"Carefree Patterns From McCall's" Catalog - April 1973

I just nabbed a lot of 35 McCall's, Simplicity, Butterick and Vogue mini catalogs / pamphlets on eBay, all from my favorite decade - the 1970s!  I just love these little pieces of vintage sewing ephemera and, since this particular decade seems to be more reviled than revered for its fashion legacy, it appears that I might be able to continue amassing a collection that won't break the bank (I got all 35 for only $5.00!).  

Are there any fellow 1970s fashion enthusiasts out there?  If so, then this is for you!  I've scanned the "Carefree Pattern From McCall's" issue from April 1973 for you to feast your eyes upon!  This seems to be a special cute couples-themed issue and, unlike most of these free mini catalogs, this particular issue contains no text of write ups about the fashions.

Completed Project: 1970s Floral Brushstroke Dress

Here it is: my first completed sewing project of the year! I used Butterick #4393 (a 1970s Jane Tise young designer pattern) to make this dress which has a shaped yokes, a casual, flared silhouette and 3/4 length puffy sleeves.

I was originally going to make the blouse, but I decided to make the dress since my wardrobe is severely lacking in them. For the yokes, collar, front tab and cuffs, I used grey cotton shirting from Jo-Ann's. The sleeves and body are made from lovely vintage 1960s floral brushstroke print cotton fabric that I found at a local thrift store for a mere $2.00! I used a fabric-covered button for the front buttoned tab.

Although it has a pretty unstructured fit, this was quite complicated to make, mainly due to the self-lined yokes, puffy sleeves (TONS of gathering), side seam pockets and topstitching. The construction put many of my sewing skills to good use.

Here is a scan of the pattern - it is definitely a keeper!

A Few New 1970s-Inspired Designs!

Finally! Here are a few fun new designs that I finished recently. As most of you know, I have an unabated love for all things 1970s (especially 1970s fashion), so these are both inspired by my favorite decade!

Babydoll dress made from all upcycled and vintage materials. The bodice are sleeves are made from bright pink polyester double knit. I used an upcycled vintage 1970s bias wool plaid skirt for the skirt. The embroidered collar and button are vintage, too! Currently available in my Etsy handmade shop.

Cozy pullover top. The oversized cowl collar, sleeves and waistband are made from vintage poly/cotton stretch knit fabric. The bodice is made from what was once a 1970s button-front shirt. Currently available in my Etsy handmade shop!

xoxoxo

Tavi Gevinson and Childhood Nostalgia

I will admit that I had absolute no idea who Tavi Gevinson was before the most recent New York Fashion Week. I'm sure that most of you know who she is but, for the uninitiated, Tavi is the 14 year old girl behind the fashion blog The Style Rookie. She was a mere 11 years old (!) when she first started posting photos of herself wearing remixed vintage and writing quite eloquently about everything from couture to pop culture. Since then, she has become quite influential in the fashion industry and is a muse for couture labels like Rodarte and Commes des Garcons. At the recent NY Fashion Week, she had a coveted front row seat at many of the most anticipated runway shows, and her presence in the fashion world has been met with mixed feelings from many. I, for one, think she's pretty darn cool and here's a simple visual equation I made that I think sums up her current personal style:

If anything, Tavi and her obsession with fashion makes me kind of nostalgic for the time when I was 12 years old. Back then, the things I liked to do most was read Sassy magazine (a big inspiration for Tavi now), watch Brady Bunch re-runs and read Betty and Veronica double digest comic books. Why, you ask? I didn't realize it then, but it was for the clothing.

I know that the early 1970s wardrobe of the Brady family is universally reviled, but I was absolutely obsessed with it. The Betty and Veronica double digest comics I used to read in the 1990s were actually just compilations of Archie comics from the 1960s and 1970s and, well, Betty and Veronica have always "worn" the most fashionable clothing. I remember spending hours in my bedroom drawing pictures of women wearing 1960s and 1970s style clothing, much of it copied directly from what Betty and Veronica were wearing. How I wish I had kept those drawings! There must have been hundreds of them. And why my interest in fashion and sewing lay dormant until I reached my early twenties....I guess I'll never know!

And back to Tavi....if this video of her dancing to Abba's song "S.O.S." doesn't make you nostalgic for when you were 12 years old, then nothing will!

xoxo

Fashion Icon: Diane Keaton as Annie Hall

This was inspired by a post on 70s New York Fall Style from the cool fashion blog Stars We Are.

I love 1970s fashion, especially the layered, sophisticated and liberated American style of 1970s New York. If I could swipe the wardrobe of any movie character of any era, it would be the wardrobe worn by Diane Keaton in Annie Hall which embodies this 1970s New York style.

Technically, the title of this post really should just be "Fashion Icon: Diane Keaton" because the outfits she wore in Annie Hall were all inspired by her own distinctive style. Here's a collage that I made from various photos of Diane Keaton and scenes from Annie Hall which, if you haven't already, you should find and watch immediately (click to see the full-size collage):

Here are tons of fun vintage items that I've found on Etsy that embody Diane Keaton's signature Annie Hall look:

1970s Calvin Klein wardrobe pattern

Another 1970s Annie Hall style wardrobe pattern

Late 1970s dress pattern

1970s plaid wool jumper dress, which Annie Hall would have worn with a turtleneck sweater

1970s wool tweed blazer

1970s caramel-colored corduroy blazer

1970s striped turtleneck sweater

1970s stacked heel loafers

Vintage black vest / waistcoat

Vintage 1970s lace-up leather Oxfords

Set of vintage Ralph Lauren silk neckties

Avant Garde upcycled ascot necktie

Vintage Pendleton wood fedora

1970s oversized plastic sunglasses

Love...1970s Style

Yikes! I really fell out of the habit of blogging during these past two weeks...too many things to do and way too little time, as usual. Sadly, I'm going to have to withdraw from Self-Stitched September (insert frowning emoticon here). I signed up with the best of intentions, but life with an 11 month old baby-soon-to-be-walking-toddler makes sewing and taking photos very unpredictable. There's always next year, I suppose....

Now for the new post!

I have a small collection of 1960s and 1970s "mini magazines" that were published by Simplicity, Butterick and McCall's and given away at fabric/sewing shops as a really cool marketing tool. This is one of my favorites from McCall's; there's no copyright date, but it's definitely from the early 1970s! I like the theme of this one, which seems to be "Love 1970s Style" with the oh-so-happy couples modeling butterfly collars and wide-leg pants with the usual pattern company styling and sincere enthusiasm that I find so endearing. Be sure to click on the images to see them full-size!

And since the theme of this post is "love 1970s style" I wanted to post this gem, which I found in a Redbook magazine circa 1975 which tries to sort out the complicated cross-relationships between a handful of celebrities:

And here's a collage that I made of my favorite 1970s couples (click to enlarge):

(First row from left to right): Ali Macgraw & Steve McQueen, Todd Rundgren & Bebe Buell, Sid Vicious & Nancy Spungen, Diane Keaton and Woody Allen.

(Second row): James Taylor & Carly Simon, Serge Gainsbourg and Jane Birkin, Vivienne Westwood & Malcolm McLaren, David Bowie & Angela Bowie.

(Third row): Angela Houston and Jack Nicholson, John Cazale & Meryl Streep, Maureen McCormick & Barry Williamson, Julie Christie & Warren Beatty.

Lastly, here's a new (vintage) pattern that I added to my collection last week! I've been looking for this particular pattern for a really long time and had to break my "no pattern buying" rule to get it. The 1970s John Kloss Butterick patterns are sexy, simple and amazing. Plus this particular dress pattern has only 3 pattern pieces. Yes - only 3 pattern pieces! With my extremely precious and limited sewing time, I should be able to make this within a few hours so it's going to be my next sewing project. Hopefully, the next post will be of me wearing this dress!

Finished Project: 1970s Chambray Dress

Here's the first completed projected from my whittled down sewing pattern collection: a denim chambray dress with contrasting yellow stitching and buttons! The total cost of materials, including the vintage pattern, was around $12.00. The 100% cotton fabric is quite wrinkled in the photos; I've been wearing the dress all day and it's super-comfy!

Now for the truth......I don't know what to think about this dress just yet! It was easy enough to sew (although the front placket and collar band gave me some minor troubles) and it's insanely comfortable to wear, I'm just not sure if I like the "tubular" shape or the side slits or the curved hem. I don't think the tubular shape is particularly flattering for someone like me who has a curvier figure. A belt will probably solve the fit issues, though. Oh! And here's my next project:

I'll be making view A (without the bow, though) and will use the plaid cotton fabric pictured above; the contrasting yellow fabric will be the collar. Hopefully I'll have it finished by this time next week!