Before and After: Double Duty from a Single Remnant!

It has been a while since I last posted a "Before and After", and this is a marvelous one! My customer Mark McNulty (Irish fashion designer and illustrator extraordinaire!) got great mileage from two patterns and a single remnant of fabric for 4 Euro!

The Pattern: Simplicity 2895 (1940s)

The Results: With this pattern and the fabric remnant, Mark made a beautiful dress for his younger sister. I love it! The swirly, twirly ballerina length is perfect.

It wasn't a perfect fit, though, for his sister, who is 6'1" (and looks like a fashion model, don't you think?). So he took a pattern from the 1960s and was determined to re-purpose the fabric into a jacket! 


The Pattern: McCall's 7593 (1960s)

The Results: He says, "I absolutely fried my brain trying to lay out the pieces of the fabric and trying to get the patterns to match for this sprig little blazer. After a lot of pulling hair, it worked and i even got two cute little bias cut pockets into it too!" I love the lapel pin - adds a dash of class!

Pocket close-up (I think making the pockets bias-cut was totally inspired):

Neat use of hooks-and-eyes make for a slim closing:

Mark, as always, is inspired by fashion. You can see a post about a recent winning illustration of his here. And if you are on Instagram, you can follow him here.

1960s Winter Fashion from Young Designer Gayle Kirkpatrick

Today let's take a peek at winter fashion from 1966. Gayle Kirkpatrick was a hot "In" designer from the mid-60s to the late 1970s. During that time, he won a Coty Award, and designed for Butterick, among many other things. Here are a couple of his designs for Butterick from 1966.

Coatdress Butterick 4204

The coatdress could be sewn to be a coat or a dress (or both!). In this interpretation, sewn in wide wale corduroy, it definitely looks like a coat, with military details.

The double image below pairs Butterick 4204 with Gayle Kirkpatrick's Blouse and Suit Butterick 4205 (looking darn cute and perfectly Mod in paisley). Note the "power stance" of the models. No demure crossing of legs in the youthful revolution of the Mod years!

1955 Couture Design - Dior Dress and Stole-Jacket

Dior's pale beige cheviot two-piece dress (sketch, below) from 1955 has a high turtle neck and wonderful big stole-jacket that closes with a double row of buttons.

And here it is to in the American adaptation, looking pretty darn similar. I'm not sure what to make of the stole-jacket. What do you think?

Originator Sketch - Spring 1946 - Fan-shaped Tucks & Pleats

Fan pleats and fan tucks are such an elegant method for releasing fabric softly, I'm surprised they aren't used more often. It's a treat when I find them in vintage patterns, typically for blouses and dresses, and most often at the neckline or shoulders. This sketch provides true inspiration!

Spotted in a Shop Window - Art Deco Drama

This figure-hugging strapless evening gown with its dramatic fan-pleated neckline is so stunning. The light accent of Oriental peonies at the waistline provides a perfect contrast to the neckline and the flaring of the gown below the knees.

Spotted in the window of Luly Yang in downtown Seattle.

Spotted in a Shop Window - Dreamy Evening Gown

Gorgeous? 'Nuff said.

Spotted in the shop window of Luly Yang in downtown Seattle.

Before and After: Vintage Patterns Inspire Student Designer

This "Before and After" is a special one - and so exciting!!

The Trinity Fashion Society (of Trinity College Dublin, Ireland) hosted its annual catwalk event on March 19. One of the organizers was a good friend of the sister of Mark McNulty, who is a customer of my Etsy shop. This organizer offered Mark a chance to make some things for the show. So he purchased several patterns from my shop and modified them for the show. Here is his story. To read more about the fashion show (which mentions "design prodigy Mark McNulty who is a secondary school student" - wow!!), check out this University Times story.

Mark says: "I find vintage fashion has always influenced me. For my outfits, I wanted to have vintage silhouettes but with a twist. I wanted to mix the classic retro look with 90s grunge, so I went for sophisticated, sexy, smokey colours.

Pattern: Butterick 7956 (1950s) 

The Result: Dreamy strapless evening gown in soft, warm black velvet.
 

 

Mark says: "I made the skirt bigger than the pattern and added more fabric to the back to give it a small train. The black velvet was difficult to sew as it was so so so stretchy and I used it for a very structured piece. The dress called for thin sewn-in boning, but I made a built-in corset with steel boning to really hold it up and hold the wearer in. A self-drafted petticoat was also made, though I do regret it as I don't particularly like it;  but ah well.  

Pattern: Simplicity 2170 (1940s) 

The Result: A hot little dress with attitude!

Mark says: "For this green dress, I used the ice skater dress pattern. I altered it, making it less broad at the shoulders, took in the sleeves and waist considerably, and then added 2 inches to each gore of the skirt to give it more volume. I chose a crushed bottle green velvet that really brought that rocker touch to the dress. The extra fabric on each gore really added so much oompf to the dress when it was on the catwalk."

Pattern: McCall's 7002 (1960s)

The Result: A sexy, slim sheath - fabulous! It doesn't hurt that Mark's sister is gorgeous. :)

Mark says: "I made this black dress for my sister, using the ends of the fabric from the black formal gown. She wore it to her friend's 21st birthday the other day. Even in this dress you can see the 90s grunge influence, with the dark lips and smokey eyes."

What can I say? Fantastic results and congratulations, Mark!!

Spotted in a Shop Window - Formal Gowns at Luly Wang

I love this strapless gown, with its diagonal pleating on the bodice and flirty asymmetrical peplum. Simple stunning!

And this gown has an elegant pouf of a half bow adding drama to the strapless neckline. Eye-popping dreamy! Note the additional elegance of a sweep train.

Gathers and Draped Necklines Inspire 1970s Elegance!

This Vogue 2810 dress features a draped turtleneck, saddle yoke that extends into incredibly dramatic full sleeves with deep cuffs, gathered bodice, inset belt, and gathered skirt. Delicious!

With Vogue 2817, you can charm all around you in Irene Galitzine's turtleneck top over incredible palazzo pants.This designer pattern includes a gown version as well. Supremely luxurious style!

While I encourage you to visit my shop Etsy shop, Midvale Cottage for lots of 1970s dresses (designer and otherwise), you can view images of Vogue 2817 on the Vintage Patterns Wikia, and you can purchase Vogue 2810 at the following shops on Etsy:

• Historical Vintage
• Wildflowers And Wings

Scraps from the Past - Pucci Gown in Polyester DoubleKnit?

It sounds like a heresy - but this is the 1970s, after all!

The Pattern: Vogue Couturier Design 2788 (Pucci)

The Scrap: Eeek! Tucked inside this pattern was a heather-y orange polyester doubleknit! The color doesn't look as orange in the scanned image as it looks in real life, but trust me - it is true to the 1970s. :)

And a bonus! Also tucked in the envelope was the original Vogue Couturier design label, for sewing inside the dress.

Escape the February Winter Blues, 1970s Style

Tired of winter? Ponder a getaway to warmer climes in superb travel clothes from 1973!

Consider this all-weather coat from Vogue and Yves St Laurent, with its tented flare and bold collar. It's perfect for making your escape with incredible style and great ease. :D

Fashion from January 1951: Afternoon Dresses with Flair

Let's check out two more advanced patterns from McCall and January 1951. These two afternoon dresses are easy to make and add becoming style to your wardrobe. Ruffles or gathers combined with slim flared style - not to mention an optional flirty drape at the hip! Yumm.

McCall 8352

Every so easy to make. No sleeve bother. If you want long sleeves, you know how simple it is to add them to these drop-shoulder lines. Figure B has such sleeves, pushed up to three-quarter length. The shirred yokes look so pretty you will be delighted with them, and you will discover that they are vastly becoming. Consider plain heavy sheers and prints. Sizes 12-20, 40, 42. 50 cents.

 McCall 8343

"The new diamond neckline" - Because this wide neckline starts out close to the neck, it is becoming to most people. That line is easy to wear. The lower edges are softened by the frills which are cut in one with the fronts, faced and merely flopped over. So simple, yet it has the professionally-made look because of this construction. Good for plain crepe, good for a print. Sizes 12-20, 40-42. 75 cents.

New's Years Evening Gowns from 1951

McCall's Patterns published a fabulous booklet of "advanced" or designer patterns, dated January 1951. Included are New Year's evening gowns, and "Five O'Clockers", Florida-California clothes, Around-the-Clock ensembles for North and South, and the New Sheath Slimness, the Asymmetric Line, and the "Beautiful Open Necks". Patterns range in price from 50 cents to a dollar, which was double or more the typical price of a pattern at that time.

All this week I'll post the images from this booklet, in anticipation of the new year. :D Here is the cover dress, pattern 8341 (sizes 12-20, 40-42) 75 cents.

With an enticement so gorgeous on the cover, let's move on to the New Year's evening gowns!

For Many Enchanting Evenings

 

Charming "breath-taker". Soft and billowy. A wedged-out neck that's very wide, very deep. Collar-revers with winged magic, derived so simply from bias-cut pieces interfaced and eased on. A basque bodice, smoothly fitted in contrast with the seven gathered panels of luscious skirt fulness. Unlimited fabric potentialities, including velvet, organdy, taffeta, and metal cloth. Pattern No. 8353 Sizes 9-17. 75 cents.

Lace Gown, Taffeta Slip

Dress and slip are attached so only one set of straps is required. The binding along the U decolletage and "bust ruffle" is a bias fold which runs on into shoulder straps - a smart touch. And it would be smart of you to stitch narrow tape inside the straps to keep them from stretching. Extremely wide skirt, with a detachable tie-on peplum. Sizes 12-20. $1.00.

In Search of Style - 60s Mod A-Line Wrap Dress

Here is a clipping of the style a seamstress in the late 1960s was looking for - front wrap style with A-line flare. I love the details!

The clipping was taped to this pattern, the one she felt came closest to the design:

This super-cute A-line mini dress is a wrap-around with front closing. While I find view 1 the cutest, I think she was probably going for the long-sleeved version in view 3. Any way you look at it, it is fab Mod style!