All posts filed under: 20th Century

Early 1950s fashions and fabrics in Japan, Part 2 of 5

I gave you just a tiny taste of some of the darlingness in the early 1950s Japanese pattern book. Here are a few more. Lets look at the suggested fabrics: There are clearly different sections in the book, with different styling. I think the above fashions were ladies fashions, and these are junior frocks: Aren’t they so lovely and young and fresh? There are children’s fashions too: I find it very interesting that the kids look Japanese (or at least fashion drawing Japanese), while the adults are either Caucasion or very generic any-ethnicity. And then there are these ladies. Who simply don’t have half their faces The simple dresses are livened by lovely details, and the beautiful fabrics. I hope you enjoyed them! More in a few days!

Elise’s gift: the blue velvet & posy gown

Published by The Dreamstress

I’m coming to the end of the fantastic textiles that Elise sent. I have just today’s dress, and then one more dress (and it’s a doozy – I’ve saved one of the best for last) to show you. Today’s dress is another velvet item, this one in the same glorious midnight blue of the leaf-patterned devore dress. Midnight blue velvet was an incredibly fashionable colour & fabric in the mid-late ’30s. The velvet is accessorized by a posy of flowers in lavender, peach & pastel-magenta – such a lovely, quirky, completely 1930s touch. In addition to being made of a similar fabric, this dress shares an almost identical cut to the devore gown – with an inverted V waist, a gathered bust, full sleeves, and a bias skirt. It even shares the clever tucked pleat collar construction, as you can see in the photo above. Alas, not only does the dark clolour mean the dress is tricky to photograph well, it isn’t looking its best because it doesn’t remotely fit Isabelle. It is unusually large …

Terminology: What is botany wool?

Published by The Dreamstress

Botany wool, often known simply as botany (though I find the ‘wool’ part helpful in differentiating it from the general ‘flowers and trees’ type of botany) is an early name for merino wool produced in the Antipodes. (OK, so I’m not 100% sure that suit is made of Botany wool. But it might very well be. And it’s spectacular. And there are only so many images of socks I can show you). In the 19th century it was spun into cloth and used in outer wear, and so the term ‘botany wool’ could mean the fabric, not the raw materials. In the 20th century it has mainly been used in knit sweaters and hosiery, though as late as 1922 you could still buy ‘Botany wool’ serge. According to most dictionaries, the term arose in the 1880s, when the Australian wool industry was established enough to export in reasonable quantities. However, there are advertisements describing cloth as ‘botany’ in New Zealand at the end of the 1870s, so it may be a bit older. It was …