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The Look of Courrèges
Courrèges glasses, February 1965. Photo: Richard Avedon. Model: Simone D’Aillencourt. Image via the Richard Avedon Foundation. André Courrèges died early this month. He was 92. (See WWD, “André...
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McCall Fashions for January 1918
McCall Fashions, January 1918. Now that the temperature has dropped, I wanted to share a near-antique McCall News from winter 1917-18. The cover illustration shows two women skating on a frozen lake....
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Jean Patchett
Vogue, January 1950. Photo: Erwin Blumenfeld. Image via jeanpatchett.com. Today is the 90th anniversary of Jean Patchett’s birth. Jean Patchett (1926-2002) moved to New York City from her home in...
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Lyanna Stark Costume – McCall’s 6940
With season 6 of Game of Thrones fast approaching, it’s high time I posted about my Lyanna Stark costume. (If you object to seeing material from season 5, or interpretation of a book published 20...
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Game of Thrones Costume Patterns
Queens of the Game in McCall’s lookbook, Spring 2014. Image: Issuu. Dear HBO, Have you considered costume pattern licensing? With a new trailer for season 6, and season 5 out on DVD, here’s a look at...
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Carmen Dell’Orefice
Carmen Dell’ Orefice in Ceil Chapman, Vogue, 1949. Photo: Norman Parkinson. Image via Norman Parkinson Archive. Carmen Dell’Orefice turns eighty-five today. Vogue, October 15, 1947. Photo: Erwin...
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Designer Swimwear: Vintage Patterns
McCall’s 7138 by Bob Mackie on the cover of McCall’s news, July 1980. It’s been another hot summer here in Toronto. One of my earliest blog posts, Heat Wave!, surveys vintage beachwear patterns. This...
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James Galanos: McCall’s Patterns
Metallic evening gown by James Galanos photographed at the Costume Institute, 1954. Image: Bettmann / Getty. James Galanos died last month. He was 92. According to his obituary in the New York Times,...
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McCall Style News, November 1934
McCall 8038 on the cover of McCall Style News, November 1934. We finally got some snow in Toronto. Here’s a winter-themed cover from the mid-1930s. The pattern is McCall 8038, a suit consisting of a...
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Create Your Brilliant Season
Dovima wears McCall’s 4425 for Celanese, 1959. A Celanese advertising insert from the late 1950s shows McCall’s festive styles in the latest synthetic silks—top models and more than one tiara from the...
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Bad Girls Do It Well
C’est Vous! 1959 Eastman Fibers advertisement featuring McCall’s 5020 and McCall’s 5099 by Pierre Cardin. A 1959 Eastman Fibers ad brings a note of intrigue to McCall’s patterns by photographing them...
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Nae Cotillion
Detail, McCall 3324 (ca. 1923). Today is Robbie Burns Day. This 1920s children’s pattern makes a full Scottish outfit, including the hat and sporran: McCall 3324 (ca. 1923) Girl’s Scotch Costume....
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Black Fashion Designers at FIT
Scott Barrie dress, ca. 1973, in MFIT’s exhibition Black Fashion Designers. Image: Museum at FIT. The Museum at FIT’s current exhibition, Black Fashion Designers, showcases the often-overlooked work of...
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Pucci 70th Anniversary
A dress by Emilio of Capri in McCall’s Pattern Book, Spring 1957. Photo: Howell Conant. Pucci has been in the news this week with the announcement that Josephus Thimister will consult on the next...
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Taste the Infinite
Eight ways to wear an infinite dress. Sketch by Lydia Silvestry in Vogue, October 1976. Summer means weddings and infinity dresses—or, if a couple is particularly on-trend, infinity bridesmaid...
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You and Me and Rainbows
Simplicity 9376 (1971) Image: Etsy. 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.”)...
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Trigère Designs for McCall’s, 1956
Pauline Trigère in an ad for McCall’s Printed Patterns, Vogue, October 1956. Model: Anne St. Marie. Pauline Trigère, who settled in America after fleeing Nazism in Europe, appears in this 1956...
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Harem Scarum
Pucci tunic and harem pants, Vogue Italia, January 1968. Photo: Gian Paolo Barbieri. Image: Pleasurephoto. The early ’90s are back—and so are sarouel, or harem pants. Here’s a look at vintage patterns...
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Spring 2018 Designer Highlights
Catherine Nako wears a Tracy Reese dress at Red’s Jazz Shoe Shine Parlor, Detroit. Photo: Ray Rushing. Image: Instagram. Have you seen the new designer patterns for Spring 2018? Badgley Mischka are...
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The Gathering of the Clans
The Gathering of the Clans, McCall’s Pattern Book, Fall 1956. Illustration: Sydelle Hall. In honour of Tartan Day, a mid-century schoolgirl in the Royal Stewart tartan. Pattern: McCall’s 2083.
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