There is so much information in these magazines, and not just the patterns featured in each issue. I've already written about Vogue's involvement with the start of commercial television in 1955, and returned several times to the topic of patterns for, and the representation of, older women. Things like the amount of advertising in each issue, and the products advertised, also tell us something about the times in which they appeared.
To demonstrate what I'm talking about here are six issues, each roughly a decade apart, and some of the changes that took place.
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| 1949 to 1999 |
I've already written about the Spring 1949 issue, so here is a later issue from the year to start things off.
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| Autumn 1949 |
There were a few more full-colour pages in this than in the Spring issue, but they were given over to advertising. Elsewhere, colour was in the form of line drawings, with just a few colours used. The previous issue (Summer) had announced the launch of Vogue Paris Original patterns, and this issue contained the second batch of designs to be released.
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| Vogue Paris Originals by Lanvin |
As with the spring issue, there were only a few photographs.
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| More colour, and photos |
The 1949 issues show a country still recovering from the effects of the war, but everything had changed a decade later.
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| September 1959 |
There was a far greater use of photography, and full colour was widely used in features.
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| Colour photographs illustrate features on patterns . . . |
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| . . . and on fabrics |
Articles on sewing techniques had appeared.
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| Mrs Scarsdale talks tailoring |
There were far more advertisements, including several for different brands of sewing machine.
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| There is also an advert for Elna on the next page |
One thing which I hope to do as part of this project is chart the demise of the British fabric industry, and the more recent demise of the department store. The list of shops selling Jacqmar fabrics is dizzying.
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| So many retailers, for one fabric brand alone |
Moving on, the model on the front of the Summer 1969 issue is wearing Vogue 7594. Not that you could tell.
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| It's that tiny bit of red |
It's a mystery to me why a dressmaking magazine would use head shots on the cover. The previous two covers actually included the pattern number.
This was the era when the Pattern Book included features shot in exotic locations. In this issue, it was Mexico.
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| Vogue 7601 |
There was also a small feature on makeup.
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| There is nothing natural about that eyeliner |
And line drawings still made an occasional appearance.
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| From "Summer Fashion Portfolio" |
By Spring 1979 not much had changed apart from the name. The cover was still trying to look like a generic women's magazine.
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| Vogue 2050. Not that you'd know |
The location shoot this time was in El Salvador, and Karen Bjornson appeared in a lot of the images.
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| Looking cheery while souvenir shopping |
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| Perhaps she didn't want to go home |
There was also a double page feature on half sizes, and patterns which go up to size 22½. However, the model featured is clearly neither older nor anywhere close to a larger size.
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| Four half size patterns |
For me, the highlight of this issue is the advert for a Sylko shade card. It had samples of each of the threads available, along with the shade number and name.
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| I would love to have one of these! |
By 1989 the cover had gone back to showing at least some clothing.
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| Autumn 1989, showing Vogue Classics 7594 and 7587 |
Articles on sewing techniques still appeared.
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| More tailoring |
Some things had changed, though. Sewing machines, for a start.
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| Very futuristic |
And finally, models of colour were appearing in features.
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| Albeit rarely |
The final issue of Vogue Patterns before the millennium chose to feature Vintage Vogue patterns, and especially those from the 1940s.
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| November/December 1999 |
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| Patterns from (l to r) 1948, 1946 and 1947 |
I didn't know that Vogue had ever reissued men’s patterns. I wonder how popular this one was?
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| Zoot suit and 1946 skirt suit |
Even the techniques article was on vintage sewing.
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| Four pages on vintage sewing techniques |
Not all of the issue was looking backwards, however. In the Spring issue, Vogue had introduced Today's Fit, and this issue included two new patterns.
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| The Today's Fit line is still going now |
Given that Today's Fit is described as a "revolutionary line of patterns based on a new set of measurements that more closely reflect the body proportions of today's women", to me this suggests that the 31 Misses' patterns in the issue didn't much reflect the body proportions of today's women, but never mind.
This page of adverts caught my eye, as being so different from 1959. There are no named fabric brands, and sales appear to be through specialist shops rather than departments in large stores - which very much reflects my changing experience of buying material over the years.
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| I should check how many of these are still trading |
Finally, a real taste of things to come.
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| Order online from our newly created website |
Vogue Patterns magazine eventually became Sew Today (in the UK, at least) when Vogue patterns merged with Butterick and McCall's, and now it is online only. But I think that the magazines will be an interesting way of charting changes in home sewing (albeit for those sewists who could afford Vogue patterns) over half a century or more.
I'm wondering how different the British and American editions were, apart from the ads. Maybe I'll go through my collection to see if I can find the same issues.
ReplyDeleteI've often wondered that, it would be interesting to see what you find. The 1969 issue, which includes "international" in its name, is the only one which has the US price on the cover.
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