Fashion history through DIY culture
Red lips, black manicure, and no mention of the holidays. Is anyone else watching The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina?
The pattern is McCall 8564. This copy is from the Sydnor-Spainhour Company of North Carolina.
Happy solstice!
Perfume: Opium, of course!
Yves Saint Laurent’s Chinese tunic got a lot of exposure during the 1979-80 holiday season. The cover of Vogue’s January 1980 retail catalogue also shows a version of this shot. (See Make Mine Vogue.) The pattern is Vogue 2337.
Happy holidays, everyone.
A Celanese advertising insert from the late 1950s shows McCall’s festive styles in the latest synthetic silks—top models and more than one tiara from the multinational chemical company that brought you cellulose acetate.
The booklet frames small, full-length photos of McCall’s designs with close-ups showing off the “brilliant” textiles. Here, McCall’s 4999 is shown in Belding Corticelli’s rayon-acetate matelassé, with McCall’s 5057 in Cohama’s Arnel triacetate faille. The model on the right is Simone D’Aillencourt:
The blue ensemble on the left is McCall’s 5023, made in Celanese Celaperm acetate satin faille from the David Hecht Co. Anne St. Marie poses in McCall’s 5029 in Onondaga rayon-acetate brocade:
Here, Dovima wears a shimmering gold version of McCall’s 4425 in Lawrence and Klauber printed crepe satin acetate, while McCall’s 4870 evokes Princess Grace in aqua acetate satin from William Skinner and Sons:
Dovima closes the booklet in McCall’s 5012, an at-home trouser ensemble shown in orange and tangerine Celaperm acetate satin peau from Wedgwood Fabrics.
For more on the history of Celanese (est. 1918), see the company website.
Happy holidays, everyone!
I wanted to share this mid-1920s, Christmas-themed cover of McCall Style News. From December, 1925, the illustration shows two women—well-dressed in coat ensembles—accompanying a young girl carrying a wreath. I love how makes it look like she has two mothers.
The patterns are McCall 4336, 4248, and 4337. This copy came from Bresee’s Oneonta Department Store in Oneonta, New York.
Merry Christmas and happy holidays!
“Striking Gold,” a 1979 editorial by the late Deborah Turbeville, includes a two-page Vogue Patterns spread that has a festive sparkle.
Turbeville’s photo shows four seated models dressed in shimmery charmeuse and lamé; two wear off-the-rack clothing. The two featured patterns (at centre and far right) were made up in gold-pistachio lamé from Bloomingdale’s (click to enlarge):
The patterns are Vogue 2105 by Christian Dior and Very Easy Vogue 2182 by Oscar de la Renta.
You can see the rest of the shoot at Sighs and Whispers (larger scans at the Fashion Spot).
Happy holidays, everyone!
I wanted to share this holiday-themed, Mad Men-era advertisement for Singer Slant-O-Matic sewing machines and Singer Sewing Centers:
Like the other ads in the series (see my earlier post here), the ad plays with scale while serving up some mid-century aspirational marketing. The copy promotes the Slant-O-Matic’s slanted needle and how it helps dressmakers sew special fabrics into submission.
The model is Sara Thom; her evening gown in grape and fuchsia taffeta is a McCall’s exclusive by Pauline Trigère, McCall’s 5588.
