1980s – PatternVault

Jennifer Connelly as Princess Leia, McCall’s 7772 (1981)

Jennifer Connelly turned 50 this weekend.

Before she starred in films like Labyrinth (1986) and A Beautiful Mind (2001), Connelly was a child model. As confirmed in a contemporary children’s magazine, she played Princess Leia on McCall’s official Star Wars pattern.

Jenny Connelly and her portfolio in Dynamite magazine, May 1982 — Jenny Connelly and her portfolio in *Dynamite* magazine, March 1982. Image: Click Americana.

Connelly can be seen on a handful of McCall’s patterns, as well as one or two Little Vogues from the early 1980s.

1980s McCall's "Make It Tonight" dress pattern no. 8010 featuring Jennifer Connelly — McCall’s 8010 (1982) Image: eBay.

1980s Very Easy Little Vogue bridesmaid pattern no. 1314 featuring Jennifer Connelly — Vogue 1314 (1984) Image: Vintage Pattern Wiki.

Happy birthday, Ms. Connelly!

Jennifer Connelly photographed by David Sims for Nicolas Ghesquière's Spring 2008 Balenciaga ad campaign — Jennifer Connelly in Nicolas Ghesquière’s Balenciaga Spring 2008 campaign. Photo: David Sims. Image: Pinterest.

Isaac Mizrahi and Shalom Harlow photographed by Dewey Nicks for the Isaac Mizrahi Spring 1998 ad campaign — Isaac Mizrahi and Shalom Harlow in Isaac Mizrahi’s Spring 1998 ad campaign. Photo: Dewey Nicks. Image: Instagram.

Unzipped, the groundbreaking fashion film, is 25 this month.

The 1995 documentary made Isaac Mizrahi a household name. (Read more at Vogue.com.) To celebrate, here’s a look at Mizrahi’s vintage Vogue patterns.

Shalom Harlow and Amber Valetta photographed by Steven Meisel in Isaac Mizrahi formal wear on the cover of Vogue, September 1995. — Isaac Mizrahi formal wear on the cover of *Vogue*, September 1995. Models: Shalom Harlow and Amber Valetta. Photo: Steven Meisel. Editor: Camilla Nickerson. Image: Pinterest.

Isaac Mizrahi label designed by Tibor Kalman. Image: Yale University Press.

Born in Brooklyn, Isaac Mizrahi (b. 1961) started licensing patterns not long after showing his first solo collection. Vogue Patterns Magazine welcomed him to the Vogue Individualist line for Holiday ’88 with two patterns shown in sorbetto brights.

"Newcomer Isaac Mizrahi: Coming on the scene in a burst of incandescent colors, this new, young talent is a natural Vogue Individualist!" — “New Comer Isaac Mizrahi,” *Vogue Patterns*, November/December 1988. (Vogue 2218 and 2219) Image: Etsy.

Even before Mizrahi received backing from Chanel, both Vogue and Vogue Patterns were champions of his work. This crisp Mizrahi shirtdress made the cover of the summer retail catalogue.

Vogue 2495 Vogue cat JulAug 1990 — Vogue 2495 by Isaac Mizrahi on the cover of the Vogue Patterns retail catalogue, July/August 1990. Image: eBay.

Vogue included a Mizrahi jacket pattern in the spring 1991 budget-dressing editorial, “Fit to Print.” The jacket was made in a double-faced wool plaid from New York’s Felsen Fabrics.

"Fit to Print," Vogue March 1991. The suit of the younger generation, leggings and a jacket, gets a boost from bright plaids. Double-faced wool jacket, about $75. Vogue Pattern 2626. Fabric from Felsen Fabrics, NYC. Silk and Lycra leggings, about $30. Vogue Pattern 7733. Fabric from B&J Fabrics, NYC. — Vogue 2626 by Isaac Mizrahi (with V7733 leggings) in *Vogue*, March 1991. Model: Marielle Macville. Photo: Isabel Snyder. Editor: Elizabeth Saltzman. Image: Vogue Archive.

For Holiday ’94 — essentially the Fall-Winter ’94–95 season documented in Unzipped — Mizrahi designed what Vogue called a “mini-collection created especially for Vogue Patterns.” Several of these pieces were featured on the cover of the counter catalogue.

Vogue 1512, 1513. Vogue Patterns retail catalogue, January/February 1995 — “Isaac Mizrahi for Vogue Patterns,” Vogue Patterns retail catalogue, January/February 1995. Image: eBay.

Vogue published a two-page article on the new Mizrahi patterns. The magazine had everything made up in silk lamé, wool jersey, and vinyl from B&J Fabrics.

Gold mind: After seasons of silver, Isaac Mizrahi goes for the gold with a strapless second-skin knee-length lamé cocktail dress (1, 2) and a high-shine lamé trench coat, which can stand alone as a dress or be worn as a traffic-stopping topcoat (3, 4) — evening wear King Midas would have loved. (V1512 dress and V1513 trench both in silk lamé from B&J Fabrics, NYC.) — “Cut it out!,” *Vogue*, December 1994. Photos: Richard J. Burbridge, Ellen von Unwerth. Image: Vogue Archive.

Vogue Dec 1994 p. 136 "Night vision: Isaac Mizrahi's golden ideas for evening chic range from a full-impact slinky floor-length gold lamé slip dress (1, 4), a flash-of-gold skinny belt on a black wool jersey shift dress (2) to a slim-cut gold lamé suit worn with a casual cotton camisole (3). Components for a high-glamour wardrobe include a tailored jacket in dramatic gold lamé (5), a streamlined knee-length wool jersey shift (6), and the techno mix of a gold spandex t-shirt with a knee-length black vinyl skirt (7). — “Cut it out!,” *Vogue*, December 1994. Models: Bridget Hall, Linda Evangelista, Karen Mulder. Photos: Richard J. Burbridge, Albert Watson, Ellen von Unwerth. Image: Vogue Archive.

Vogue Dec 1994 p368 — Patterns – In This Issue, *Vogue*, December 1994. Image: Vogue Archive.

Isaac Mizrahi patterns were available through Vogue Attitudes until the later 1990s. Mizrahi graduated to Vogue’s regular designer line in 1998 — the year he shuttered his label.

Vogue 1963 (1997) — Vogue 1963 by Isaac Mizrahi (1997) Model: Maggie Giotta. Image: eBay.

Vogue 2207 (1998) — Vogue 2207 by Isaac Mizrahi (1998) Image: eBay.

1990s Isaac Mizahi cocktail or evening dress pattern Vogue 2230 - LazyGreyCollectibles on Etsy — Vogue 2230 by Isaac Mizrahi (1998) Image: Etsy.

Yet the mid-teens saw another comeback for the designer, with both a return to Vogue Patterns and a retrospective exhibition at the Jewish Museum, New York, entitled Isaac Mizrahi: An Unruly History.