Enjoying the Style of Vintage Pedal Pushers or Capris

We had a touch of spring this past weekend, with temperatures reaching the upper 60s on Sunday. Which made many pull out their sunnier clothing. Which put me in mind of capris, otherwise called pedal pushers in the 1940s and 1950s, which provide cute details that you don't see in the store-bought variety. I love the ones that add special treatments to the hemline outseams for that extra touch of spark and fun:

• Fold-back cuffs
• Wing cuffs
• Sporty vents
• Buttoned vents
• Bound and tied vents

And of course, a pattern that includes a darling blouse along with the pedal pushers is always a bargain! Enjoy these examples:

Vintage Style Trends: Detachable Collars and Cuffs

Detachable collars and cuffs were so popular in the last century (it feels weird to write about it that way), beginning in the 1940s but particularly popular in the 1950s, and lasting through the 60s and 70s and beyond. Detachable collars and cuffs were a mainstay of the wardrobe. The advantages, aside from adding striking color accent, were extension of a small wardrobe by adding variety, and reduction in cleaning costs and effort. The notched and wing varieties of collar and cuffs were extremely popular.

There are 3 variations of the detachable collar and cuffs:

• Over-collar and over-cuffs added to garment with single collar and cuffs
• Under-collar and under-cuffs added to garment with single collar and cuffs
• Collar and cuffs added to collarless and cuff-less garment

The Technique

The technique used for detachable collars and cuffs was to edge the collar or cuff with bias binding. That bound edge was then attached to the garment by simply whip-stitching in place. It is that simple. No snaps, no buttons, no hooks-and-eyes. It is a  rather uncomplicated, simple method, it seems to me!

Here are a couple of examples of detachable collars & cuffs from magazine advertisements of the 1950s:

The following patterns illustrate the over-collar and over-cuffs added to garment with single collar and cuffs:

The following pattern illustrates the less common method of under-collar and under-cuffs added to garment with single collar and cuffs:

The following patterns illustrate the collar and cuffs added to a collarless and cuff-less garment:

A popular item in the 1950s was the "accessory dress", which was purposefully collarless and cuff-less. The sewing pattern provided several styles of collars and cuffs with which to "change up" your look. Here is a great example: