About Dating
Vintage Sewing Patterns
The pattern number is
only an indicator of the date on vintage sewing patterns. You
can’t use the number alone because the companies would start over
again when they got to a certain level. You must consider the
general silhouette of the clothing along with other factors such as
hair, price, sizing and envelope style and logo placement you can
get pretty close to the issue or copyright date. Please be
aware that even if a pattern is dated, it could have been in
production for years and could even be a re-release of a previous
number.
Style eras
often crossed decade lines. For instance it is very difficult
to tell a 1938 pattern from a 1941 pattern. The basic style
and design elements were the same. The same thing applies for
1959-1961 and again in the 60s and 70's. There is more
difference between 1964 and 1967 that there is between 1969 and
1971.
Besides the general
look and art work of vintage patterns, the sizing can be a very good
indicator. In the beginning of Home Patterns, the bust
measurement is often the only measurement given. By the 1940s
patterns gave bust and hip measurements but often the waist was not
given (due to the fact that the sewist could change that element).
Until 1956 a Size 12
was for a 30 inch bust. In 1956 sizing changed and a Size 12
was for a 32 inch bust. In mid 1967 the standard changed once
again and a Size 12 became a 34 inch bust and remains so today.
So if you are trying to date something near the year of size change,
the size can be a great clue.
Below is a quick
reference chart of basic styles for the eras.
Victorian 1865-1895
Edwardian-La Belle Epoque 1895-1920
Fabulous Research Site is The
Fashion Era
  
After the War to End all Wars, (World War I), the world was in a celebratory
mood and fashion changed drastically. Women's clothing became less
restrictive and hemlines climbed higher (not as high as most people think
but higher than they had ever been). Dropped waists and bound bosoms
gave a boyish silhouette, along with bobbed hair and asymmetrical hemlines.
But just to say all Twenties were Flappers is wrong. The move to the
carefree youthful Flapper was a gradual movement and not every woman grasped
the concept.
  
1930's With the Great Depression looming
on the horizon many women who had previously lived a life of luxury with a
huge staff to maintain their life styles, were suddenly thrust into a world
where dressing simpler during the day was a simple matter of practicality.
The DAY Dress or House Dress was born and the more complicated and expensive
fabrics were saved for evening wear. Hemlines plunged as did spirits,
and the female figure made a reappearance. Skirts narrowed at the
hip with a flare (bias cut or pleats) at the hemline. By the late Thirties, hemlines were creeping upwards once again and
dresses (or frocks) were becoming more flattering due to an extensive use of
Rayon which hangs softly and lends it's self to drapes and pleats.
Shoulders were getting wider
You will sometimes find NRA
seals on patterns which can help you date them between 1933-1935. The National Industrial Recovery Act (NIRA),
officially known as the Act of June 16, 1933 was part of
President
Franklin D. Roosevelt's
New Deal.
It authorized the President to regulate industry and permit cartels and monopolies
in an attempt to stimulate economic recovery from the
Great Depression, and established a national
public works program.
The Act was implemented by the
National Recovery Administration and the
Public Works Administration.
The NIRA was set to expire in June 1935, but the
U.S. Supreme Court held Title I of the Act unconstitutional on May 27,
1935, in
Schechter Poultry Corp. v. United States,
295 U.S. 495 (1935) (making the issue moot).
  
1940's It's very hard to tell a 1939 from
a 1940 unless the pattern is actually dated. There were no major
changes between 1938 and 1941........so if it's extremely important to you
to have a definite date, I'm sorry there isn't an answer. By 1942, when
America entered the 2nd World War, Day Frocks became even more important.
Rationing of fabrics, metals and synthetics as well as the economic impact
made protection of clothing very important. Hemlines climbed higher than
ever due to rationing of fabric. Pullover dresses and tops became
necessary due to rationing of metal for buttons. Aprons and
House Dresses to wear at home, Military styled suits for the office worker
and of course trousers for the Rosie the Riveter. Evening clothes were
still in vogue, but were simply styled and often redone older clothing.
By the late 40's hemlines were once more below the knee and
stayed there until the mid 50's.........the emphasis was on the female form
once again. Draping and pleating and nipped waistlines were once more
fashionable but on a softer and less rigid scale.
  
  
Ah! The 50's.........Eisenhower,
Rock N Roll, Suburban Life. A car in every garage and a chicken in
every pot. What exactly were the 50's? Many things. In
fashion it was the NEW AGE look, which wasn't really NEW. Tiny waist,
wide skirts (just shorter this time), not much different from the 1850's.
But WOW, did the designers know how to capitalize on the affluence of the
50's. Extreme's is perhaps the thing that most signifies this era.
If one tuck or pleat was good then many were better. High collars,
asymmetrical bodices and big ruffles were all the rage. Most pattern
companies took advantage of this new decade and published Designer series.
Trends seemed to last
about one or two seasons and then moved on to something else. In the
early 50's, the styles aren't much different from the very late 40's, except
in fabrics. Heavier brocades and cottons that held their shape. Hemlines
were still low, but petticoats were making a comeback.
By the mid 50's there
were two extremes.............very slim and narrow sheaths or very wide and
full skirts. Dropped waists were once more in vogue, but this time it
was to accentuate the waistline not to hide it. Instead of being
corset free, these styles required heavy duty long line foundations.
The later 50's brought
on extreme figure manipulation as shown with the Bubble Dress, and other
wild and crazy silhouettes.
  
  
The 60's started much like the 50's
ended. Shirtwaist dress with full skirts or slim skirts and lots of
petticoats. Then came the Jackie era. Slim skirts with gathers
at the waist line, shell tops and boxy jackets or full length Duster Coats.
By the mid 60s waistlines had once again almost disappeared. A line
dresses with either an Empire or NO waist were the rule.
By the middle of the
decade the silhouette was slim with petticoats left in the past. Pants were
becoming more prevalent for casual wear and no longer just for beach wear.
By the end of the decade
Pant Suits were acceptable in some work places and schools. The Hippie
movement made Blue Jeans an every day fashion and long dresses were not just
for evening.
And of course we all
know of the impact of the Mini skirt and the MOD British Invasion.
Pants seemed the lesser of two evils when compared to the mini skirt.
 
 
 
The 70's gave us Boho with
elaborate trims and luscious fabrics in flowing lines. The bigger the
pant hem the better. Low rise on pants started the decade and got
lower and lower. Hot pants and halter tops were softened with
overskirts (reminiscent of the 50's overskirts). The middle of the
decade took us into a more Romantic atmosphere. Long sleeves, high
necklines, softly feminine and unrevealing. From the mid 70's style
was pretty much anything goes. Long or short, fitted or loose.
It didn't matter.....just Do your own Thing!
 
 
 
Many Thanks to: Erin at
"A Dress A Day" for
creating the wonderful
"Sewing Pattern
Wiki", all of the contributors to the Wiki, and all of my
wonderful friends and pattern sellers and collectors who share their
information and photos and knowledge. (there are too many to list
here, but you can find them on my Links Page,) and last but definitely not
least, my Dear Husband for giving me tons of help and encouragement to
research all of the data to compile for your research benefit.
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