Vibe magazine, September 1993. Model: Lois Samuels. Photo: Ruven Afanador. Image via Google Books.

Today is Byron Lars’ birthday. In lieu of cake, here’s a look at his work with Vogue Patterns.

Women’s Wear Daily, April 1991. Image via Byron Lars on Instagram.

Born in California, Byron Lars (b. 1965) studied at the Brooks Fashion Institute and New York’s Fashion Institute of Technology before dropping out to pursue freelance work; he was already an award-winning fashion illustrator when he launched his own label in 1991. His playful yet beautifully cut designs were an instant success—twists on American sportswear shown with cheeky accessories like duck-decoy purses. In a 1993 interview, Lars cites Patrick Kelly and Jean Paul Gaultier as inspirations for his approach. (See Greg Tate, “Byron Large.”)

Byron Lars illustrations in L’Officiel, August 1991. Image via jalougallery.com.

Two Byron Lars runway looks in Vogue, September 1992.

In the mid-1990s, Vogue Patterns licensed a number of Byron Lars designs in the Vogue Attitudes line. Lars was introduced to readers in the July/August 1994 issue of Vogue Patterns magazine:

Louise Vyent wears Byron Lars on the cover of Vogue Patterns, July/August 1994. Photo: Torkil Gudnason. Image via Amazon.

The first two patterns, Vogue 1419 and 1420, were modelled by Louise Vyent and photographed by Torkil Gudnason (click to enlarge):

“Introducing Byron Lars: Shape and Spirit,” Vogue Patterns, July/August 1994. Model: Louise Vyent. Photos: Torkil Gudnason.

Vogue 1419 is a pattern for a skirt, high-waisted pants, and a jacket with exposed zippers and Lars’ signature, waist-defining tie-front:

Vogue 1419 by Byron Lars (1994) Image via eBay.

Vogue 1420 presents three versions of Lars’ take on the traditional men’s shirt:

Vogue 1420 by Byron Lars (1994) Image via Etsy.

Here the twist becomes an asymmetrical, pleated drape on a tailored dress:

Vogue 1506 by Byron Lars (1994) Image via eBay.

From 1995, Vogue 1529 includes leggings and a flared shirtdress with bustline tie detail. The silhouette is similar to that seen in the Ruven Afanador photo that opens this post:

Vogue 1529 by Byron Lars (1995) Image via Etsy.

Vogue 1620 provides three more variations on the Byron Lars shirt:

Vogue 1620 by Byron Lars (1995) Image via PatternVault on Etsy.

Vogue 1621 includes two tie-front shirtdresses and a top for lightweight, dressier fabrics, as well as high-waisted pants:

Vogue 1621 by Byron Lars (1995) Image via Etsy.

In Vogue 1653, Lars pairs tapered pants with a fitted jacket with built-up neckline, exposed zippers, and dramatic back drape:

Vogue 1653 by Byron Lars (1995) Image via Etsy.

Vogue 1701’s fitted dress for stretch knits was photographed at the Strand’s Central Park kiosk. The pattern includes the contrast belt, which is angled to pass through the skirt’s front drape:

Vogue 1701 by Byron Lars (1995) Image via Etsy.

The jacket of this skirt suit has a surprise contrast back in synthetic suede or leather:

Vogue 1843 by Byron Lars (1996) Image via eBay.

You may have seen Erica Bunker’s version of Vogue 1846. This shirt can be made as a wrap-front with optional contrast cuffs and collar, or with a contrast dirndl bodice:

Vogue 1846 by Byron Lars (1996) Image via Etsy.

Finally, two more fashion photos: the closing shot from Ruven Afanador’s Byron Lars portfolio in the premiere issue of Vibe magazine, and a runway image from Lars’ Fall 1994 collection.

By request of Clare Nightingale.

Byron Lars in Fernando Sanchez, with Kumi in Byron Lars, Vibe magazine, September 1993. Photo: Ruven Afanador. Image via Google Books.

There’s only one day left to see Oscar de la Renta: The Retrospective, curated by André Leon Talley for the de Young Museum in San Francisco. (Show ends May 30, 2016). If you won’t be able to make it, an exhibition catalogue is available in three formats, including a floral print-bound limited edition. For more on the show see Maghan McDowell, “First Look: Five Decades of Oscar de la Renta.”

Jennifer Park, Molly Sorkin, and André Leon Talley, Oscar de la Renta (Prestel, 2016) Image: Prestel.

Oscar de la Renta (1932-2014) was born Óscar Aristides Ortiz de la Renta Fiallo in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, the only boy in a family of seven. After moving to Spain to study art at Madrid’s Real Academía de Bellas Artes de San Fernando, in 1954 he began work as a sketcher at Balenciaga; by 1959 he was assisting Antonio del Castillo at Lanvin-Castillo in Paris.

De la Renta fitting debutante Beatrice Cabot Lodge, Life, July 9, 1956. Photo: Nina Leen. Image: Google books.

In 1963 de la Renta moved to New York to pursue a career in ready-to-wear. He was soon hired as designer for Elizabeth Arden and, in 1965, became a partner at Jane Derby, the house he would take over for his own label. (For more see official site or The New York Times’ timeline.)

Elizabeth Arden by Oscar de la Renta evening dress in gold and pink silk damask, Fall-Winter 1963. Model: Isabella Albonico. Image: Oscar de la Renta via the de Young Museum.

De la Renta licensed his designs with Vogue Patterns from the 1960s to the 2000s. This week, a look at Oscar de la Renta patterns from the ’60s to the ’80s.

1960s

Oscar de la Renta dress photographed at Villa Boscogrande, Sicily, Vogue, December 1967. Photo: Henry Clarke. Image via Youthquakers.

Oscar de la Renta was among the designers included in Vogue-Butterick’s new Vogue Americana line, which was launched in 1967. From 1968, Vogue 1909 is a short-sleeved evening dress with standing collar and front-dart pockets:

Vogue 1909 by Oscar de la Renta (1968) Image via the Vintage Pattern Wiki.

This short evening dress has contrast bias cuffs and collar—flexible jewel trim optional:

Vogue 2101 by Oscar de la Renta (1969) Image via the Vintage Pattern Wiki.

Vogue 2219, an evening dress in two lengths, includes a wide, contrast cummerbund and pockets in the inverted side pleats:

Vogue 2219 by Oscar de la Renta (1969) Image via the Vintage Pattern Wiki.

1970s

Shown in a rich, metallic brocade, Vogue 2280 is a short, high-waisted evening dress accented with a jewel-trimmed belt (as seen in Vogue Pattern Book here):

Vogue 2280 by Oscar de la Renta (1970) Image: eBay.

A 1972 editorial by Helmut Newton shows Lauren Hutton in an early Oscar de la Renta caftan:

Oscar de la Renta caftan, Vogue, June 1972. Photo: Helmut Newton. Model: Lauren Hutton. Image via Youthquakers.

From 1973—the year of the ‘Battle of Versailles’ fashion show—this ruffled evening dress was shown in both solid colours and a floral border print:

Vogue 2879 by Oscar de la Renta (1973) Image: PatternVault on Etsy.

Christie Brinkley models Vogue 1667, a blouse for two layers of sheer fabric and dirndl maxi skirt with deep hemline ruffle:

Vogue 1667 by Oscar de la Renta in Vogue Patterns, May/June 1977. Model: Christie Brinkley. Image: Vintage Goodness.

Peasant blouse-and-skirt ensemble Vogue 1776 was featured on this winter catalogue cover:

Vogue 1776 by Oscar de la Renta on the cover of Vogue Patterns catalogue, February 1978. Image: eBay.

In this photo by Deborah Turbeville—previously seen in a Patterns in Vogue post—the gold-pistachio lamé evening separates at far right were made using Oscar de la Renta pattern Vogue 2182:

From “Striking Gold,” Vogue, November 1979. Photo: Deborah Turbeville.

1980s

Vogue 1027’s caftan (previously seen in my caftans post) is featured in the San Francisco exhibit. The original is hand-painted silk crêpe de chine:

Vogue 1027 by Oscar de la Renta (ca. 1983) Model: Alva Chinn.

Oscar de la Renta caftan, Spring 1982. Photo: Erin Burns. Image: Kent State University Museum via the de Young Museum.

Vogue 1644 is a wrap-bodice dress with bias bands defining the waist:

Vogue 1644 by Oscar de la Renta (1985) Image via Etsy.

These fashion photos by Steven Meisel and Patrick Demarchelier show how well de la Renta was suited to the Eighties aesthetic:

Oscar de la Renta dress, Vogue, May 1986. Photo: Steven Meisel. Model: Michelle Eabry. Image via The Fashion Spot.

Cindy Crawford wears Oscar de la Renta on the cover of British Vogue, April 1987. Photo: Patrick Demarchelier. Image: Vogue UK.

Here, radiating pleats and a bias front godet add volume and interest:

Vogue 1997 by Oscar de la Renta (1987). Image: Etsy.

Don’t Vogue 2185’s ruffles take the cake?

Vogue 2185 by Oscar de la Renta (1988) Model: Alexandra Aubin. Image: PatternVault on Etsy.

Next: Oscar de la Renta patterns from the 1990s and 2000s.

Ingrid Sischy, Donna Karan New York (Assouline 2005) Image via Pinterest.

Have you heard? Vogue’s Donna Karan and DKNY patterns will no longer be available after next Wednesday, July 13th. According to the McCall Pattern Company, the licensor of the Donna Karan trademarks [the LVMH-owned Gabrielle Studio Inc.] has decided to end all pattern licensing. (Source: Facebook.)

Image: voguepatterns.com.

Vogue Patterns has been publishing Donna Karan patterns since 1987. The company added DKNY patterns in 1989.

Donna Karan patterns on the cover of Vogue Patterns magazine, Autumn 1987. Image via eBay.

DKNY patterns on the Vogue Patterns catalogue cover, November 1989. Image via eBay.

The end of both licenses makes the Spring 2016 releases the last DKNY and Donna Karan patterns.

Vogue 1488 by DKNY is based on a dress from the Pre-Fall 2013 collection. Image: vogue.com.

The original for Vogue 1489 in Donna Karan’s Spring 2014 collection. Model: Kati Nescher. Image: vogue.com.

Donna Karan announced her departure from Donna Karan International just over a year ago, saying she means to focus on her new, privately owned company, Urban Zen. Parent company LVMH will not be hiring a replacement. Instead, LVMH will be developing DKNY, which is designed by Public School’s Dao-Yi Chow and Maxwell Osborne. (See Vanessa Friedman and Jacob Bernstein, “Karan Leaving Brand That Carries Her Name.”)

After thirty years of Vogue patterns—closer to forty, if we count her work at Anne Klein—Karan’s absence will be keenly felt. But could she return soon with Urban Zen patterns? Under her agreement with LVMH, Urban Zen’s “distribution … [can]not compete with any of the Donna Karan brands.” (See Donna Fenn’s interview for Fortune.) This could account for the unprecedented end-date for the Donna Karan and DKNY patterns, just in time for the Fall 2016 pattern launch. Update (July 7): the Fall 2016 patterns were released today, too early to avoid a distribution conflict. Perhaps for Winter 2016?

It would certainly be in keeping with Karan’s ethos if July 14th marked not just an end to the old pattern licensing, but also a new beginning. As her program notes always read, To be continued…

Urban Zen, Modern Souls collection. Image: Urban Zen.

Sarah Mower, Oscar de la Renta (Assouline, 2nd ed. 2014) Photo: Peter Lindbergh. Editor: Grace Coddington. Image: my luscious life.

Oscar de la Renta was born in July 1932; he would have turned 84 last week. In honour of his birthday, I’ll be looking at Oscar de la Renta sewing patterns from the 1990s and 2000s. (See Part 1 here.)

1990s

Vogue 2460 by Oscar de la Renta on the cover of Vogue Patterns, March/April 1990. (Patricia Underwood hat.) Photo: Otto Stupakoff. Image: eBay.

The 1990s marked Oscar de la Renta’s fourth decade with Vogue Patterns. From 1990, Vogue 2500 is a dress with pleated overlay and asymmetrical bias collar, chic in a polka dot print. De la Renta was pictured with a model wearing this design in the May/June issue of Vogue Patterns magazine:

Vogue 2500 by Oscar de la Renta (1990) Image: Etsy.

In 1992, de la Renta became the first American to take over a French couture house when he was appointed chief designer at Balmain. He had begun presenting his own collection in Paris the previous year. (See Suzy Menkes, “De la Renta Joins Balmain.”) The cover of the Assouline book pictured above shows Balmain haute couture; a similar tableau was created for the de Young retrospective.

Vogue 1638 is a brightly coloured skirt suit from Oscar de la Renta’s Spring 1995 collection (full video on YouTube here). Its tailored details, like the jacket’s back pleats and martingale belt, won it an Advanced skill rating. The design was featured in a Vogue Patterns suits article (see The Overflowing Stash) and on the cover of the counter catalogue:

Vogue 1638 Oscar de la Renta (1995) Image: eBay.

Vogue Patterns catalogue, October 1995. Image via Etsy.

This double-breasted skirt suit, shown on the runway in pink satin, must be from the Fall 1995 collection. The recommended fabrics are satin, damask, and gabardine:

Vogue 1863 by Oscar de la Renta (1996)

Ellen von Unwerth photographed Stella Tennant in a corseted lace Oscar de la Renta dress with flamenco dancer Joaquín Cortés for Vogue’s 1996 September issue:

Stella Tennant in Oscar de la Renta, with Joaquín Cortés, Vogue, September 1996. Photo: Ellen von Unwerth. Editor: Grace Coddington.

Two years later, Hillary Clinton wore Oscar de la Renta for her Vogue cover (more here):

Hillary Clinton in custom Oscar de la Renta, Vogue, December 1998. Photo: Annie Leibovitz. Editor: Paul Cavaco. Image: eBay.

Vogue 2361 is a formal dress from the Spring 1998 collection. The skirt is cut on the bias, the bodice and hemline flounces are finished with self fabric binding, and view A has an asymmetrical train. Kirsten Owen modelled the original on the runway:

Vogue 2361 by Oscar de la Renta (1999)

Oscar de la Renta Spring/Summer 1998. Model: Kirsten Owen. Image: firstVIEW.

Just for fun, here’s another editorial photo showing de la Renta’s couture work at Balmain. Ruven Afanador photographed this lace-embroidered gown with matching chihuahua:

Pierre Balmain haute couture by Oscar de la Renta, Vogue Paris, September 1999. Photo: Ruven Afanador. Image via The Fashion Spot.

2000s

This floral print evening dress is a design from de la Renta’s Spring 2000 collection. Piping defines the waist, and the bias train is trimmed with waist pleats and flounces. The original was modelled on the runway by Carmen Kass:

Vogue 2541 by Oscar de la Renta (2001)

Oscar de la Renta Spring/Summer 2000. Model: Carmen Kass. Image: vogue.com.

The Fall 2001 collection included two “decidedly gothic black opera coats,” and Vogue Patterns chose one of them for its customers. Vogue 2714 is a full-sleeved, floor-length opera coat trimmed with frog closures and pleated ruffles. The pattern is sometimes numbered “P935 – Best Seller”:

Vogue 2714 / P935 by Oscar de la Renta (2002) Image: Etsy.

Oscar de la Renta Fall/Winter 2001. Model: Natalia Semanova. Image via vogue.com.

From the Spring 2005 collection, strapless gown pattern Vogue 2889 evokes flamenco with its tiered skirt and draped, drop-waist bodice. The design was shown on the runway with length and bodice variations:

Vogue 2889 by Oscar de la Renta (2006)

Oscar de la Renta Spring/Summer 2005. Models: Caroline Ribeiro and Caroline Winberg. Image: vogue.com.

Vogue 2928 is a grand, off-the-shoulder ballgown complete with boned foundation, attached petticoat, and self fabric flowers and appliqués. The gown was the penultimate look in de la Renta’s Fall 2005 collection:

Vogue 2928 by Oscar de la Renta (2006) Image: ecrater.

Oscar de la Renta Fall/Winter 2005. Model: Nataliya Gotsii. Image: vogue.com.

For more on the late designer, see Vogue’s retrospective. Have you made any Oscar de la Renta patterns?

Kirsten Dunst in custom Oscar de la Renta, Vogue, September 2006. Photo: Annie Leibovitz. Editor: Grace Coddington. Image: vogue.com.

Jean Muir for Jane & Jane, Butterick Home Catalog, Spring 1965.

This summer, after extensive renovations, the National Museum of Scotland opened its new galleries, including a Fashion and Style gallery. Jean Muir’s archive is housed in the museum, so the new gallery returns this important collection of her work to public view. To celebrate, I’ll be posting a two-part series on Jean Muir sewing patterns.

Box with slides from the Jean Muir Collection. Image: National Museum of Scotland.

Though born in London, Jean Muir (1928-1995) is often called “the Scottish Chanel.” Muir began her career working at Liberty London. She was the designer for Jaeger before winning backing for her first label, Jane & Jane, in the early 1960s; she also designed for Morel London. In the fall of 1966 she founded her own company, Jean Muir Ltd. Acclaimed for her precise cut in jersey, leather, and suede, she preferred to be called a dressmaker.

Jaeger advertisement illustrated by René Gruau, 1957. Image: Jaeger.co.uk.

Muir and her designs are featured in Life magazine’s 1963 portfolio (headlined “Brash New Breed of British Designers”) on what was then called the Chelsea Look.

Jane & Jane “granny” dress at the Royal Hospital Chelsea, Life magazine, October 18, 1963. Photo: Norman Parkinson. Image: Google books.

In her review of the National Museum of Scotland’s 2008 exhibit, Jean Muir: A Fashion Icon, Lynne Walker credits Muir with designing Diana Rigg’s wardrobe as Emma Peel in The Avengers, including her iconic leather catsuit—a symbol of swinging London.

Diana Rigg as Emma Peel in The Avengers (ca. 1965)

Jean Muir licensed patterns with Butterick’s Young Designers line into the early 1970s.

1960s

In early 1965, Butterick introduced Jean Muir of Jane & Jane with four designs in the Spring 1965 catalogue (click to enlarge):

“From London: Designs by Jane & Jane,” Butterick Home Catalog, Spring 1965.

Butterick 3495 and 3494 by Jean Muir for Jane & Jane, Butterick Home Catalog, Spring 1965.

This simple Jane & Jane dress is accented with two narrow tucks above the hemline:

Butterick 3609 by Jean Muir of Jane & Jane (ca. 1965) Image: PatternVault on Etsy.

The tucks on Butterick 3609 recall the single, broad hemline tuck on this Jane & Jane dress photographed by David Bailey in Kenya:

Jane & Jane wool dress with secretary bird, British Vogue, February 1965. Photo: David Bailey. Model: Sue Murray. Image: Youthquakers.

This mod, A-line dress is trimmed with buttons and topstitching (click to view in the shop):

Butterick 3722 by Jean Muir of Jane & Jane (ca. 1965) Image: PatternVault on Etsy.

The young Grace Coddington posed in the sleeveless version for British Vogue:

Jane & Jane dress in British Vogue, March 15, 1965. Photo: Eugene Vernier. Model: Grace Coddington. Image: Youthquakers.

Previously seen in my Celia Hammond post, this Jane & Jane dress has a standing neckline, raglan sleeves, and Muir’s trademark tiny button trim:

Butterick 4153 by Jean Muir of Jane & Jane (ca. 1966) Image: Vintage Patterns Wiki.

Within a year of founding her own company, Muir saw her double-breasted ‘cavalier’ coat on the cover of British Vogue:

Coat by Jean Muir, British Vogue, August 1967. Photo: David Bailey. Model: Jean Shrimpton. Image: Youthquakers.

Burnished orange and navy blue striped cavalier coat in Garigue wool by Jean Muir, British Vogue, August 1967. Photo: David Bailey. Model: Jean Shrimpton. Image: Youthquakers.

With its shoulder yokes and double-breasted front, Butterick 5242 is a similar design:

Butterick 5242 by Jean Muir (ca. 1969) Image: Serendipity Vintage.

Muir’s signature topstitching and shoulder yokes define the details on Butterick 4937, a sleeveless dress illustrated on the cover of the August 1968 news leaflet:

Butterick 4937 by Jean Muir on the cover of Butterick Fashion News, August 1968. Image: Vintage Patterns Wiki.

The pattern envelope shows the dress with and without the low-slung belt carriers:

Butterick 4937 by Jean Muir (ca. 1968) Image: Etsy.

David Bailey photographed a similar Jean Muir belted jumper in green Harris tweed:

Jean Muir jumper in British Vogue, October 15, 1967. Photo: David Bailey. Model: Sue Murray. Image: Youthquakers.

1970s

Previously seen in my Mad Men-era Butterick Young Designers post, Butterick 5657 is the kind of fluid jersey dress Muir became known for:

Butterick 5657 by Jean Muir (ca. 1970)

The design is from Muir’s Fall 1969 collection—photographed here in cloud grey jersey:

Jean Muir jersey dress, British Vogue, August 1969. Photo: David Montgomery. Model: Moyra Swan. Image: Youthquakers.

Butterick 5954 was shown in both mini and midi lengths; the recommended fabrics include jersey, knit, and synthetic knits. The contrast cuffs and bib front give the opportunity for colour blocking or print mixing as in the Liberty-style illustration (available in the shop):

Butterick 5954 by Jean Muir (ca. 1970) Image: PatternVault on Etsy.

Before Butterick switched to illustrations only, there was a growing disparity in quality between pattern and editorial photography. Here it obscures the potential of Muir’s tucked and colour blocked peasant tunic:

Butterick 6222 by Jean Muir (ca. 1971)

Jeanloup Sieff photographed a similar dress-and-knickers ensemble for an editorial in Nova magazine:

Chiffon dress and knickers by Jean Muir, Nova, March 1972. Photo: Jeanloup Sieff. Editor: Caroline Baker. Image: Miss Peelpants.

The latest Jean Muir Young Designer pattern I’ve seen is Butterick 6398, a high-waisted dress with tiny self ruffles, button trim, and optional contrast sleeves and hemband:

Butterick 6398 by Jean Muir (ca. 1971)

I’ll close with this 1970 Norman Parkinson photo of a Jean Muir dress and turban in Monument Valley, in the collection of the National Portrait Gallery:

Jean Muir dress, British Vogue, January 1971 (1970). Photo: Norman Parkinson. Model: Jan Ward. Image: the National Portrait Gallery, London.

Next: Jean Muir’s Vogue Couturier patterns.

A Jean Muir look on the cover of British Vogue, February 1973. Photo: David Bailey. Model: Susan Moncur. Image: eBay.

Jean Muir was the only designer to ascend from Butterick Young Designer to Vogue Couturier. (See my post on Jean Muir’s Butterick patterns here.) This week, a look at Vogue’s Jean Muir patterns from the early 1970s to the mid-1980s.

Jean Muir sketches on display in the National Museum of Scotland’s new galleries. Image © National Museums Scotland

Pattern pieces for a Jean Muir dress, Spring 1980. Image © National Museums Scotland.

1970s

Jean Muir was introduced as a new Vogue Couturier in Vogue Pattern Book’s first issue of 1972. Three Muir designs (Vogue 2663, 2664, and 2646) were pictured throughout the magazine, but only the last two appear in the designer feature: Vogue 2664’s full-sleeved dress in saffron jersey, and Vogue 2646’s evening dress and matching short shorts in bone-coloured matte jersey. The model on the right is Joyce Walker (click to enlarge):

“Introducing Jean Muir” — Vogue 2664 and 2646 in Vogue Pattern Book, February/March 1972.

Posing for Richard Avedon, Faye Dunaway wears a Jean Muir dress with handkerchief sleeves:

Faye Dunaway in Jean Muir, Vogue, March 1973. Photo: Richard Avedon. Image: The Fashion Spot.

This dress with gathered centre panels and shirttail hem was featured on the counter catalogue in a lush floral print:

Vogue 2804 by Jean Muir (1973) Image: Etsy.

Vogue 2804 by Jean Muir, Vogue Patterns catalogue, May 1973. Image: eBay.

Vogue 2884 is an evening dress with raised waist and pintuck details. The back is particularly elegant (available in the shop):

Vogue 2884 by Jean Muir (1973) Image: PatternVault on Etsy.

David Bailey photographed Anjelica Huston in an olive version—with matching cloche—for British Vogue:

Jean Muir olive suede-trimmed angora dress and cloche, British Vogue, September 1, 1973. Photo: David Bailey. Model: Anjelica Huston. Image: Youthquakers.

Muir ensembles often involve matching hats, and her patterns sometimes include a head covering. This pattern has three (click to view in the PatternVault shop):

Vogue 1148 by Jean Muir (1974) Image via PatternVault on Etsy.

A news cover illustrated by Michaele Vollbracht recommends wearing View C’s ‘ScarfCap’ with a ‘BigDress’ for fall ’75:

Vogue 9239 with Vogue 1148 by Jean Muir, Vogue Patterns Eye on Fashion, September 1975. Illustration: Michaele Vollbracht. Image: eBay.

Vogue 1153 has characteristic Jean Muir dressmaker details—radiating Deco pintucks, tucked sleeves, released pleats, and contrast topstitching. The recommended fabrics include lightweight synthetic knits, matte jersey, tricot knits, and wool jersey:

Vogue 1153 by Jean Muir (1974) Image: Etsy.

On assignment for Vogue, Deborah Turbeville photographed Muir with models in her all-white apartment:

Models with Jean Muir in Vogue, February 1975. Photo: Deborah Turbeville. Models: Paddy Grey and Clio Goldsmith. Image: What Goes Around Comes Around.

Jean Muir with models in her suede dresses: Louise Pleydell-Bouverie, Clio Goldsmith, and Paddy Grey, for Vogue, February 1975. Photo: Deborah Turbeville. Image: the Wapping Project.

Turbeville’s legendary Bathhouse series includes a Jean Muir Liberty-print smock:

Right: Jean Muir Liberty print smock dress, Vogue, May 1975. Photo: Deborah Turbeville. Stylist: Polly Mellen. Image: the Fashion Spot.

1980s

Vogue 2399’s full-sleeved dress was previously seen in my Iman post:

Vogue 2399 by Jean Muir (1980) Model: Iman.

Vogue 2463 reinterprets Muir’s trademark cut-in sleeves and pin-tucked bodice for the early ’80s:

Vogue 2463 by Jean Muir (1980) Image: Etsy.

Vogue 1123’s two-piece dress arranges pleated volumes around smooth central panels:

Vogue 1123 by Jean Muir (1983) Image: Rusty Zipper.

The latest Jean Muir Vogue pattern I’ve seen is Vogue 1502, a jacket and skirt. The unlined jacket has deep kimono sleeves and a broad waistline tuck:

Vogue 1502 by Jean Muir (1985) Image: Etsy.

Postscript

Style Patterns—by then owned by Simplicity—produced this dress pattern to accompany Channel Four’s 1993 television series, Very Jean Muir. The pattern is found in the National Museum of Scotland’s Jean Muir Collection:

Channel Four / Style 0526 by Jean Muir (1993) Image: eBay.

Jean Muir’s dedication to the craft of fashion design gives her work a special appeal for home sewers. When Leeds Art Galleries mounted a travelling Jean Muir exhibition, dressmakers brought their Vogue patterns for her to sign.* Have you made any Jean Muir patterns?

* Maureen Cleave, “Makers of Modern Fashion: Jean Muir,” Observer supplement, September 21, 1980.

Jean Muir dress, British Vogue, September 15, 1973. Photo: Eric Boman. Model: Grace Coddington. Image: Beauty is a warm gun.

Karen Kain in Jean Muir, Vogue, November 1975. Photo: David Montgomery. Image: Barefoot Vintage.

Punched suede top and matte jersey skirt by Jean Muir, British Vogue, February 1973. Photo: David Bailey. Model: Donna Mitchell. Image: Youthquakers.

Rachel Comey’s Bowtie top and printed trousers, Spring 2015 collection. Image: Instagram.

Last month, Rachel Comey celebrated her label’s 15-year anniversary with an outdoor presentation of unisex looks for Spring 2017. For home sewers, Comey’s ongoing licensing with Vogue Patterns has made her one to watch. Here’s a look at highlights of her patterns so far.

Dan Stevens in Rachel Comey’s Pierrot dress. Image: Instagram.

Born in Manchester, Connecticut, Rachel Comey (b. 1973) originally trained as a sculptor. After moving to New York, she consulted for Theory while designing clothes for local performers like Gogol Bordello—a connection that led her and the band to the Whitney Biennial. She launched her menswear collection in September, 2001, followed by women’s wear in 2004. Comey has developed a cult following for her footwear, prints, and general “bullshit-free kookiness.”

Courtney Love wears a men’s lipstick print shirt by Rachel Comey, The Face, April 2002. Photo: Jean-Baptiste Mondino. Image: eBay.

Rachel Comey’s Stoneware print, inspired by Lena Beug’s ceramics. Image: Instagram.

Comey was introduced to home sewers in the February/March 2010 issue of Vogue Patterns magazine with two patterns, Vogue 1161 and 1170:

“Cutting edge: Rachel Comey,” Vogue Patterns, February/March 2010.

Vogue 1170 by Rachel Comey, Vogue Patterns, February/March 2010.

The originals showcase Comey’s leopard and man-with-umbrella prints, both from the Fall 2009 collection.

A leopard-print dress from Rachel Comey’s Fall 2009 collection. Model: Timoxa Timoschenko. Image: vogue.com.

Powerhouse Vogue 1247 includes an A-line miniskirt and the Navigator top, a design that was produced over multiple seasons (available in the shop):

Vogue 1247 by Rachel Comey (2011) Image: PatternVault on Etsy.

Vogue 1298 is a pattern for Comey’s Tippet dress. (She also designed an open-backed Tippet top.) The Tippet is an apron dress with raised hem and straps drawn together in back:

Vogue 1298 by Rachel Comey (2012) Tippet dress.

The dress was shown in a different print in the Spring 2011 collection:

Rachel Comey’s Tippet dress on the Spring 2011 runway. Model: Mariana Santana. Image: vogue.com.

Also from 2012, Vogue 1323 is a top and pants ensemble consisting of the Syndicate blouse and cuffed Saunter pant. The trousers were also produced in textured velvet and various prints:

Vogue 1323 by Rachel Comey (2012) Image: Etsy.

Rachel Comey’s Saunter pant, Black Wood silk-wool print, Fall 2011 collection. Model: Alexandra Tretter. Image: vogue.com.

Rachel Comey’s Saunter pant in semi-sheer, textured velvet, Fall 2011 collection. Model: Bianca Luz. Image: vogue.com.

Vogue 1406, known as the Surveillance dress, has an asymmetrical neckline, back godet, and ruched waist detail:

Vogue 1406 by Rachel Comey (2014) Image: eBay.

Here’s the original star-print Surveillance dress on the Fall 2013 runway:

Rachel Comey’s Surveillance dress, Fall 2013 collection. Image: vogue.com

Comey’s batwing Wades dress is available as Vogue 1482. The diagonal front seam conceals a pocket:

Vogue 1482 by Rachel Comey (2016) Image: PatternVault on Etsy.

Rachel Comey’s Wades dress, Spring 2015 collection. Image: vogue.com.

From the same collection, Vogue 1507 includes the Bowtie top and slim pants with an asymmetrical front closure:

Vogue 1507 by Rachel Comey (2015) Image: Etsy.

Rachel Comey’s Bowtie top and pants, Spring 2015 collection. Image: vogue.com.

Vogue 1501 is a pattern for the Delane dress, a sleeveless, mock two-piece dress with pleating details. The original shows off Comey’s Collage print; the design was also produced with a contrast front bodice and in a single, solid colour:

Vogue 1501 by Rachel Comey (2016) Image: PatternVault on Etsy.

Navy Delane dress by Rachel Comey.

The latest Rachel Comey pattern is a long-sleeved jumpsuit, Vogue 1523 (click to view in the shop):

Vogue 1523 by Rachel Comey (2016) Image: PatternVault on Etsy.

The Botanical-print jumpsuit was part of the Fall 2015 collection’s closing look:

Rachel Comey jumpsuit, Fall 2015 collection. Image: vogue.com.

Interestingly, Comey was quoted in the New York Times’ recent article on the McCall Pattern Company (“Needle, Thread, Instagram“):

The New York designer Rachel Comey has licensed her patterns to McCall since 2010, where they appear under the Vogue Patterns brand. She didn’t do it for the money. “I just like the tradition of it,” Ms. Comey said. “Sewing is a great craft. It’s exciting and confidence building. I wanted to support it.”

Now if only we could source those Rachel Comey prints…

Artist and activist Sarah Sophie Flicker wears Rachel Comey’s Surveillance dress at the White House, 2015. Image: Instagram.

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, Galanos authorized only two licenses: furs and fragrance. But he also licensed commercial sewing patterns—first with McCall’s, and later with Vogue Patterns. This post looks at Galanos’ 1950s patterns with McCall’s.

Jean Patchett in Galanos, Life magazine, February 23, 1959. Photo: Nina Leen. Image: Life archive.

Born in Philadelphia to Greek parents, James Galanos (1924-2016) was a graduate of the Traphagen School of Fashion. He worked with Hattie Carnegie, Hollywood costume designer Jean Louis, and Robert Piguet before founding his own, LA-based label in 1951. He retired in 1998, the year after LACMA mounted a retrospective of his work. Galanos won the devotion of celebrities and socialites with his virtuoso technique and flawless craftsmanship.

Image: the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

1950s

McCall’s introduced designer exclusives by “James Galanos, brilliant young star of American fashion” with two patterns for winter 1956-57. The Galanos designs—full-skirted formal gowns in two lengths—were prominently featured in the holiday issues of McCall’s Pattern Book and the company’s monthly news leaflet.

McCall’s 3895 by Galanos on the cover of McCall’s Pattern Book, Winter 1956-57. Image: eBay.

“Holiday news: Galanos designs for McCall’s.” McCall’s news leaflet, December 1956.

According to the news leaflet, McCall’s 3894 is “a fabulous ball gown to make in brocade.” The molded bodice is a trademark Galanos touch:

McCall’s 3894 by Galanos (1956) Image: the Vintage Pattern Wiki.

McCall’s 3894 by Galanos in McCall’s Pattern Book, Winter 1956-57. Image: eBay.

McCall’s 3895 is a bow-trimmed evening gown. As the leaflet notes, “Beautifully low-cut in back, it can be cocktail length.” Recommended fabrics included heavy satin, peau de soie, brocade, and taffeta:

McCall’s 3895 by Galanos (1956) Image: eBay.

A Galanos design in the McCall’s catalogue, February 1957. Image: Etsy.

In spring, 1957, McCall’s released two more Galanos patterns: the lavishly full-skirted McCall’s 4045 and 4046.

McCall’s 4045 by Galanos (1957) Image: eBay.

Here, the back bodice extends into a front yoke. The skirt and petticoat were to be made in organdy, nylon, or silk organza:

McCalls 4046 by Galanos (1957) Image: eBay.

The new Galanos patterns were promoted in the March issue of McCall’s magazine (“Galanos designs: Black-and-white for summer evenings”) and in the company’s “Make the Clothes that Make the Woman” advertising campaign.

“Make the Clothes that Make the Woman” advertisement featuring McCall’s 4046 by Galanos, spring 1957.

In the Summer 1957 pattern book, the designs are illustrated in green linen and flower-embroidered organdy:

James Galanos patterns illustrated in McCall’s Pattern Book, Summer 1957.

Today, Galanos’ McCall’s patterns are quite scarce. Perhaps customers balked at the extravagant yardage: the skirt for one dress took over 20 yards of narrow fabric. Galanos’ work with sheer layers continued into the following decade, as seen in this 1961 editorial by Gordon Parks:

Gloria Vanderbilt in a chiffon evening dress by Galanos, Life magazine, April 14, 1961. Photo: Gordon Parks. Image: Shrimpton Couture.

Next: James Galanos’ Vogue patterns.

Silk burnooses by Galanos on the cover of Harper’s Bazaar, October 1966. Photo: James Moore. Image: eBay.

This week, a look at the late James Galanos’ licensed Vogue patterns. (See my McCall’s post here.)

James Galanos Vogue pattern envelope flap. Image: eBay.

1960s

Maud Adams wears Vogue 1854 by James Galanos on the cover of the Vogue Patterns catalogue, January 1968. Image: eBay.

Vogue Patterns introduced James Galanos patterns in late 1967, with two dress designs modelled by Maud Adams and Lauren Hutton. The counter catalogue promotes Galanos’ “masterful touch” with an alternate shot of Vogue 1854, an A-line dress with side pleats at right front and left back:

Vogue 1854 by James Galanos (1967) Model: Maud Adams. Image: Vintage Patterns Wiki.

Lauren Hutton models Vogue 1855, a coat dress with double inverted pleats in the back:

Vogue 1855 by James Galanos (1967) Model: Lauren Hutton. Image: eBay.

This short, wrap-effect evening dress has square armholes and front pleats concealing pockets:

Vogue 2071 by James Galanos (1969) Image: Etsy.

1970s

Later Galanos patterns were photographed on location in New York, where the designer showed his collections. This dress goes one further than Vogue 1855 and has double inverted pleats in both front and back:

Vogue 2269 by James Galanos (1970) Image: Vintage Pattern Wiki.

Jumpsuit Vogue 2524 features a shoulder yoke, pintucks, and wide, corded belt:

Vogue 2524 by James Galanos (1971) Image: Vintage Pattern Wiki.

The latest Galanos pattern I’ve seen is Vogue 2639, a long-sleeved evening dress with front slit and waistline smocking detail:

Vogue 2639 by James Galanos (1971) Image: Vintage Pattern Wiki.

A dreamy illustration made the cover of the news leaflet:

Vogue 2639 by James Galanos on the cover of Vogue Pattern Fashion News, January 1972. Illustration: Ron Becker. Image: eBay.

For more on James Galanos, see Hamish Bowles’ obituary for Vogue or watch LACMA’s 1996 documentary, Galanos on Galanos (with thanks to Jen O of the Pintucks blog).

Feather-trimmed sheath in silk ottoman cloqué by Galanos on the cover of Harper’s Bazaar, November 1963. Photo: Melvin Sokolsky. Model: Donna Mitchell. Image: Paper Pursuits.

Detail, Vogue, August 1986. Photo: Denis Piel.

“On the move” is the concept for a mid-’80s Denis Piel pattern editorial featuring designs from Geoffrey Beene’s career line.

Here, Vogue 1770, Beene’s wrap jacket and skirt, is shown in wool jersey from Jasco Fabrics, with dress Vogue 1771 in Horikoshi silk crepe (Bally briefcase; Donna Karan bags; Omega belt; bracelets by Eric Beamon):

Vogue 1770 and 1771 by Geoffrey Beene, Vogue, August 1986. Photos: Denis Piel.

On the left, Vogue 1771’s jacket is made reversible in red and black wool coating, with wool gabardine trousers and a silk charmeuse tank made using Vogue 1773 (wool from Anglo Fabrics; silk from Hi Fashion Fabrics). At right, Vogue 1773’s coat becomes a raincoat in cotton back polyurethane from Waldon Textiles, with a cotton corduroy contrast from Majestic Mills (Omega belt; bags, Maud Frizon and Prada):

Vogue 1771 and 1773 by Geoffrey Beene, Vogue, August 1986. Photos: Denis Piel.

In the back of the magazine, readers could find sewing tips for making the jacket reversible and giving the coat a contrast collar:

Details on Vogue 1770, 1771, and 1773 by Geoffrey Beene, Vogue, August 1986.

Pattern images: Vintage Pattern Wiki, Design Rewind Fashions.

Guy Laroche advertising campaign, Fall 2001.

Word is Guy Laroche patterns are set to return after a two-year hiatus. (The last Laroche, and last Paris Original, to be released was V1450 in Summer, 2015.) In anticipation, my ongoing Laroche series resumes with a look at the early 2000s designs of Mei Xiao Zhou.

Born in the Netherlands, Mei Xiao Zhou came to a career in fashion after working as a ballet dancer and video director in New York and Tokyo. He spent six years as an assistant to Thierry Mugler before he was hired as head designer at Guy Laroche. (See WWD, “Guy Laroche Taps Zhou.”)

Zhou designed two collections for Laroche, both presented in 2001.

1. Guy Laroche Prêt-à-porter Fall/Winter 2001 (shown March 2001)

Mei Xiao Zhou’s first collection for Laroche radiated energy, with vibrant colour and prints underlining the skillful cut. (See WWD, “Static State, Forties-Something, and the ‘Casino’ Factor.”) Here’s the collection image from L’Officiel 1000 modèles:

Guy Laroche Fall 2001 collection by Mei Xiao Zhou in L’Officiel 1000 modèles. Image: jalougallery.com.

The hardest to find of Zhou’s Laroche patterns, Vogue 2650 is a bias-cut, halter-neck wrap dress that can be made in cocktail and evening length (both size ranges available in the shop):

Vogue 2650 by Mei Xiao Zhou for Guy Laroche (2002) Image: PatternVault on Etsy.

Guy Laroche Fall 2001 runway. Images: firstVIEW.

Vogue 2668’s trouser suit includes a short jacket with three-quarter sleeves. On the runway, the revers on the red version revealed a flash of sequins:

Vogue 2668 by Mei Xiao Zhou for Guy Laroche (2002) Image: Etsy.

Guy Laroche Fall 2001 runway. Images: firstVIEW.

Vogue 2689 is a sleek skirt suit with concealed closure and clavicle-framing standing collar. The skirt has a zippered side slit:

Vogue 2689 by Mei Xiao Zhou for Guy Laroche (2002) Image: PatternVault on Etsy.

Guy Laroche Fall 2001 runway. Images: firstVIEW.

L’Officiel included one of Zhou’s op-art print pieces in the Sixties-inspired editorial “Mille neuf cent soixante-trois“:

Guy Laroche, L’Officiel, October 2001. Model: Mariacarla Boscono. Photo: Nicolas Hidiroglou. Editor: Jennifer Eymère. Image: jalougallery.com.

2. Guy Laroche Prêt-à-porter Spring/Summer 2002 (shown October 2001)

For his romantic second collection for Laroche, Zhou covered the runway in water, sending out looks with an Asian influence in a palette of white, yellow, ochre, chocolate brown, and black. (See L’Officiel 1000 modèles and AP, “Louis Vuitton Show Goes Creative.”) Here’s the collection image:

Guy Laroche Spring 2002 collection by Mei Xiao Zhou in L’Officiel 1000 modèles. Image: jalougallery.com.

A look from Mei Xiao Zhou’s Spring 2002 collection for Guy Laroche. Model: Raquel Zimmerman. Image: livingly.

The Spring 2002 campaign echoed the runway’s aquatic motif:

Guy Laroche advertising campaign, Spring 2002.

Because this collection is not well documented online, it’s difficult to identify corresponding sewing patterns. Vogue 2752 looks to be one of the canary yellow suits, with flared kimono sleeves and rounded lapels that match descriptions of the show:

Vogue 2752 by Mei Xiao Zhou for Guy Laroche (2002) Image: PatternVault on Etsy.

Although I can’t confirm it, Vogue 2736 may also be a Spring 2002 design. The jacket has a bustier-effect bias inset, and the pants have high slits in the back seams:

Vogue 2736 by Guy Laroche (2003) Image: Etsy.

Mei Xiao Zhou brought the verve of Mugler to his runway shows for Laroche. Although his first collection was well received, the house was sold to a new parent company, which hired a new designer for Fall 2002 (Laetitia Hecht). Like other designer patterns of this period, Zhou’s Laroche patterns highlight the widening gulf between catwalk and sewing-editorial styling—which is ultimately the gulf between the fashion and home sewing industries.

Previous Laroche posts:

• Alber Elbaz
• Hervé L. Leroux (Hervé Léger)
• Damian Yee

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 collection, following the departure in April of head designer Massimo Giorgetti. (See WWD.) The house of Pucci is also celebrating its 70th anniversary this year.

Before becoming a Vogue Couturier in the 1960s, Emilio Pucci designed exclusive patterns for McCall’s. Howell Conant photographed Pucci’s earliest pattern designs, including the harlequin dress above, for McCall’s Pattern Book. For more on Pucci see my Mad Men-era series post, The Europeans.

Happy 70th anniversary, Pucci!

Vogue 1351 by Pucci (1964) Image: PatternVault on Etsy.

Tim Blanks, The World of Anna Sui (Abrams, 2017). Image: Abrams.

The World of Anna Sui opened at the Fashion and Textile Museum in London last weekend. It’s the museum’s first retrospective on a living American designer, with an accompanying book by Tim Blanks—out today from Abrams.

Image: Joshua Jordan / Fashion and Textile Museum.

Anna Sui licensed her work with Vogue Patterns for some 16 years, from the mid-1990s to 2011. Read my series on Vogue patterns by Anna Sui:

• Anna Sui: Vogue Patterns, Part 1
• Anna Sui: Vogue Patterns, Part 2

Vogue Patterns introduces Anna Sui for Vogue Attitudes: Vogue Patterns catalogue, September 1995. Image: eBay.

I’ve just listed this pattern for two dresses from Sui’s Mudd Club collection:

Vogue 2551 by Anna Sui (2001) Image: PatternVault on Etsy.

For more on Sui and her work, see Tim Blanks’ essay for the Business of Fashion, “Anna Sui, America’s Most Underrated Fashion Designer.”

Faux Mongolian lamb coat by Anna Sui, Harper’s Bazaar, August 1995. Photo: Peter Lindbergh.

Kirsty Hume wears Anna Sui in Vogue, September 1995. Photo: Arthur Elgort. Editor: Grace Coddington.

Karen Elson in Anna Sui, Vogue, June 2003. Photo: Tim Walker. Editor: Grace Coddington. Image: Vogue.com.

Bobby Breslau in Vogue Patterns, May/June 1979. Photo: Charles Tracy.

“Our Man in Leather”: Vogue Patterns introduced Bobby Breslau, one of the company’s rare designers of accessories, with a winking acknowledgement of the gay community.

Bobby Breslau biographical note, Vogue 2184 (1979). Image: Etsy.

Bobby Breslau (ca. 1943-1987) was a friend of Halston, Stephen Burrows, and Keith Haring; photographer Charles Tracy, who took Breslau’s portrait, was a member of the same social circle. Breslau’s training was in the garment industry, but a toy commission from Halston set him on the path of accessory and furniture design. His tactile, unstructured style of bag showed a sculptor’s eye for colour and texture; the New York Times called it “the handbag of the 1970’s.” (See Robin Givhan’s The Battle of Versailles and Suzanne Slesin, “Beyond the Fringe: A Designer’s Zany World in Leather.”) Breslau was the manager of Keith Haring’s Pop Shop until his death from complications of AIDS in early 1987.

Breslau bag for Halston in Elaine Gross and Fred Rottman, Halston: An American Original (1999) Image: Behind the Seams.

In 1979, Breslau licensed two bag patterns with Vogue. Each design could be made in three sizes. Vogue 2153 is a “draw-stringer and scarf tie-up”:

Vogue 2153 by Bobby Breslau (1979) Image: Etsy.

Vogue 2184 is a saddlebag and roll pouch:

Vogue 2184 by Bobby Breslau (1979) Image: Etsy.

Just as Breslau’s unconstructed bag is back, so too are the brights of ’79. As Hannah Marriott writes, a trend for Lego colours is predicted for spring 2019…

Model with Breslau bag, Vogue Patterns, May/June 1979.

Betsey Johnson sketch for Paraphernalia, 1965. Image: CFDA / Pinterest.

Betsey Johnson turns 75 today. Four decades on, the designer’s 1970s Butterick patterns are still very popular. Here’s a look at Johnson’s early work, with an emphasis on more seldom seen archival images.

Betsey Johnson (b. 1942) has made a career of creating irreverent, youth-oriented clothes that stand a bit outside the mainstream. She learned sewing and pattern drafting while running a dance school as a teen, but got her official start in the business designing for Youthquake boutique Paraphernalia. By 1970 she was the designer for Alley Cat, a junior sportswear label. (For more see Vogue.com and Anne-Marie Schiro, “Betsey Johnson: Honor for a Life of Celebrating Youth.”)

Models wear Betsey Johnson neon satin dresses in Piper’s Alley, Chicago. Life magazine, November 11, 1966. Photo: Howell Conant. Image: LIFE archive.

Juggling in a Betsey Johnson mini dress in front of Steel Pier’s mystery ride, Atlantic City. Life magazine, May 24, 1968. Photo: Richard Davis. Image: LIFE archive.

In 1971, Johnson won a Coty Award for her work at Alley Cat (see the New York Times notice). The following year, Butterick launched its Betsey Johnson patterns in the Spring 1972 catalogue. The designs were also cross-promoted (along with Cyrus Clark cotton chintz) with a Barbara Bordnick editorial in Seventeen magazine.

Butterick 6530 by Betsey Johnson of Alley Cat, Butterick Home Catalog, Spring 1972. Model: Sunny Redmond.

Butterick 6533 by Betsey Johnson in “The Betsey Girl,” Seventeen, January 1972. Photo: Barbara Bordnick. Image: Gold Country Girls.

Butterick 6530 by Betsey Johnson in Seventeen, January 1972. Photo: Barbara Bordnick. Image: Gold Country Girls.

Butterick 6535 by Betsey Johnson in Seventeen, January 1972. Photo: Barbara Bordnick. Image: Gold Country Girls.

Butterick 6532 by Betsey Johnson in Seventeen, January 1972. Photo: Barbara Bordnick. Image: Gold Country Girls.

The earliest of Johnson’s Butterick Young Designer patterns refer to her as Betsey Johnson of Alley Cat, and most seem to predate the founding of her company in 1978. Here’s Butterick 6979 on the cover of the March 1973 issue of Butterick’s news leaflet:

Butterick 6979 by Betsey Johnson of Alley Cat, Butterick Fashion News, March 1973. Image: eBay.

The young Patti Hansen in Alley Cat:

Patti Hansen in Alley Cat by Betsey Johnson, Glamour, December 1973. Photo: Rico Puhlmann. Image: Getty.

One of the first items I sold on Etsy was this 1975 issue of Butterick Fashion News with a Betsey Johnson cover. (Click to see inside.) The same embroidered pinafore was featured on the home catalogue cover:

The Romantic Pinafore: Butterick 4090 by Betsey Johnson of Alley Cat, Butterick Fashion News, March 1975. Image: PatternVault on Etsy.

Butterick 4090 by Betsey Johnson of Alley Cat, Butterick Home Catalog, Spring 1975. Image: eBay.

The pinafore also appears in this cute advertisement with Butterick 4088:

Butterick Betsey Johnson ad in Seventeen, February 1975. Image: Carmen and Ginger.

This Butterick ad shows three Betsey Johnson designs that came with transfers for DIY embellishment (dress Butterick 4679, knit tops Butterick 4676, and skirt/pants Butterick 4678):

Butterick ad for Betsey Johnson patterns in Seventeen, 1976. Image: Gold County Girls.

The Spring 1976 catalogue used illustrated photographs to present this DIY series, which also included a hat and shoes (1st page, Butterick 4680; 3rd page Butterick 4681, with Joyce Walker on the right):

Butterick 4680 by Betsey Johnson, Butterick Home Catalog, Spring 1976.

Betsey Johnson patterns in the Butterick Home Catalog, Spring 1976.

Another 1976 Butterick ad shows a Betsey Johnson jumper (Butterick 4956) with deep ribbon trim—perfect for a late-summer Cape Cod getaway:

Butterick ad for Betsey Johnson patterns in Seventeen, August 1976. Image: Pinterest.

Happy birthday, Betsey Johnson!

Cotton ad featuring Alley Cat by Betsey Johnson in Seventeen, August 1973. Models: Sunny Redmond, Betsey Johnson. Image: FinnFemme.

With thanks to Heidi at Gold Country Girls.

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 advertisement for McCall’s Printed Patterns.

The model wears McCall’s 3827.

Hervé L. Leroux Resort 2017 photographed by Desiree Mattsson. Model: Alexandrina Turcan. Image: Desiree Mattsson.

Farewell to the great Hervé Léger. I wrote a brief tribute to the late designer for FASHION magazine.

To learn more about Léger’s work for Guy Laroche under the name Hervé L. Leroux, and the commercial patterns from his tenure, see my series.

Paco Peralta sketch for Vogue 1567 ©McCall’s/Paco Peralta.

Paco Peralta has seen some major milestones lately. Last fall, the Barcelona couturier became Vogue Patterns’ first Spanish designer in half a century, and this year his blog, BCN – UNIQUE Designer Patterns, is celebrating a decade online. (Like Toronto’s YYZ, BCN is both the airport code for Barcelona and shorthand for the city itself.)

The licensing deal brings a new audience to Peralta’s precision-cut designs. Peralta himself was already a pillar of the online sewing community, both for his fine sewing tutorials and as a purveyor of couture patterns, all hand-traced in his studio not far from Gaudí’s Sagrada Família basilica.

Born in Huesca, Aragon, Peralta studied at Barcelona’s Institut Català de la Moda before apprenticing in some of the city’s couture ateliers, who kept alive the traditions of Balenciaga and Rodríguez. He became interested in commercial patterns in the 1980s, when a friend gave him a copy of Vestidal; his first pattern purchase was a Vogue Individualist design by Issey Miyake.

Vogue 1476 by Issey Miyake (1984) Model: Ariane Koizumi. Image: Etsy.

Peralta may also be the world’s foremost collector of Yves Saint Laurent patterns, and his blog doubles as a window into this private archive. As regular readers of this blog will recognize, any high fashion sewing history owes much to his work.

Couture designs from Yves Saint Laurent’s Mondrian and Libération collections. Images: Etsy / Paco Peralta.

Vogue Patterns introduced Peralta with two designs in last year’s holiday issue. (Click to enlarge.)

Introducing Paco Peralta, Vogue Patterns, December/January 2016-17. Photo (L): Eric Hason. Image: Issuu.

You can skip the buttonholes with this short-sleeved jacket: it has a midriff inset instead. For the original ensemble, Peralta used a double-sided Italian wool twill-crepe for the jacket, wool-cashmere for the trousers, and for the shirt, a sturdy Egyptian cotton.

Vogue 1526 by Paco Peralta (2016) Photos: Eric Hason. Image: PatternVault shop.

Paco Peralta sketch for Vogue 1526 ©McCall’s/Paco Peralta.

Peralta also used Italian satin-backed wool twill-crepe for his wrap skirt and coat-length jacket. The latter sports a tuxedo-style shawl collar, while the pussy-bow blouse, made in silk crepe de Chine, has French cuffs:

Vogue 1527 by Paco Peralta (2016) Photos: Eric Hason. Image: PatternVault shop.

Paco Peralta sketch for Vogue 1527 ©McCall’s/Paco Peralta.

This tunic and pants ensemble was the summer bestseller. The long version is a heavy linen, while the short, gaucho version is a lightweight silk/rayon. Both have silk organza insets.

Vogue 1550 by Paco Peralta (2017) Photos: Tim Geaney.

Paco Peralta sketch for Vogue 1550 ©McCall’s/Paco Peralta.

For the holiday season, mix and match with party separates: a dolman-sleeved top and winter-weight handkerchief skirt, shown in cotton knit and silk-viscose duchesse satin.

Vogue 1567 by Paco Peralta (2017) Photo: Tim Geaney.

Image: McCall’s.

Coming soon: even more Paco Peralta designs exclusive to Vogue Patterns.

With thanks to my friend, Paco Peralta.

Image: Tany’s Couture et Tricot.

At the V&A in the Alyx pleat dress. Photo: Britt Lloyd. Model: Jazzelle Zanaughtti. Image: SHOWstudio.

The new Design Download from SHOWstudio is an Alyx shirtdress. Alyx was founded in 2015 by Matthew M. Williams, a well-connected American designer now based in Ferrara, Italy. (For more, see Emilia Petrarca, “Kanye West and LVMH-Approved: Meet Designer Matthew Williams” and Matthew Schneier, “Matthew Williams, Renaissance Man.”)

For the Alyx Fall 2017 collection, Williams was inspired by Berlin fetish clubs. The pleat dress was shown in two versions—black leopard print:

Model: Siouxsie Leenaars. Image: vogue.com.

And silver lamé:

Model: Siouxsie Leenaars. Image: vogue.com.

For more views see the Alyx retail site (silver | black).

Watch a video of Williams discussing a piece from the Alyx Spring ’18 menswear collection:

This year’s competition prize is an Alyx catalogue shot by Nick Knight. (Season unspecified.)

Alyx Natural Order catalogue (Fall 2016) photographed by Nick Knight. Image: SHOWstudio.

As before, the pattern download comes in a choice of A4 or A1 sheets, each with a test line to check the scale.

Image: SHOWstudio.

Download the dress pattern (22 pieces)

Size: M

Notes: The original was silk. Skirt has bagged lining. Calls for fusible interfacing for the collar, cuffs, etc.

Notions: 3 small buttons, 7 smaller buttons + additional for concealed skirt closure; contrasting thread for edge stitching, bar tacks, piping, and belt loops.

Stay tuned for the submissions gallery: the contest closes March 1st, 2018.

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 celebrating their fifth wedding anniversary this March, so it’s a treat to see their work on the cover of Vogue’s Spring lookbook. (Click their portrait for my 2013 Just Married post.)

Badgley Mischka dress V1579 on the cover of the Vogue Patterns Spring 2018 lookbook. Image: Issuu.

The Spring collection also marks the return of Tracy Reese. (The Detroit native was last seen in Vogue Patterns in 2016.) The new Reese design is a dress with contrast yoke and sleeves—great for those matching sheer/opaque print combos:

Vogue 1578 by Tracy Reese (2018) Image: McCall’s.

Sew Today’s latest issue tipped us off to Reese’s comeback:

Tracy Reese dress on the cover of Sew Today, February 2018. Image: sewdirect.

The dark floral was a signature print in her Fall 2016 collection, where it could be seen on dresses, sheer blouses, and a long, cuffed skirt:

Tracy Reese Fall 2016 collection. Image: Vogue.com

Tracy Reese Fall 2016 collection. Image: Vogue.com.

Reese was inspired by Detroit for this collection, and she opened her presentation with a short film starring local model Catherine Nako:

The film stills are by Detroit-based cinematographer Ray Rushing.

Catherine Nako in Tracy Reese Fall 2016. Photo: Ray Rushing. Image: Instagram.

Bonus: I published my Winter/Holiday post before the McCall’s Winter release, which included two Nicole Miller patterns. This asymmetrical top and flared trousers look to be from the Spring 2017 collection:

McCall’s 7692 by Nicole Miller (2017) Image: McCall’s.

Nicole Miller Spring 2017 collection. Image: Vogue UK.

Miller’s Gladiator gown uses contrast binding to punctuate the classic goddess dress. (Still available in white from the designer’s retail site.)

McCall’s 7685 by Nicole Miller (2017) Image: McCall’s.

The original was silk chiffon.

Nicole Miller’s Gladiator gown. Image: Rent the Runway.

See you in the arena!