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John Galliano Patterns: Roundup
The closing look from John Galliano’s Maison Martin Margiela Spring 2015 couture collection. Image via style.com. Today John Galliano presented his first collection as creative director at Maison...
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Schuss! Vintage Skiwear Patterns
Vogue Paris, December 1951-January 1952. Image via Etsy. Winter carnival festivities are underway at Winterlude and the Carnaval de Québec. Here’s a look at vintage skiwear patterns—perfect for hitting...
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Free Designer Pattern: Gareth Pugh Balloon
Photo: Nick Knight, 2006. Image via SHOWstudio. This month Gareth Pugh celebrates the 10-year anniversary of his label. SHOWstudio is marking the anniversary—and Pugh’s return to London Fashion...
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Rock the Caftan
“Arab déshabillé from Grès.” Vogue, September 1963. Photo: Irving Penn. Caftans, long, loose-fitting tunics with origins in ancient Persia, have been gaining momentum as an alternative to more...
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Patterns in Vogue: Marisa Berenson by Guy Bourdin
Detail, Vogue, August 15, 1966. Photo: Guy Bourdin. If you’re in London, you still have a week to see Guy Bourdin: Image Maker at Somerset House before it closes next Sunday. Bourdin shot only one...
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Lanvin at 125: Marie-Blanche de Polignac
Vogue 1120 by Lanvin, Vogue, October 1950. Photo: Richard Rutledge. This week, the second post in my series on Lanvin sewing patterns. (See my post on Jeanne Lanvin’s interwar patterns here.) Born...
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Alexander McQueen Roundup
Vogue, October 1997. Photo: Sean Ellis. Stylist: Isabella Blow. The London incarnation of Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty has just opened at the Victoria and Albert Museum. (See British Vogue on the...
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Mr. John Millinery Patterns
China blue velvet beret designed by Mr. John of New York; interpreted by R.M. Hats for Marshall and Snelgrove. British Vogue, April 1951. Photo: Edwin Blumenfeld. Image via Vogue UK. Born in Munich,...
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Yves Saint Laurent + Halston: Fashioning the 70s
The Museum at FIT’s exhibit, Yves Saint Laurent + Halston: Fashioning the 70s, closes this Saturday. (See Bridget Foley, “That Real Seventies Show.”) If you can’t make it to New York to see it, a...
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Go Ask Alice (Patterns)
Natalia Vodianova as Alice in Vogue, December 2003. Photo: Annie Leibovitz. Fashion editor: Grace Coddington. Image via HBO. This year marks the 150th anniversary of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland....
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Alexander McQueen Fabric, Part 1: Prints
Sketch by Alexander McQueen, Central Saint Martins MA graduate portfolio, Jack the Ripper Stalks his Victims, Fall/Winter 1992. Pencil on distressed paper with fabric swatches. Image via Alexander...
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Alexander McQueen Fabric, Part 2: Tartan
Dresses in the McQueen tartan from Alexander McQueen’s Fall/Winter 2006-7 collection (Widows of Culloden). Image via the Metropolitan Museum of Art (via Everything Just So). If Alexander McQueen’s...
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Mad Men Era Roundup
Peggy Olson (Elisabeth Moss) in “Lost Horizon” (Man Men, Season 7). Image via GQ. Did you watch the Mad Men finale Sunday night? If you aren’t ready to say goodbye, a New York exhibition, Matthew...
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Fourth Anniversary Sale!
Image via PatternVault on Etsy. To celebrate the four-year anniversary of my Etsy shop, I’m having a week-long sale: 25% off everything in the store—including new items like vintage YSL patterns and...
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The Smartest Move You Can Make
Now that wedding season is upon us, I wanted to share this bridal-themed ad for Vogue Patterns from spring, 1957. The pattern is a Vogue Special Design, Vogue S-4765 (click to enlarge): The smartest...
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Yves Saint Laurent 1971: la collection du scandale
Yves Saint Laurent 1971: la collection du scandale. Model: Willy Van Rooy. Photo: Hans Feurer. Yves Saint Laurent’s Spring 1971 haute couture collection, Libération, is currently the focus of a major...
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Patricia Underwood: Vogue Patterns
Reese Witherspoon wears a hat by Patricia Underwood, W magazine, February 2015. Photo: Tim Walker. Image via the Fashion Spot. In celebration of Royal Ascot, which begins today, this post is devoted to...
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Lida Baday: McCall’s Patterns
Turtleneck by Lida Baday, Fashion, August/September 1996. Model: Kim Renneberg. Photo: George Whiteside. Image via Fashion magazine. In celebration of Canada Day, this post is devoted to Canadian...
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A History of the Paper Pattern Industry
Joy Spanabel Emery, A History of the Paper Pattern Industry: The Home Dressmaking Fashion Revolution. Image via Bloomsbury. The new book by the curator of the Commercial Pattern Archive is the first...
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Fourth Blogiversary + Sale
Image via PatternVault on Etsy. Today marks four years since my first post on this blog. To celebrate my blogiversary I’m having a flash sale in the PatternVault Etsy shop. I’ve been busy restocking...
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