[null, null, null, {"document_url": "https://blog.pattern-vault.com/tag/simplicity/", "unformatted_src": "https://img1.etsystatic.com/125/1/6355008/il_570xN.878272529_jxlx.jpg", "src": "https://img1.etsystatic.com/125/1/6355008/il_570xN.878272529_jxlx.jpg", "formatted_filename": "il xN", "rendered_width": 480, "rendered_height": 596}, null, {"document_url": "https://blog.pattern-vault.com/tag/simplicity/", "unformatted_src": "https://i0.wp.com/images.metmuseum.org/CRDImages/ci/web-large/83.146.2_withbox_CP2.jpg", "src": "https://i0.wp.com/images.metmuseum.org/CRDImages/ci/web-large/83.146.2_withbox_CP2.jpg", "rendered_width": 480, "rendered_height": 333}, null, null, {"document_url": "https://blog.pattern-vault.com/tag/simplicity/", "unformatted_src": "https://i1.wp.com/ny-image0.etsy.com/il_fullxfull.225887536.jpg", "src": "https://i1.wp.com/ny-image0.etsy.com/il_fullxfull.225887536.jpg", "formatted_filename": "il fullxfull", "rendered_width": 480, "rendered_height": 645}, null, null, {"document_url": "https://blog.pattern-vault.com/tag/simplicity/", "unformatted_src": "https://i0.wp.com/img2.timeinc.net/people/i/2011/specials/diana/hats/princess-diana-1-435.jpg", "src": "https://i0.wp.com/img2.timeinc.net/people/i/2011/specials/diana/hats/princess-diana-1-435.jpg", "formatted_filename": "princess diana", "rendered_width": 480, "rendered_height": 640}, null, null, {"document_url": "https://blog.pattern-vault.com/tag/simplicity/", "unformatted_src": "https://i1.wp.com/showstudio.com/img/blog_articles/6801-7000/6801_640n.jpg", "src": "https://i1.wp.com/showstudio.com/img/blog_articles/6801-7000/6801_640n.jpg", "rendered_width": 480, "rendered_height": 268}, null, null, null, null, null]
In memory of Eiko Ishioka, who would have been 80 this year, a look at costume patterns based on her work.

Eiko Ishioka (1938-2012) is best known as the costume designer for The Cell and Bram Stoker’s Dracula, for which she won an Academy Award in 1993. Her last film project was Tarsem Singh’s Mirror Mirror, starring Julia Roberts and Lily Collins.

McCall’s and Simplicity both released patterns based on the film. McCall’s 6629 came in adult and children’s sizes. (Out of print, but details still on the Cosplay by McCall’s site.)

On the left—view D with collar E and feathered backpiece F—is Julia Roberts’ wicked queen. Ishioka’s original gown has panniers and miles of cartridge pleating:

The gown features white peacock embroidery and a molded basque with four-piece cups.

View B (top right) is clearly Lily Collins’ Snow White, but so is view A. It’s the dress with floral basque and skirt, seen early in the film, which Ishioka topped with one of the most memorable capes in cinema.

Simplicity also offered Snow White’s dress from the film’s Bollywood finale, moving the giant bow down from the shoulders.

The Costume Designers’ Guild gave Ishioka a posthumous award for Mirror Mirror. (For more on the production, see Wired.) And since her on-screen version, all yellow capes seem to point back to Snow White’s.




The new designer patterns for Winter/Holiday 2018 amp up the drama with sparkle and embellishment.

Vogue’s designer cover looks are by Badgley Mischka. Gracing both catalogue and magazine covers is Nadja Giramata, a Rwandan-French model represented by Elite New York.

Here and on the retail catalogue cover, she wears Badgley Mischka’s strapless popover gown with back detail. The original is stretch crepe with velvet ribbon.

The popover gown is from Badgley Mischka’s Fall 2017 collection, which was inspired by the women of the interwar period.

Other versions of the gown omit the grommets and embellish the flounce with lace or appliqué. The white dress is cocktail length:

The second Badgley Mischka pattern is a top and skirt ensemble with pearl-embellished cuffs.

The designers used stretch velvet for the top and a lustrous satin for the draped evening skirt with bow accent.

Photographer Jack Deutsch shared another shot of the ensemble on Instagram.

Combine the two looks and you get this current-season design:

New from Paco Peralta: a three-quarter sleeved top and high-waisted skirt, shown in brown, sequinned tweed. The sculpted shapes reference early Pierre Cardin.

Look closely and you’ll see that all the side seams line up. This drawing shows an earlier version, without the princess seams:

From Sharon Lombardo for Anne Klein, an open-front tuxedo jacket and skinny stretch pants. The originals were crepe and ponte knit.

The minimalist jacket was available in colours including claret, bright red, and basic black. Here’s a similar stitched shawl collar as seen in the Spring 2016 campaign.

Simplicity’s latest Cynthia Rowley design is a bell-sleeved dress with whimsical appliqués. The pattern also includes a top.

The Rowley original is wool with metallic leather appliqués. William Eadon photographed it against a giant satin bow for the seasonal lookbook (at top of post).

The rose appliqués made other appearances in the collection: on a jumper and wide-leg trousers.

Bonus: From Vogue’s Fall release, a version of Alberta Ferretti’s Venetian coat:

The version shown in Milan was midi length (view C) in unlined, mustard cashmere.

The pattern’s centre-seam hood is adapted from the original.

The coat features in Tim Walker’s ad campaign, which was styled by none other than Carine Roitfeld, the former editor of Vogue Paris.

Hack the pattern for a hooded cape—in opulent velvet for festive soirées:




The new designer patterns for Summer 2018 play with texture and special fabrics. Lace, seersucker, matelassé, waffle georgette, even a laser-cut textile makes an appearance.

Vogue’s summer cover look is by Nicola Finetti.

The matelassé cocktail dress with shaped hemline and flounce sleeves is from Nicola Finetti Fall 2016.

Finetti also showed a longer, front-zip version of V1587. Just trim down the A-line skirt and add a midriff panel:

This season’s backless showpiece is by Adam Andrascik for Laroche: a long-sleeved dress with front bodice drape and slim, layered skirt. Use a semi-sheer fabric for the full effect.

The original is textured silk georgette in a chartreuse-tinged shade of La La Land yellow.

Andrascik showed two takes on the backless V1589 dress. (A famously backless, ’70s Guy Laroche gown is a perennial inspiration for today’s Laroche designers. French actor Mireille Darc’s gown, worn in the 1972 comedy Le grand blond avec une chaussure noire, also informed Hilary Swank’s Oscar dress.) Here, the V1589 dress is seen backstage:


Backstage Guy Laroche Spring/Summer 2017 runway at @palaisdetokyo – watch the full video of the show at www.guylaroche.com (photo by Benoit Auguste) @onandoffduty @vtmag #guylaroche #ss17 #pfw #fashion #palaisdetokyo

A post shared by Guy Laroche (@guylarocheparis) on Feb 28, 2017 at 4:48am PST

On a black, sleeveless version, bead chains dangled from silver appliques:

Judging from the pattern number, the second Laroche may have been delayed from Vogue’s spring release. From Marcel Marongiu, it’s a long-sleeved dress with contrast collar, cuffs, and curved contrast panels in front and back.

Revered American designer Claire McCardell was the inspiration for Marongiu’s last collection for Laroche. The V1577 dress was shown both long-sleeved and sleeveless:

As a grey and white coat dress, it swaps the button placket for jumbo exposed zippers:

Marongiu’s shift dress version, with giant paillettes, was featured in the Laroche advertising campaign by Steve Hiett. Hiett also photographed the V1589 dress for Spring ’17:

New from Rachel Comey: the Popcorn dress. The Comey staple is shown in Spring 2017’s seersucker.

The pullover dress works for both solids and prints—even print-mixing with contrast skirt inserts. The current version is black rayon.

In her Spring 2007 collection, presented at the Altman building during New York Fashion Week, Comey showed the dress both loose and belted.

A closer look reveals the print-mixing. There are only two prints here, with one, reminiscent of Biba’s famous banana print, in three colourways:

The Summer patterns include two lace looks from Rebecca Vallance: a cutout dress and the Dolce Vita jumpsuit. (There’s one dress left at the Outnet.) The Dolce Vita is a cropped, wide-leg jumpsuit tied with grosgrain ribbon:

The jumpsuit is from Rebecca Vallance Summer 2016.

Simplicity’s latest from Cynthia Rowley is a flounce-sleeved lace dress with two neckline variations. Choose from off the shoulder or scoop neck.

Rowley presented her Spring 2017 collection in a “feathered snow globe” at her West Village townhouse. (See WWD.) As photographed by frequent collaborator William Eadon, the S8599 dress is layered, maximalist-style, under an appliquéd satin smock:

The original dress had a contrast back bodice: Seeing designers’ alternate looks for the Spring/Summer pattern designs, it’s striking how Vogue no longer provides variant views in their designer line, whereas for Simplicity, it’s built in to the business. But armed with reference photos, it’s easy to transform a design.


 A hats roundup for Easter.

Sally Victor Mr. John Mad Men-era milliners Halston of Bergdorf Goodman Jean Muir Frederick Fox Patricia Underwood Stephen Jones 





Happy Pride! This year you can celebrate all summer with 2017’s rainbow trend. (See Lauren Cochrane, “The rainbow’s not over – it’s the style symbol of the season.”) It’s a vintage motif with roots in the ’70s and ’80s.

The ’70s rainbow trend was well underway before Gilbert Baker created the rainbow flag in 1978. (Read MoMA’s interview.) The groovy teens’ pattern shown above came with rainbow appliqués. Maija Isola’s Sateenkaari (Rainbow) print for Marimekko appeared the same year as Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon:

As did this Time-Life sewing book entitled Shortcuts to Elegance:

From McCall’s Carefree line, this iron-on alphabet transfer pattern lets you spell whatever you like in rainbow caps:

Meredith Gladstone’s circa 1980 children’s décor pattern, “Cloud Room,” includes a rainbow pillowcase and rainbow-lined sleeping bag:

With the right print, home dressmakers could sew everything from rainbow dresses to coverups:

For those making their own Cheer Bear Care Bear, Butterick’s envelope explained the rainbow’s significance as a “traditional symbol of hope,” as well as “a cheerful reminder that things are getting better and even bad times can bring something beautiful”:

Hallmark’s Rainbow Brite licensing with McCall’s included a children’s costume, Rainbow Brite and Twink toys, and a set of mobiles.

Of course, there’s no need to find the perfect rainbow fabric. All it takes is the right array of colours…




Summer means weddings and infinity dresses—or, if a couple is particularly on-trend, infinity bridesmaid jumpsuits.

China Machado’s summer 1973 resort set was a precursor to the infinity garments of the mid-1970s. Like the infinity dress and its cousins, Machado’s pieces call for two-way stretch knits; but Grace Mirabella’s Vogue featured the design in muslin, as worn by Beverly Johnson:

Lydia Silvestry trademarked “The Infinite Dress” and licensed it with McCall’s in 1976. As the pattern envelope says, “One size dress can be worn an infinite number of ways. See enclosed guide sheet illustrating 13 ways dress can be worn, or try creating your personal version.” (See Carmen Bouchard / Carmencita B’s posts about this pattern here.)

Silvestry also licensed her infinite jumpsuit as a pattern featuring Maud Adams. I think this pattern has my favourite fabric note: For best results use a Lightweight, Non-cling Stretchable Jersey-type Knit Fabric such as Rosewood Fabric’s LA GRAND QUE of 100% QIANA, Burlington’s AMBROSIA of 100% Dacron Polyester, Millikin’s SURE THING of 100% Dacron Polyester. (Click to view in the shop.)

From Carol Horn, this dress has strapless and colour blocking options:

Also one-size, the Seven Way Wonder Dress seems to have been Butterick’s answer to the Infinite Dress. A winter retail catalogue shows the Wonder Dress as black tie wear:

Meanwhile, Simplicity had the Wonder Wrap Jiffy Jumpsuit and Jiffy Multi-Wrap Dress:

Vogue released two Very Easy infinite dress patterns in spring, 1977:

Vogue 1641 is seldom seen, despite being illustrated by Antonio and photographed in Antigua for Vogue Patterns magazine:

Is that Patti Hansen modelling the Glamour Plus Dress?

Fast forward to 2000, when McCall’s released an infinite dress by Debra Moises (Debra and Moises Diaz). The envelope shows 5 variations:

In early 2011, the New York Times ran a story about the trend for convertible garments (see Ruth La Ferla, “Convertible Clothing Is a New Twist for the Cost-Conscious“). Butterick featured an infinite dress (now out of print) on the cover of that year’s Spring catalogue:

Last summer, as part of their Archive Collection, McCall’s reissued their 1970s-era infinite dress and jumpsuit as a single pattern (still in print). These patterns are usually adapted somewhat from the vintage originals:

It’s easy to see why infinity dresses remain popular, with their carefree resort vibe and minimal fitting requirements. And on the pattern envelopes, the hall of mirrors effect never gets old, does it?

For more discussion and links, see Michelle Lee’s post.




Enjoy this blog? Leave a tip for the author


 


Blog stats 
Follow this blog on Bloglovin’ 
Copyright © 2011-18 Sarah Sheehan · All Rights Reserved




As seen in