All posts tagged: 1950s

My vintage menswear patterns

Mr Dreamy can rarely be convinced to wear vintage styles, but I still like collecting vintage mens patterns, partly because they are useful for clients, partly because I want to teach classes on vintage menswear, and partly out of a hope that someday he will convert and become as enamored of vintage fashions as I am. A lot of my vintage men’s patterns are from the 1970s, because the 70s was a great period for men’s patterns – incredibly well written and drafted, and easy to alter to other periods. I do have some earlier patterns though, so I’ll focus on those today. Like Butterick 3999, the only menwear pattern that I inherited from my Grandma. I can just imagine Grandpa wearing this shirt. I don’t think he played golf though. Academy 2174 is the (slightly earlier, or well behind the times) New Zealand version of the sports shirt. I love how dapper the men are, in a sort of really ugly Clark Gable way. Keeping things casual is Weigel’s 1590, with beach shorts, summer …

Rate the Dress: Pierre Balmain does ostrich feathers

Published by The Dreamstress

Last week most of you loved the 1840s gown remade from 1740s fabric – the colour, the frugality, and the nod to 18th century details all struck a chord with you, and the dress came in an impressive 8.9 out of 10. Personally, while I thought the fabric and colour divine, and the silhouette lovely, the white detailing was too stark and cartoon like for my taste, and my score wouldn’t have been nearly so high, but that’s alright: different opinions are what make the world interesting! I couldn’t find another UFO garment to show you for this week’s Rate the Dress, so instead I’m showing you a UFRTD – I started this Rate the Dress, back when I was making Carolyn’s wedding dress and had ostrich feathers on the mind. Somehow it was never the right time to post it, and so it lingered as a draft. Time to have one less draft! Feathered frocks have had mixed reviews in the past. Victorian marabou was popular in white, not so much in teal. Feather …

Rate the Dress: ’50s stripes & draping

Published by The Dreamstress

Last week’s late 18th century robe a la anglaise sparked lots of discussion on how original or altered the dress was. Was it 18th century at all? 18th century with extensive later alterations? 18th century but just really badly displayed? I suspect the last is mainly to blame. Most of you liked the general aesthetic of the dress, whether it was really accurately 18th century or not, and it came in at a 7.7 out of 10. When I had trouble picking a dress last week Claire put in a request for something from the mid-20th century. I think this 1950s dress is rather striking. You’d certainly make a sensation wearing it, but sometimes people are sensations for all the WRONG reasons. What do you think? Would the wearer of this dress be the last word in chic sophistication, or just a bit too gauche and showy? Rate the Dress on a Scale of 1 to 10