PatternVault

It’s unseasonably warm here in Toronto, so instead of my planned wintry ephemera, here’s a resort-themed cover from the late 1930s.

Although it’s a winter issue, the February 1939 Butterick Fashion News shows a woman leaning off the rigging of a yacht. The pattern is Butterick 8245, a short-sleeved sports dress with matching shorts.

This is an English copy, from the John Lewis flagship on Oxford Street. On the back cover, the caption reads, “When your dirndl skirt blows wide open to the wind, let your admiring public see under it matching, brief new ‘baby shorts!’ Your shirt wears initials on its pocket and may have either the collarless or convertible neckline.” The pattern seems to call specifically for striped fabric: