How to sew a Vintage 1950's Capri Set: Quadriga Cloth Advertisement

This capri set from 1956 was used to advertise a fabric called "Quadriga" cloth, available for home sewing in prints and solids. This outfit is a fun 50's retro look that could be sewn today using contemporary patterns that are easy to find.

1964 Bold Wool Checks

The fashion illustrations here date from 1964. They feature shaped wool suits with bold checks. It's hard to think of a more classic 60's wool than hounds tooth, and here it is in full splendor. As examples of mid-1960's fashion, 3/4 sleeves (worn with long gloves) are almost equal to the short jacket length. The rolled collars are heavily interfaced to achieve that carefully curved line. The jackets probably have self covered buttons, in a bold, large scale typical of the Jackie O era.

Most likely drawn using colored chalk on an egg shell finish bond paper, these drawings have a glowing effect achieved by carefully controlling the lighting. For illustrating checks, these illustrations offer great inspiration and show how to not over-draw the details, rather how to suggest an overall effect to a better advantage.

When I can indentify the illustrator, I'll add that information here.

Mad Men: 1960's Fashion Trends for Season 5

This season's "Mad Men" episodes should continue moving forward into the later half of the 1960's. We can expect to see a more diverse styles in that era. Probably the most consistent looks will be prints and color. It's hard to imagine this era without bold pattern or color.

The first dress shown here has "the look": a Mod style "A" line shift in classic houndstooth pattern, it has a bow accent with low peter pan collar that would have seemed very British is style to an American customer. This look would appeal to a junior shopper who was looking for a bold fashion statement.


This dress is a more sophisticated silk chiffon style. It would have been custom ordered from I.Magnin's on the west coast. The sleeves are sheer with jeweled cuffs and collar (which were so popular then).

The shifts below follow the trend with abstract prints on a smooth shift silhouette. Worn by all age groups, the shift would be the most common look during that era. The changing scene would create a rising look in hemlines, moving up to finger tip length by 1969.






Pucci-style bold patterns dominated both junior and women's apparel. Here copies of the iconic look are seen in bright, dramatic color designs.



Both dresses have engineered prints which were custom made to be cut and sewn into dresses with balanced patterns and borders. Both are also jersey knits, which were becoming wildly popular. This type of long dress would be increasingly popular for casual wear. Worn at parties, picnics and proms, the longer length was brought on to the scene by the hippie styles seen in San Francisco and elsewhere worn by the youth movement.


For the more mature or conservative woman who still wanted to emphasize her waistline, there were still styles with fitted bodices. Although this silhouette might seem dated, the fabric design would be strictly late 60's with bold pattern and bright florals.

The longer dress in chiffon might have been worn during an afternoon party, barbeque or wedding. It has a trailing scarf that floats from the left shoulder. The short blue floral print dress was custom ordered from I.Magnin's which catered to a wealthy customer who wanted top quality textiles but often with a more conservative look.


At a career and professional level, the shirt dress assumed the required shift silhouette, but it might be belted by the woman who wore it. A younger customer would have worn it without a belt, but snug around the hipline.


The three shirt dresses here all have bold patterned fabric, in keeping with the era. The top dress is a mock plaid with floral overlay. These 'happy flowers' would be a dominate pattern, seen all over the fashion scene.

The middle dress by Lanvin, uses that logo on the textile in an engineered print to create the contrast hem detail.



The final dress is clearly influenced by abstract art. All dresses are synthetic fiber. Many are polyester. This 'miracle' textile would be 'wash and wear', releasing women from ironing chores that could have taken one day each week to perform.


Now it's time to decide who will wear what. Will aging characters like Joan and Betty opt out for the latter fashions here, or go forward with current trends? At that time, married women were expected to assume a certain level of decorum, especially if they were over 21.

And what about Peggy? Her fashion sense has never been spot-on, so she can probably be expected to keep her career wear conservative and slightly outdated. But in her free time she might swing over into the more ethnic and experimental looks of the youth movement. Will she choose batik Indian print wrap skirts with peasant tops?

Megan was last seen in current mod silhouettes, so being one of the younger women she should continue to be fashion current. Will her marriage affect that youthful look? Will she try to assume a more mature style, or stay on trend?

As for Trudie, she has leaned toward a feminine junior silhouette. Her ongoing style has been to wear quality textiles with very modern silhouettes in girly prints and colors. Will that keep up as she stays at home?

What's your take in predicting what we'll be seeing?

Mad Men Era: Green Silk Cocktail Coat

Vintage fashion from the late 1950's or early 1960's can be created in silhouettes that stop traffic. Mad Men style, it's something to wear this winter.

Sometimes something perfect comes along, and this emerald green cocktail coat from Sak's Fifth Avenue is one of those moments in fashion history. Sculptural and refined, it's waiting for an evening on the town or keeping off the sea breeze when you admire the view of Hollywood from a hillside terrace.

Green Silk Satin Cocktail Coat: Sak's Fifth Avenue

SEWING VINTAGE: 'S' Curve Darts & Flat Lining as Facing

Sewing vintage patterns from the 1940's, 1950's and early 1960's is fun, but getting the right look often requires sewing methods we don't see today. Learning how to sew the styles you like will make it easier to get the look you want. One method is flat lining, and here I want to show a fast and easy way to sew. Our modern fusible interfacings have made traditional flat lining unnecessary. It can have advantages though, and I thought I would share those with you.

Another out dated construction technique is the "S" shaped dart. A straight dart creates at flat curve. In some cases, that is what we want. However, if you are trying to get an hour glass fit to your bodice, than you might want to consider an "S" shaped dart. Glove fitting dresses like those produced by Lanz in the 1950's reveal this dart shape: it hugs the rib cage and curves around the bustline for a smooth body fit.


This light-weight summer cotton dress would wrinkle, and perhaps pull at the seams without this inner construction method. A cool cotton faces the fashion fabric, creating a stronger bodice to the flowing skirt.

FLAT LINING as FACING

Briefly, this method uses a cotton lining that is cut at the same time as the fashion fabric. This is sewn around the neckline and if it is sleeveless, the armholes. This bodice is then turned to the right side. At this point the darts can be sewn and the side seams completed.

This is a fast method that eliminates the need for facing in most cases. The time spent cutting out facing and finishing those edges will be saved.

Open side seams allow for further fitting and adjustments in the future. The top edge at the armhole can be hand sewn to reinforce that upper edge. This method works for both sleeveless styles and bodices with sleeves.


'S' CURVE DART

The dart will have an smooth seam line up the rib cage, then curve around the bottom of the bust, tapering to a fine line at the end. An 'S' curved bodice dart will create a smooth fitting bodice. It has to be fitted on the body, and should be developed in the pattern stage. However, it can be pinned into place after the bodice is flat lined.

POINT OF BUST

This is the bustline center. Do not end darts here because that will make pointed darts. Imagine a Quarter sized circle around the point of bust (it's OK to draw this onto your lining). End the dart point at that circle perimeter line.

FITTING

1-BASTE the side darts, using your machine's largest stitch length

2-BASTE the side seams together

3-TRY ON the bodice

4-PIN the back seam together down the seam line

5-PIN in the front bodice darts, shaping them to the rib cage and around the bustline, creating an 'S' curve dart.

6-MARKING: after fitting, remove the bodice for marking. You may mark the dart position on the lining with chalk or pencil before you sew these darts. The two darts should be 'balanced' visually but they may not be exactly the same. As long as the bodice side seams are in the correct location (down your body sides), then they should be fine. No one is exactly the same on both sides of their body, so your darts may reflect that as well.

7-CLIPPING: some 'S' curve darts require clipping so that they can be pressed open. Trim away excess fabric to create a 1/2" seam allowance up the dart. If you have a serger, you can finish these cut seams to prevent unraveling (or zig-zag over the edges).

8-PRESSING: these darts can be pressed open, or towards the front. On this bodice the seams were overlocked together and pressed towards center front. Often the fabric bulk requires that they are pressed open.


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HOW TO FLAT LINE as FACING:
STEP-BY-STEP

LINING and FASHION FABRIC

On your cutting surface, lay out the fashion fabric 'face down'. Over this, lay on the cotton lining. Smooth out bubbles and align the selvage edges. Pin on pattern (this method will need a pattern for each part, as it doesn't have a center fold). Cut out the pattern.

SEWING

1-Separate the lining and fashion fabrics. Sew the lining fabric shoulder seams and bodice fabric shoulder seams. Press those seams open.

2-On the work surface: lay out the fashion fabric bodice, face up. Over this, lay the lining bodice, face down. The two layers will now be facing each other. Pin together, matching the shoulder seams, then smooth the fabric flat so that all edges meet.

3-SEW around the neckline and armholes. Clip the seam allowances around these curves.

4-TURN the bodices to the right side so the good sides are now facing out, press flat. Match all edges and pin together so that the fabric doesn't shift apart.

5-OVERLOCK unfinished edges, with both layers together: side seams, waistlines and back seams. If you do not have a serger, trim these edges neatly then zig-zag overcast with a wide stitch.

6-FITTING: (see notes above)

7-DARTS: sew bodice darts (see "S" curve dart)

8-SIDE SEAM: this seam will be sewn, then opened flat. The top edge can be reinforced by hand stitching to keep it open. This type of seam will allow for alterations in fit.

9-NECKLINE and ARMHOLE edges can be edge stitched to create a crisp, flat edge.
The bodice is now ready for the skirt to be sewn on to it.

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I hope you can try this flat lining technique with your next project. I think you will really like the results. If you have had your own experience flat lining, let us know how that worked out.

note: I used a display form for these photos who is sizes smaller than the dresses shown. You will notice the fit isn't correct, try to imagine it is.

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