Patterns of Design

Patterns of Design...It just has a sophisticated ring to it. So...engineering-esc.

So much for my sophisticated style of writing, making up words. But, I am not here to blog about writing or engineering. I would like to talk about patterns and pattern making.

I did some looking up stuff (googling) as they call it nowadays...and found out that American pattern making was completely different than that of European sewing. There was no marketplace for homemakers for clothing; with the extremely rich the exception; so a way in which the homemaker could expand their wardrobe was necessary. In 1860, Mr. and Mrs. William Jennings Demorest made fashion patterns for home seamstresses. They sold a magazine, what I would call a catalog, with 100s of different patterns. The patterns were rudimentary for the most part; mostly made in only one size and did not come with instructions.

When I was a kid I used to love to go to the fabric store with my mom. She did a lot of home sewing and most of my outfits were homemade. I loved to sit at desks with the big, ginormus pattern catalogs .Flipping those pages were so fun! Even more fun was opening the big, ginormus pattern file cabinets and searching for my pattern number- sort of like treasure hunting!

I have been altering patterns for awhile now trying to get just the right look- because a pattern for what I want doesn't really exist. I find this really rewarding making my own OOAK piece of clothing. If you read my profile- you will know that I search for vintage patterns and notions. I did a bit of shopping at a local Goodwill tonight and came across a curious pattern.

If you are younger than 30 and know who Mr. Blackwell is than I salute your fashion history knowledge. For those of you who DON'T know who he is; he is most known for being a fashion critic and at the end of every year he would create his "worst dressed list". In the '50s he had his own boutique "House of Blackwell", his own designer clothing line and pattern designs AND he dressed the stars! Yvonne Di Carlo (Lily Munster), Jayne Mansfield and Nancy Reagan just to name a few. So, I thought this was a great find for 69 cents and uncut! A cool piece of fashion history.

Put A Lid On It

May 17, 2010

Put a lid on it
What's that you say?
Put a lid on it
Oh man, no way
Put a lid down on it, and everything will be all right.

What a great song by the Squirrel Nut Zippers. It is a great song to swing dance to. I am a swing kid. Swing dancing is only one aspect of the vintage subculture that I am attracted to. It reminds me of those glory days of yore when a Friday night was the night that Cats and Dolls would get all gussied up to boogie woogie at the jazz clubs. What has happened to our culture’s dress code since then? Gentlemen wore fedoras, pork pies and newsboy hats and ladies were expected to wear a proper head covering sometimes involving a veil. So, I propose we revive the custom of wearing hats. They can be both functional and an attractive addition to one’s outfit. Hats can transform a Sloppy Joe into a Dapper Dan. I say; put a lid on it!

Lid, cap, fez, pill box, bucket or beret; however you say it, it is a hat. I have a modest collection of hats myself. I have my Veda hat. It is a floppy, red straw cloche’ similar to the one worn by the character Veda Sultenfuss in My Girl. It is great for those “bad hair” days and riding my pink Schwinn cruiser around the neighborhood. I have a black, wide brimmed hat with blood red, velvet trim and bow. This hat is nicknamed my Virginia Woolf hat. I had to have this hat when I found it for it screamed creative inspiration to me; though, I must admit I am no poet and not much of a fan of poetry either. However, I tend to wear all black with this one. Perhaps this hat channels too much inspiration from the turmoil of the real Virginia Woolf. My favorite hat in my collection is a beat up and faded baseball hat from the French Quarter. I felt sorry for a street urchin one night and “donated” a ten dollar bill to her noble cause. I can only hope she did not exchange the bill on Bourbon Street for libations or some other vice.

I noticed not too long ago that decorators and decorating magazines were showing vintage and vintage inspired hat boxes stacked up and used as a side table or conversation pieces in a room. I love the renaissance of the hat box but what about the hats that once lived in them? Vintage hats that are in good condition are getting harder and harder to find. Most of the fashion hats that women wore; ones we are most familiar with, ceased mass production in the late ‘60’s. Women were burning their bras; why would they spend their newly, hard-earned money on a hat? There are other socio/political reasons; but that can be another Jean Louise blog topic at another time. Times, they did a change.

I began my hat collecting in the ‘80’s as a teenager. I hoped that my hat wearing would inspire others to do the same but; sadly, the inspiration was limited to a small sect of other vintage new wavers and punk rockers. I still wear my hats and I still collect them. Who knows? Maybe as we venture into the teen years of this new millennium we will see a change similar to that of 100 years ago; the fabulous jazz age of F. Scott Fitzgerald. So, the next time you are getting ready for a night out on the town think about puttin’ a lid on it.