterns were from the 1930s-1940s. This one has the smallest logo I’ve seen. It’s a fabulous style — look at those cuffs! Interestingly, it also does not say “Gold Seal Pattern” like many New York patterns do, so this is an early one.

The thing I find most interesting is that it has Joan Bennett written on the front. When you compare it, you can see that it’s actually done in her signature:

Photo: History for Sale.

This is interesting to me because I’ve never seen a pattern of this era that was associated with an actress except Hollywood Patterns and Star Patterns. Hollywood, of course, was known for their patterns with stars’ photos in an oval on the front right cover, and they included them in their catalogs too. Star Patterns often had full body photographs of the actress. I’ve only seen a few over the course of time. But I’ve never seen a New York pattern associated with an actress, so this is kind of cool.

Joan Bennett was an immensely popular actress of the era, so I’m not surprised that they chose her. I’m just wondering how many more of these there are out there. Sadly, this one is missing the instructions, so I don’t know if there is anything on the instruction page about Ms. Bennett. If you know anything about them, drop me a line, because I’d love to know.

embroidery, sewing, vintage fashion

Fabulous Friday: Hieroglyphics

Lisa
McCall Kaumagraph 1590, undated.

For our viewing pleasure, this Friday I’d like to show you this fantastic Kaumagraph from McCall. There’s no date, but also little doubt that it’s somewhere in the 20s or early 30s. Interestingly, it is stated to be monograms, and if you look at the illustration, each part of the transfer is for a different letter. Is it Chinese, or another Asian language? Is it artistic license? I don’t know, but I love it.

I’ve thought about getting the classic “tattoo of an Asian character,” but decided against it after a friend of mine said her friend got one. She chose the character for “friend,” and then when she met someone Chinese, she was asked why she had a tattoo that said “cow” on her neck. So I guess unless I go to a Chinese tattoo artist, I will hold off. And even if I did, I’d better make sure they like me, lest I end up with “vaccuum cleaner” on my ankle.

If you are interested in this amazing transfer, you can buy it in the shop.