It’s been a while

Those of you who have been following the saga of Hettie’s bridemaid’s dress will know that there’s a wedding in the offing. This Saturday, in fact! Over the course of the last couple of week’s there’s been much weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth while we manufactured my wedding dress and Robin’s groom outfit. (There’s nothing like cutting it fine, is there?) But everything is finally hemmed and tweaked and just about ready. I won’t be posting for a few weeks, but look out for bumper posting on wedding outfits and pictures when I return!

As a parting shot, let’s have a little therapeutic eye candy and see how the professionals do big frocks. These pics are taken from the French magazine Qualite from 1946:

The Silent Three

Meet the Silent Three- schoolgirl comic book heroes who appeared in their own strip in the story paper “The Schoolfriend” which ran from about 1950 to 1963. And, if this Advance pattern from around 1940 didn’t pre-date the Silent Three, I would swear that their subtle style (because of course no one will notice you sneaking around and breaking into houses in a floor length hooded robe and black mask) was a major inspiration for it:

I love old bathing suit patterns, and the suit on this one is quite cute (not sure about the Mrs Mop headwear) but the beach coat looks unfortunately rather like something one of the Silent Three would wear to go undercover at the beach…

Click here to view a full episode of the Silent Three’s daring exploits here at Gateway Monthly.

Winter Season 1941, Paris

Now and again I buy something on ebay that so far exceeds my expectations that I’m well and truly gobsmacked. The latest arrival I bought for its inexpensive air of mystery and because a couple of the listing pictures intrigued me. I’m thrilled by what a great find it is.

It’s still not really clear to me what the purpose of this publication was. I’m not sure having a better command of French would help- it seems to be a publication that would have been known to its target audience and perhaps available from a particular outlet or by postal subscription? From my limited French, it seems to be a pattern catalogue for a company based in Paris called Editions Bell. However, the patterns are of such staggering complexity and intricate cut that this must have been a service aimed at a professional dressmaker rather than a home sewer. The company offers to express you a pattern cut to your exact measurements within 48 hours. Wow.

What amazes me even more than the cut of these styles is that these patterns are for the 1940/41 Winter season. In France. Wasn’t the fashion industry in France hit pretty hard by the Second World War?? Here is the front cover:

I love the way that in the 1940s fashion ran through a whole range of shapes and lines from utility clothing and rationing, the draped sophisticated “film noir” look, the romantic “I’ve just stepped out of an MGM musical” look with sweetheart neckline and puff sleeves, to Dior’s “New Look” in 1947.

Click on the pictures and thumbnails of a few pages below to enlarge in order to really appreciate the details. (Apologies for the wonky pictures- my scanner is A4 and I’ve had to use a camera for this A3 booklet…)