Wednesday, May 13, 2015

1950 Fashion: Sewing Patterns for Dresses


Vintage fashion for January 1950: a new decade with new styles.  Women were cutting and sewing a whole new silhouette that year.  My sister has kept me well stocked with vintage sewing pattern brochures. This newsprint catalog she gave me has several punched up color pages that I'm sharing with you here.


In 1950 dresses sported the newer sloping shoulders, 3/4 sleeve length and wide hemlines. For many girls it was a good time to sew up new clothes, departing from the tired and well-worn ones that had gotten them through the post war era.


An hourglass silhouette with tiny peplum is accented by turn-back cuffs and standing collars.


Circle and flared skirts with small waisted wide belts.  The rounded shoulders and tiny collars with high necklines keep the bodice demure, except for the bold white turned-back cuffs.


For more mature customers, the top two dresses carry over the diagonal draping and crepe textiles worn during the last decade. The perky red checked gingham number and the red dress are half size with a modern style spin.

Whether trying to date a vintage dress, sew up retro style copy, or just get inspired by fashion from 65 years ago, these pages with over a happy dozen dress patterns are great in both their differences and similarities.

Pattern Numbers shown here: Simplicity
3057
3058
3059
3060--Junior sizes
3061--Junior sizes
3064--Junior sizes
3065
3066
3067--Half sizes
3068--Half sizes
3069
3075--Junior sizes
3076--Junior sizes