I’ve finally managed to find the time to scan all the fashion pages from my Girl’s Own Papers from 1905-07, and I’ll be posting them over the coming months (themed to the correct month, of course!).

I found the pages at a car boot sale in Napier during Art Deco weekend.  Sadly, they were loose papers, and the magazines are incomplete.  I’ve done my best to sort them based on the months given, and the page numbers, and to date them, but I’m not always 100% sure I’ve got the year correct.

I’m reasonably sure today’s pages are from 1906, thanks to some help from the incomparable Daniel in definitively dating a  page I shared a few years back to March 1906.  The page numbers suggest these two pages  are from the same year (though those also repeated on an annual basis, so these may be from 1905!).

These images are as large as my blog format will support, so hopefully you can read them.

Some delightful excerpts:

The white cloths and velvets and other perishable materials which, during the spring months, are worn by what servants call ‘carriage folk,” are generally made in styles which are either modifications or developments of the winter designs, while for June, July, and Arugust there is often a complete revolution in fashions.

My advice for May is, therefore, “Wait.”

Including lots of advice on remodelling:

Like all practical people, I suppose you always ask your dressmaker or tailor to send you home the cuttings of the material belonging to your gowns.  If so, use the largest piece belonging to your winter blue serge or grey tweed to convert your gored skirt into a corslet [sic] one.

Do go on to read how you do this – it’s quite a good section!

I foolishly neglected to scan page 474, which discusses how to shop for the hats to wear with the fashions, but I shall remedy that post-haste!

Note that the seated figure wears fashions suited to a young matron!  And the girl’s skirt could be adapted from the Fantail Skirt pattern.

Enjoy!