Thursday, December 10, 2009

Which Decade Most Inspires You?

Do you have a favorite fashion decade? I'm obviously a 50s-loving lady, given that I have a blog devoted to the patterns of the era. I adore a dramatic circle skirt silhouette as much as a fierce wiggle dress. But lately, my eye has been wandering to the fashions of the 40s. And given that fashion is so steeped in history, it's interesting to think about what draws one to a certain decade.

It's certainly possible that I'm hitting a bit of 50s fatigue. I've been tirelessly searching for the patterns featured in Vogue's New Book for Better Sewing for many months now. After so many Google and eBay alert e-mails for 50s patterns, I've started to feel that there's a certain amount of sameness to the designs, a level of superficiality, I suppose. (Granted, it's important to note that I'm talking about the patterns of the early 50s here, and that things were definitely shaking up by the end of the decade.) At a certain point, I actually began to feel like I'd had enough of looking at pretty dresses, that I crave something with a bit more substance.

The 40s are an intriguing secondary pursuit, and I'm starting my research with the fabulous Blueprints of Fashion: Home Sewing Patterns of the 1940s. This fascinating book proves that, in terms of fashion history, you would be hard-pressed to find a more interesting era. War rations placed on the garment industry were so strict that they influenced everything down to the number of pockets allowed on a blouse and the circumference of skirt hems. Bias cut layouts were forbidden. Pattern designers had to be extremely inventive within these strictures, and I think it's interesting to see the creativity that can come from restraint.

The fashion world was turned on its head, to say the least. Women entered the blue collar workforce, and their clothes reflected it. Conservation was key, and sewing patterns showed how to cut dresses out of old men's suits. And really: in what other decade can you find sewing patterns intended for refugees and tuberculosis nurses?

So that's what's inspiring me these days, both aesthetically and intellectually. What decade most inspires you?

P.S. Isn't the little suit pattern at the top of the post just adorable? It's available from this lovely seller, and I would totally buy it myself if it were a couple sizes bigger (it's a 30" bust). Wah.

48 comments:

  1. I'm so glad that you mentioned this book-I'm getting it for christmas and was wondering whether or not it was worth buying. I started off sewing so that i could make 50s style dresses but I have definitely moved towards 40s patterns as time has gone on, the designs are so neat and simple.

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  2. I agree with you - the garments of the 40's have a unique charm. So many world-changing events in a short space of time - your point about creativity in the midst of restraint is interesting. Just as an aside, does it feel a little frivolous to enjoy the clothing of a war-era? It's something I think about...

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  3. Haha! I have moved in the opposite direction, from 40's to 50's! A good friend sent me a book called The 1940's Look by Mike Brown. It is beautiful and even gives the clothing rations allowed and examples of patterns and fliers and mini-courses offered during Make-do and Mend. Some of the ideas followed in to the 50's like interchangeable cuffs and collars.

    @Anita-Interesting comment about enjoying war era clothing as frivolous. Never thought about it before but I guess it sort of is. having the luxury to choose whatever you want and then choosing something from a time when people didn't really have a choice. hmmm...wheels turning.

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  4. The two Blueprints of Fashion books are fabulous. I could (and do!) spend hours gazing through them. In addition to the War Effort clothing, I love those 40s patterns which concentrate on five different types of sleeves, or collars, and nothing else.

    My period of choice coincides with the New Look - late 40s, early 50s, but I think I too have suffered a certain 50s fatigue, and of late I've found myself buying some 40s patterns, with the odd foray into the 30s even. I still like my 50s patterns, but I think the eye needs a rest every now and again, otherwise things start to become a bit samey.

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  5. The early 1930's !
    Love the site. Wish I could sew.

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  6. I'm in love with the 40's designs. I picked up a copy of "Modern Pattern Design" by Harriet Pepin at a thrift store years ago. This site seems to have a transcription of the entire thing images and all: http://www.vintagesewing.info/1940s/42-mpd/mpd-toc-long.html

    But of course having the book is more fun ;)

    Sadly, I haven't braved any of the patterns yet. There are some absolutely gorgeous outfits though, and the foreword is excellent reading for any history buff.

    I love the 30's era too, but haven't gotten around to any of those patterns.

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  7. I'm not an era snob. I have worn everything from the late 1800s up, although much of what I make seemingly is the 60s, because it suits my body.

    GOOD fashion and clothing is what inspires me, not a decade.

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  8. I'm mostly a 30s and 40s girl thanks to my swing dancing addiction. It's my passion and past time, so that's most of the clothes I look for and make I want to be able to make for that. I do branch out into the 50s occasionally, because really, who wouldn't want to go to a sock hop or Rockabilly party?

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  9. Anita, LOVE your point and I'll do a separate post on it. It definitely deserves a discussion of its own!

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  10. I love the flow of fabrics and designs from the 40's. It seems like I've seen a lot of small scale prints from the 40's too--I have a hard time finding small prints that aren't quilt material or too kiddy.

    But I really love the 30's. I think Myrna Loy's nightgown in The Thin Man is absolutely gorgeous--how it manages to be flowy and have a dramatic presence to it is so amazing. Every time I see that movie I think what a luxury it would be to do nothing but lounge around being pretty.

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  11. Is it cheating to say that I draw inspiration from the 40s, 50s, and 60s? What can I say, I'm a decade slut.

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  12. I love the 40's looks. Anything during WWII intrigues me. I'll be interested to see what you create from that era.

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  13. My favorite era is a combination of several! I love the titanic era (not very wearable today) but fun to look at, up to the early 1930's.

    When I start to sew something I am usually inspired by (or using) an early 1920's pattern. I love the elegance of the time period before the war. I don't care for the shorter typical "flapper" dress of 1925, but that's just me!

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  14. Oh, do I have to choose? There's so much to love in every era, and in my fantasy life (where there's endless sewing time!) I sew them all! I have to confess that I even have a weakness for certain 70s patterns -- I am drawn to big ol' gigantic collars like a moth to a flame!

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  15. Anything but the 80's or 30's! I have an hourglass figure and those are not flattering, either because of dropped waists or hugemongous should pads!

    I really love the 40's - 60's. I even sew stuff from the 70's - as there is more introduction into sewing knits.

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  16. I'm finding inspiration from the 30s, 40s, and 50s, all in slightly different ways, lately. It's all theoretical at the moment because I am hugely pregnant and don't anticipate expanding my wardrobe beyond jeans and tees for the next couple of years, but I am loving the patterns I'm finding.

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  17. I love a mix from the 40s to the 70s. When it comes to the 60s and 70s, though, there are only a selected few that I love. I don't go for the wild and crazy. I lean more towards the classic and feminine looks of those decades.

    Overall, I love the styles from the 40s and 50s the best. I do tend to get bored looking at the 50s after going from site to site to site because there seems to be so much of the same. I look for patterns with unique details.

    I think I gravitate more toward the 40s. What an interesting time in fashion history and what creativity with so little to work with. The styles are very feminine and tailored at the same time, classic pieces that can be carried over into our day without looking costumy.

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  18. I can't limit myself to one! Probably the later half of the 30s (1935 on, when dresses had more shape again) and the 40s would be my favourite, but I also like the 50s and 60s, and even a few styles from the 70s.

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  19. The 1930s are my favorite, I love that there was that return to femininity in design, but still maintaining some of the sleekness of the 20s. The 1940s are a close second for me. And I might add some of the reinterpretations of those eras in the 1970s from labels like Biba.

    But right now I'm obsessing a little over the 1920s and deco fashion.

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  20. I love the 40's aesthetic. To me the styles look womanly, but also speak of competence: these are dresses for getting things done. I also think the shape is flattering for pears like me, with the cinched waist and strong shoulder.

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  21. I move around a lot between decades, the favorite it depends on what aspect I focus on.
    50s for sewing, the bodytype fits me and it's possible to actually find vintage patterns (a bit harder in Sweden than in US).
    40s for wearing combined with beauty, even the gorgeous clothes were on some level practical and so wearable.
    Later half of the 30s for just admiring. I love the lines, the elegance, the tailored details on bodice, sleeves etc. But it's going to be a lot of work to adopt a 30s pattern to my hips...

    Looking forward to the post about enjoying wartime fashions! =)

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  22. I adore the 40's too, and wish those clothes were easy to come by in thrift stores. I tend to gravitate towards 60's though, due to my figure (skinny and not a lotta bust!) and love for wild prints and color. I wish I could pull off 50's dresses, but always feel they look so much better on a "womanly" figure. Love your blog, it's inspiring me to sew!

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  23. I love the 40s, but usually on other people - I'm not usually drawn to the patterns and clothing from the period doesn't flatter me as well as earlier or later decades.

    I'm all about the 30s (from about 1933 onward) and the 50s. The 50s are what brought me to sewing and other vintage things - I grew up on the music, and when I had my first vintage 50s outfit it made me feel so much more like myself than any other way of dressing. The 30s are feminine and are always so creative, I love the silhouette.

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  24. 40's! 40's!

    Love the 40's. The fashion was free, the women felt free, (even tho they were just coming out of a depression and starting a world war), women saw possibilities for themselves as WOMEN, not just as wives and mothers. That was reflected in their homes, their values, their children (I am one of those), and in their clothes. Those old ads for Rosie the Riveter really meant something to them and still do to those women who survive.

    My mother was a young women and young wife during that decade. She made Jeeps for the overseas market and for the war. But, the minute the men returned, it was back to the kitchen for the women. Just like they had never held the families together or never produced anything or never protected home and hearth while those husbands and fathers were gone.

    The fashion of the 50's reflect this image, as do the movies and the arts. I don't like the 50's fashion for this reason.

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  25. I'm so all over the place when it comes to vintage fashion. The style of the late 30's, 40's and 50's are the most appealing.

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  26. I have a different take on wearing war-era clothing, but since Gertie says she's doing a separate post on it, I'll save my comment for then.

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  27. I really like the forties and early sixties, but I adore the seventies. I watch seventies episodes of Doctor Who and drool over the outfits.. *blush*. The forties and fifties are the best for my figure though, as I'm an hourglass with a little pearish leaning.

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  28. I really love the 30s and 40s, but interestingly whenever I discuss sewing/fashion with my grandmother, she tells me in this very schoolmarmish voice "Remember, we didn't have any fashion during the war." Even though I think she looks gorgeous in war-era photographs, being forced to wear those styles made it seem to her like there was no style involved at all. Then when the 50s came along with all their glorious excess yardage she just lapped it up (especially since she had a bosomy hourglass figure). To her it's puzzling why I would be drawn to the straight skirts and tailored looks of the 40s.

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  29. I recently found your blog and have been enjoying it a lot. I also recently sewed vintage style clothing for a musical and now I'm hooked! I don't have a favorite era yet because it all looks good to me.

    The information about rationing of fabric and dictating styles was very interesting.

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  30. I'm a time traveler in my choice of patterns! While predominately I'm a forties girl, I'm drawn to items from the tailored look of the 1940s right through to the A-line shifts of the 1960s. I don't aim to be period correct either or limit myself to one decade - I just wear what pleases me.

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  31. Gertie, same here. I started out (and still am) a lover of the 50s look, but I find myself lately drawn to the 40s. So clean, so strong!

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  32. I love the teen's and the 40's because they accentuate my good points: broad shoulders and height. Also, the 40's are great for those wonderful roomy slacks, and those two-color and three-color designs which are unique. Must add tho', the 30's and the 50's have some great blouse and shirt patterns.

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  33. I especially love the middle 1930s through the 1940s, pre-New Look. Very feminine, interesting details (I love the piecing and gathering you see in a lot of garments from the mid-1940s). I covet almost everything Ginger Rogers wore in Follow The Fleet and Swing Time.

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  34. I love the 1880's with the bustle and all the fru-fru and then the 1890's to early 1900's Gibson Girl look is so feminine. Not really practical for today's woman but very pretty. The 1920's have some great designs that were liberating for women of the time and the 1940's and 50's have some rather sweet looks as well. Each era has design features that can be translated into garments for the modern women of today.

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  35. I don't really have a favorite era as I am still figuring out the differences in style. A few months ago I bought a lot of pattern magazines from 1960-1965 (Marion, a Dutch monthly magazine with some patterns included and a lot of pictures of patterns that you could order) and I was surprised by how much a lot of these patterns look like patterns from the fifties to me. I think the styles run over the decades more than I realised, perhaps with a few more distinct periods within the decades. Or maybe it's just that fashion in the Netherlands was a few years behind :-). This post definitely inspires me to find out more about how every day fashion evolved in the 20th century!

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  36. What to choose? I also stumbled across Harriet Pepin's "Modern Pattern Design" and love it because it describes how to do every sleeve pattern known to man (well maybe not really, but there's a lot).

    But as far as fashion - I tend to be gravitating towards timeless pieces than any particular decade. I was watching the 1995 version of Pride and Prejudice last night and found myself in LOVE with Elizabeth's jacket. Beautiful shoulders without having too much padding, 2 vertical bust darts, empire waist, but floor length coat from there down. But the beautiful shoulders and fitted bust darts are things I like about patterns of all eras. I love the sheath dress for the same darts that show off the curve of the body. I'd love to have a classic 3 piece suit which has seen its day in nearly every decade of this last century. But then I also love dropped waisted things because I'm so long in the torso that it makes me look taller. I think the key to a good wardrobe is finding these timeless peices.

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  37. I forgot to mention that on the same site that Modern Pattern Design is printed, I found Ladies Garment cutting which is nearly the same era (40's & 50's) and it has directions for drafting your own patterns and I've used some of it to draft my own princess line dress because i was having trouble finding a fitting pattern. The language can be very difficult, but once it clicks, it's fairly easy to follow. This book though... I could stare at the illustrations for hours......

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  38. I am most definately a 50s girl. I am just starting to embrace my love of the era and incorporate it into my everyday wardrobe.

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  39. I have that book, love it for inspiration and information. 40's are my favorite, the most interesting decade due to rations, resourcefulness, a certain romance to it (like Homefront, the series that aired in the 90's). That was the Greatest Generation, those that survived the Great Depression, fought at war, and moved on. Tough folks, they were. I like that the styles of the 40's fit in now, are conservative enough not to look costumy. I think you will love sewing from this era.

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  40. Well, you know I adore the 40s! ;) lol. I think what draws me to it is many of the same reasons that you stated: especially the idea of having to be creative within certain restrictions imposed on the fashion industry during the war. The decade was so varied too: from the early 40s slightly romantic looks (with longer skirts), to the mid 40s severely tailored styles, to the "New Look" of the end of the decade. It's an amazing and fascinating period in fashion history to study. I really cannot learn enough about it! :D

    I think I also love the idea that many people practiced "make do and mend". Instead of always making something brand new, things could be remade into something different. It presents a unique and creative challenge with each piece. I've seen things from taking Navy "Cracker Jacks" (the traditional, enlisted blues) and making them into children's coats, using two old dresses to make one new dress, to taking an old man's suit and recutting it into a woman's suit! Pretty ingenious, if you ask me! :)

    Sadly, I still do not have that book! :p Maybe if I have any mad money after Christmas... Goodness knows it's been on my Amazon list for years. haha!

    ♥ Casey
    blog | elegantmusings.com

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  41. The 40's are interesting between the emotions of WWII (It's odd to believe that a very real threat to the basis of our ethos of life was luckily and just barely thwarted) to the relief and subsequent emerging boom that only a all-seeing gypsy could have predicted. Such a whirlwind of emotions all expressed in the art form of fashion.

    The beginning of the decade saw not only a sparcity of design, but a sparcity in the fabric in that design, with the exact opposite happening after the war and the advent of the "New Look" with the opulent use of fabric in the full skirt.

    There's a sensibility of the first half of the decade with the frivolity of the last half. What more could a decade offer!!!

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  42. For me it's late 20's-early 30's, I love theses design : lines from the 20's with return to the feminity from the 30's (pattern from 1928-29 to 1931-32 are perfect for me ;-)
    But I can feel in love with some fitted jacket from the 40's-50's

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  43. A few pieces from the seventies and all of the forties :)

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  44. Whew! this is always a fascinating topic. I do agree with Hilde...the decades do run into each other on the end years. But I find it even more fascinating that barely none of you picked the 60's. This was my coming of age decade. Come on! Talk about an unbeliveably tumultuous time in history. The ladylike early stuff gave way to outrageous radical fashions. But seemingly we alway try to pigeonhold a decade's style with one or two outstanding characteristics. If you live through them though, you find that that one characteristic may not what you remember or would pick yourself. Sure, miniskirts were all around, but the 60's went from Jackie Kennedy and Audrey Hepburn looks all the way to Pucci prints and 6 months before the end of the decade...the Woodstock looks! The years of Camelot to riots in the streets, war protests and student uprisings. Fashion wise it is my favorite even though using a trite cliche...I can hosnestly say I was there and did that, but still love it like I did going from 10 to 20 right smack in the middle of it.

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  45. What a fascinating conversation. Gertie your blog is getting to be more fun all the time. I'm so glad I found you a couple of months back.

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  46. I've gotta say, ever since I was, like 5 I've loved the 40's. But, I am just addicted to clothes and style in general. I can get so inspired by the 1800s and onward to the 70s. I just can't really acccept the 80s.....Anyway the 60s is sooo much fun to play around with! I'm suprised no one said there fav was the 60s....unless I missed it. I'm such a nerd when it comes to 20th century clothes! I can confidently say you can find VERY interesting ideas from the 20s-70s. Granted there are going to be the HIDEOUS but that's inevitable.

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  47. I get inspired by much older styles. I have made my own Renaissance dress (I could have done better on the skirt though.) I am currently working on making a Regency dress which is inspiring me to make a whole wardrobe of it! I plan to spend more time on the fashion of the last 100 years though. I have always loved clothes but shopping was always so depressing as the clothes never seem to fit (I am short but not petite and always in-between sizes!) Thank you so much for you blog. It has inspired me to use the fabric I have lying around and make a wardrobe I can actually wear!

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  48. dear
    gertie
    In this post you said how you loved the cute little 1940s suit that was too small for you,and as I have run into this problem many, many a time I understand how very frustrating it is,especially with vintage or out of print patterns. anyway,I came across a fix,and I thought I'd share it with you (and everyone else) go to; www.sensibility.com/tips/how-to-resize-a-pattern/
    it gives very detailed instructions on making a pattern larger or smaller or petite.
    it worked very well for me on a vintage 1940s shirtwaist pattern.( without ever harming the precious original!)
    thank you for having such a great blog! It has helped me immensely! keep it up!
    -geralyn up north

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Thanks for your comments; I read each and every one! xo Gertie

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