How to Knock Off or Copy a Vintage Dress

How can a dress be copied? How can a pattern be made from your favorite fashion? If you have ever loved a vintage dress and wanted to sew another, then knowing some basic techniques for copying garments would be helpful.

Fashion Library: Most Loved Vintage Sewing Books

When people who sew get together, it's likely that one of these books is part of that gathering. Assembled here are probably the best loved sewing books, trusted for their depth, organization, and clear, concise instruction.

1930's Evening Gown: Grecian Drapery in Mint Chiffon

In the late 1930's the softer silhouette retained a Grecian style for many evening style.  This gown is probably a silk charmeuse.  It gathers up the center front into a narrow placket and skirt fullness is released at the end of that placket.  The draped sleeves have a bit of fullness to give her shoulders fashionable width.

I don't have the date or source, this picture is from an undated fashion scrapbook.

Vintage Bridal & Cocktail: Cashmere Sweaters from Pringles

Cashmere and Pringle sweaters are a great combination that is getting harder to find. The weight and texture has made them a favorite knit and it's become impossible to pass up a vintage cashmere while cruising a good estate sale.

The Victorian Tailor: Costume & Fashion Library

Vintage menswear tailoring, especially Victorian which is so popular right now, has always been short on reference books to use as guides while re-creating that period look. It is essential to build a shelf of titles to choose from and refer to, rather than hoping only one text will do the job. "The Victorian Tailor" covers this subject with some detail. I find the pattern drafts sufficient, and the original period illustrations helpful.

1950's Shelf Bust Dress: Miss Hollywood Jr.

One of the most popular styles of the 1950's is the draped bodice known as the "shelf bust".  It is nearly daring, a bit outrageous, and always eye-catching.

Peggy Hamilton: 1920's Hollywood Socialite and Los Angeles Fashion Icon

The 1920's in Hollywood and Los Angeles was a boom town era, complete with dramatic socialites and actresses wearing the latest fashions to wild parties in massive mansions and ballrooms. Peggy Hamilton (Mae Bedloe Armstrong: 1892 – 1984)) first made her mark in Hollywood as a costume designer for well-known company, Triangle films. Her name as an actress was mentioned as early as 1916. Peggy began her fashion career in New York, but she followed the move to new Hollywood with Triangle Studios soon after that.

1958 Sack Back Dress

The Sack Back dress spent a brief moment in time on the 1950s fashion scene. While couture silhouettes flirted with this silhouette earlier that decade, it wasn't until 1958 that the general public gave this style a try. Clearly it was a departure from the ongoing hour glass silhouettes that had continued for a decade. It was time for something new, and maybe a draped back might be it.

Fashion Detail: Chanel Haute Couture and Vintage Details

What makes French Haute Couture different from ready to wear? For me it is the lavish application of handwork, draping and other labor intensive techniques. But sometimes, when looking at vintage fashion, I find examples that have wonderful details, often applied by hand, that set the dress or suit apart from other vintage or contemporary fashions and create an aura of couture.