Tag: 1960s fashion

sewing

I Have Questions.

Lisa
McCalls 6592, ©1962

I love this little blue robe. I’d trim it in eyelet, because I just love eyelet. That being said, the shorter version is cute too, isn’t it?

My first question is about the pocket placement. It seems high, especially on the blue one. I think that the way it’s cut means that they need to be placed high, but doesn’t it look a bit wonky?

My other question is, what the heck is that girl pouring? Purple Kool-Aid? Was it a Netflix and chill day, or was she giving Sissy Kool-Aid for breakfast? Is it some weird science experiment? I need to know.

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designers, sewing, sewing patterns, vintage clothing, vintage fashion

So confused…….

Lisa
Vogue 2104, 1969.

It’s been business as usual around here lately, which means crazy all the time. I’m down to watching the grandbabies only one day a week so I’ve been working more diligently at home. I seem to be permanently stuck here, which isn’t a bad thing for a homebody, but it’d be nice to get out a little bit for a movie once in a while. Problem is that although I got the COVID vaccine, I didn’t develop any antibodies because my cancer treatment has zapped my immune system, so that vaccines won’t work. Since I live in “I-Refuse-To-Wear-a-Mask-ville” Indiana, I am stuck until we get to herd immunity, which I figure will be roughly 2031. So here I am.

We’ve been watching Midsomer Murders, and when we are done, I have no idea what we will go to. If you have any suggestions from Britbox or Acorn, let me know, as we pretty much only watch British or Scottish television around here. We seem to be stuck on crime shows, though we’ve interspersed with Monarch of the Glen some time back and a random sitcom here and there.

So while I was listing new things in the shop, I came across this perplexing model by Valentino. I actually love the dress, though I rarely go sleeveless (meds make this fair redhead even more susceptible to the sun, and I will burn). So why is it that the sleeveless model is paired with a hat that is perfect for a winter in Siberia, and why is the long sleeved version paired with what looks like a cowboy hat? Are we being punked? Was someone having fun? Am I the only one to notice? Surely they didn’t expect that we wouldn’t see the accessories, even though the dress is amazing, right? Please, someone, help me to understand this.

Click here to purchase.

sewing

Fabulous Friday: Swimsuit or Lingerie?

Lisa
Butterick 9606

I’ve been missing in action lately, I know. I caught a cold from one of the grandgirls, and it escalated into ugliness in the form of asthmatic bronchitis and ear infections. Got over it and the darned kid did it to me again! I’m just starting to get better now, so hang in there — I’ll be back to normal soon, or at least I hope so.

Meantime, look at this pretty pattern. When I first looked at it, I thought it was a super cute swimsuit, but then I read the description — it’s actually lingerie. I think that you could line it and use it as a swimsuit, and it would be a perfect look with that Beach Blanket Bingo vibe. What do you think?

Purchase here. There’s a 15% off sale going on in my shop through the weekend, so take a look at what’s new and stock up.

1950s fashion, designers, sewing, sewing patterns, vintage clothing, vintage fashion

Start the New Year With Something Pretty

Lisa
Vogue 1434, Nina Ricci, 1959.

I was listing this gorgeous pattern on the website today and went searching for Nina Ricci online. I came across this equally beautiful photo of a dress from her 1961 collection and had to share it, because we all need to go into the new year thinking pretty thoughts. Print available here.

Nina Ricci, 1961.

Happy New Year to you all. May your year be full of light and joy and beautiful things.

sewing patterns, vintage clothing, vintage fashion

Poor Boy Tops

Lisa

I listed this pattern the other day. It calls these (very cute) tops “poor boy tops.” I’ve never heard that term before. Apparently it was something that was seen in the 60s and 70s, and was a real thing at the time. Poor boy styles started to be seen at the end of 1961, but didn’t really start taking hold for a few years later. 1961 saw them being sold in combination with “hot dog pants”, which cracked me up. In 1964, they were described as “ribbed, gently shaped pullovers.” The name reported had nothing to do with poverty, but I can’t find a reference to where the term actually originated. The original poor boy tops looked more like a sweatshirt style: looser and very casual, with ribbed cuffs and collar. Keep in mind that the early 60s were a time where it became more acceptable to be seen in public wearing pants, so the style morphed over time to something more fitted and stylish, designed to be tucked in. When they were worn with hip huggers (or low-rise, for the younger set who may not know the hip hugger term), it showed off the detail of the pants, gave a longer look and accented the waist.

Poor boy tops were often knit, but were also seen in cotton, with embellishments like lace. I even found one that was made of wool. Collars could be plain or rolled. They were occasionally cropped length. I found at least one reference to poor boy dresses with dropped waistlines, but have never seen a pattern for one.

. They continued to be seen in fashion over the next few years, and dominated the Fall, 1966 season, and continued to be seen well into the 70s, though not on the top of the fashion heap. By 1976, the style had disappeared — or at least the term had.

Click here to purchase.

designers, sewing, sewing patterns, vintage fashion

Donald Brooks

Lisa

I found this pattern in my to-be-listed pile and wondered, as is typical of my inquiring nature, who Donald Brooks was. What I found was that I’m not sure I liked him very much.

Donald Mark Blumberg was a lifelong New Yorker. He worked in the early 50s doing window dressing for Lord & Taylor, while he was still a student at Parsons. Lord & Taylor asked him to design a collection for them, and his career took off from there. He began working at Townley in 1958, and took over the helm after Claire McCardell died — those were some BIG shoes to fill. (The more you learn about him, the more you will realize how different he was from her).

He worked at Townley until 1964. He favored bold prints. His 1960s Townley collection featured a python printed chiffon evening gown as its centerpiece. 1964 featured cowl necks (like the one above), bare shoulders, and got away from side closings on dresses. He opened his own house in 1965. Mid 60’s found him noted as one of the “three B’s”: Geoffrey Beene, Bill Blass, and Donald Brooks. He was all about details like back belts (martingale belts, as they had been known in the 40s and 50s), detailed metal belts, and the like. He dressed Babe Paley and Jacqueline Kennedy, and did a number of theatrical costuming jobs as well.

In 197s, it was said by the New York Daily News that Pat Nixon must’ve been planning a trip to China, because she bought one of his evening gowns, in a Chinese theme. He denied this, saying he had “no great rapport with the Nixons,” and added that his designs were “to theatrical and young” for the First Lady. Well. Judgmental, much?

In October, 1972, he was interviewed and said that women had been dressing down for a period of time and during that time had gotten away from fur. He thought fur was coming back. He said “American women’s guilt complex about ‘obviously chic’ clothes are erased now because achievement prone women have concluded that fashion is not a deterrent to accomplishment.” Wow. By this point, I was really thinking him to be rather a misogynist and wondered about many of his life choices. That year, he showed a collection of fur caftans in poncho, street and cape lengths, saying basically that any woman could wiggle, but wearing a draped poncho was more sensuous. He defended himself on the fur issue by saying he didn’t use any endangered furs because he did “no crimes against nature.” He did one collection a year from that point on.

Later in the 70s, he was primarily known for his work with fur, which continued to be his focus for the remainder of his career. He was quoted at one point as saying “You can turn an absolute whore into a lady by just putting pearls around her neck.”

See what I mean?

He was a great designer, winning the Coty Award three times, starting in 1962. He had Three Oscar nominations, including “The Cardinal” which required 2000 costumes, including 138 ball gowns. He ultimately designed for Ann Taylor, beginning in 1990, and died on Long Island in 2005 at age 77, as a result of effects from a heart attack he had a couple of weeks before.

That being said, I do love the dress shown above. It’s simple chic, and not difficult to sew, either. Click here to purchase from my shop.