Spring 1967 Fashions: Butterick Patterns for Junior Styles

Vintage fashion scrapbooks are a gold mine of trends and ideas for inspiration.  They are also a great way to see how accessories were worn, hem lengths, hair and makeup.  For getting a good idea of fashion from a specific time period, they are perfect.

1960, Gloves by Crescendoe, Illustration by Grau

"(Have you seen Crescendoe "Leather gloves by Superb" fabulous)"

"Crescendoe's Caresse, Suddenly beautiful things happen to your hands"

"Miraculous, the flattery of leather tailored gloves in Caresse, Crescendoe's marvelous new matte-nylon! Won't shrink, pill, or loose its shape when washed.
Poco, $3.00, young button shortie
Fidelio, $3.50, Long and elegant"

Illustration by Grau

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Don't these seem perfect for fall weather?

Davidow: early 1960's Couture Suits

Davidow suits from the early 1960s are vintage gems. While they have great diversity in cut and style, the quality of textile makes them standout among other suits from this era.

I wanted to share a copy of the Davidow brochure for Spring 1960. This issue shows what we might consider to be very conservative styling: simple jacket silhouettes and narrow skirts that hide the knees are the norm here. I have included the decriptions too as they contribute more detailed information.

These brochure pages show the Chanel style suits that Davidow was famous for producing. Made from imported wools, Davidow uses the "Chanel" name in many references and advertisements when describing their brand of suiting. A press review from a 1971 New York Couture press fashion show stated that "Davidow has been a leading practitioner of the "Art of Chanel", among them the famous Chanel sweater suits... Davidow is apt to set a new wave of Chanel. Those who loved her clothes should consider a Davidow for fall and winter. They were highly acclaimed by all of the fashion press."

My old scrap books from the first half of the 1960's include Davidow advertisements. Most are from I. Magnin's or Bullock's Wilshire promotions. When available, I have included the descriptions that give details for the fabric, size range and prices.

The caption for the set of suits on the left above states that they are "destined to be your through-summer delights...rounded collar suits in red, yellow, blue, toast and turquoise...convertible collar style in red, yellow, blue...sizes 10 to 20...$129.. from a collection of new Davidows".

In the first half of the 1960's, with prices that ranged from $129 up to $198, it's easy to see why these suits were considered 'couture'. Southern California stores that sold the Davidow label were leading department stores such as Bullock's Wilshire, I.Magnin, and others. The collections were offered each season at 'trunk shows' where a rack of sample suits were made available at a showing supervised by a company sales representative. Clients were able to see the samples, try them on, and then order a suit that would be made to measure for them.

Don't miss my follow-up post on Davidow HERE.

Ceil Chapman: 1960's Advertisement & Illustration

This advertisement for a Ceil Chapman cocktail dress comes from the first few years of the 1960's. It was pasted into an old undated scrapbook of newspaper fashion ads that appear to be early 60's.

The Ceil Chapman sheath presents several interesting features that when combined create a very figure flattering silhouette most women would love to wear. The wide neckline and extended shoulder line create a visual widening of the upper body which balances hiplines that are wider than the shoulders. It is also a great look for any figure with narrow shoulders.

The cross-draped waistline detail helps to create an impression of a slender waistline because it is narrowed down by those diagonal folds. This design technique also hides most waistline 'chubb' and torso folds. It also tends to visually shape a smaller waistline silhouette, even when the body is straight or plump.

It's interesting that this advertisement is probably from the designer's catalog, since it includes the style number and a back view (very basic and unadorned). The fabric is probably a lightweight silk, such as crepe or faille.

Such a simple dress, with so much to offer. No wonder this designer is considered a genius!

post script: Since publishing this post, it was suggested that the illustration is the cover for a Spadea sewing pattern #1257, designed by Ceil Chapman from about 1961. The cover information states: "A supple sheath with loose drapery softly crisscrossing the midsection and caught into the side seams above and below the waistline. The charming boat neck curves wide and away to a minimum of shoulder covering. Darts smoothly shape the zippered back, small pleats are release for ease in the skirt front."

Researching Lilly Pulitzer: Dating Vintage Fashion

When trying to date or locate resources for vintage fashion, seeking out originals of the same style from actual vintage documents can be difficult. One great resource for dating 20th century fashion are the many home sewing patterns published through out the century.

The photo of Lilly Pulitzer above shows her wearing a cotton long muu muu dress with matching cotton print 'babushka' head scarf. It is a style that shows up also in sewing pattern Simplicity 6445 from 1966. The original photo is dated about 1963, so we know that any dress will probably be withing this range, especially considering how home sewing patterns can stay in print for a few years. Lilly's own style tends to not fluctuate, so it is easily possible that 1966 is a good date for a dress with this style of sleeve.

This photo of Lilly jumping from a plane is great because we can clearly see how the banding on her shift is placed along the side slit with a bow at the top. The sewing pattern Simplicity 7091 from 1966 has this same side slit silhouette. Simplicity 5455 dates from 1964, so we can see that a side slit shift is a strong look during this era.

This is a Lilly catalog illustration without a date. The patterns shown above show similar silhouette shapes and handkerchief head scarfs that were often part of Lilly's ensembles. Sewing pattern Simplicity 7529 (1968) has this look.

With the popularity of caftans during most of the 1970's, we can find quite a few caftan sewing patterns. This by Simplicity 6390 (1974) is a great example of how closely Lilly's own caftans kept this classic style during this time. We can expect her caftans to have this same look.

Locating vintage patterns can be easy to do, with Pinterest, Etsy, and Google images showing many examples to choose from. The images here come from the online site: Wikipedia, -- http://vintagepatterns.wikia.com where you will find many pattern covers archived.

Lilly Pulitzer: Close-up

Lilly Pulitzer fabrics and fashions made a transition during the later half of the 1960's to include white trimmings that were heavy and textured. She used the popular caftan shapes that were constructed with vertical seam lines and slash necklines to create 'outlines' and seam accents.

She had been using cotton fabric around edges, and expanded on that with shirred trims, ruffles and ruched panels cut from the dress fabric for texture.

These close-up view of her trims and textiles show how she used contrast and texture to create additional new looks and add a fresh face to her well known shift dresses in the late 1960s and early 1970s.

Her textile design color palette was based on citrus and tropical brights. She continued to make that her brand identification, rarely including other hues. During the 1970's she did work with deeper brights along the lines of then popular Pucci prints, as shown above.

The themes and images that she used in her designs tended to have a sea and surf motif. Usually there are identifiable images within each design, rarely using all abstract shapes. Floral are dominate, along with fish, frogs and other water creatures.

When trying to date her dresses, it is important to find examples that 'match up' to what you have found. With Lilly designs, due to her use of classic silhouettes and prints, this can be difficult to do, since some styles span a decade or more. In her early career, it is possible to find photos of her wearing her designs that date to the early and mid-1960s. Often she is shown wearing a triangle scarf to match the dress.

The 1960's dresses have a simple cut with popular details such as patch pockets and a deep side slit with contrast white banding and a bow. Contrast rick-rack or banding is also seen around the necklines and armholes. This might be due to the garment construction where under-lining or flat-lining is used to support the thin cottons she printed on. This technique requires that the seam allowances are pressed open and are not hidden behind a lining 'shell'. Rather than loose facings she seems to have chosen contrast binding, rick-rack or piping around the edges, most often in white as you can see in the photos.

Some primary sources are her advertisements (often in "Vogue"), catalogs, press photos, and magazine editorials. Because well known personalities such as Jackie Kennedy wore her dresses, photos are available with dates (note that Jackie favored simple gingham shifts, rather than bold prints).

I have found quite a few examples and have saved them in a Pinterest board "Lilly Pulitzer" for research reference. Feel free to let me know if you locate additional images.

Biography

the New York Times

Palm Beach Daily News

Huffington Post

This post is part of a three-part series. Part one: "Lilly Pulitzer and Her Dresses" can be seen HERE. Pinterest photo album can be found HERE

Audrey's Trench Coat

A bit of inspiration for winter styling, this adorable photo of Audrey Hepburn and Cary Grant comes from 1963, and shows her wearing a trench coat, as she made so popular in "Breakfast at Tiffany's" a few years earlier.

Photo source: "Look" magazine, December 1963 (nearly 50 years ago!)