A new look for Simplicity 1866

So there I was one evening, browsing vintage patterns for sale, when I realised that I had seen the same pattern twice.

I came across this one first

Or so I thought.

Simplicity 1866, described as a "two-piece dress" with a princess line top and a flared skirt, was issued in 1946. A year later, Dior's 'Corolle' line, better known as the New Look, revolutionised fashion with its long full shirts and nipped-in waists. Simplicity seems to have realised that 1866 already contained many elements of the New Look, and reissued the pattern with a longer skirt.

New and old - the two versions side by side

Aside from the skirt length, the artwork is so similar that I feel it must have been altered rather than completely redrawn. The only real difference is that the figure on the right has been given heeled sandals rather than flats.

Heeled shoes and slightly shorter legs make the skirt look even longer

The illustrations on the instructions sheet have obviously been redrawn however, and the new version has been marked as "revised".

The revised version has a much more detailed drawing, with shading

Naturally, the actual instructions are unchanged. The only element which has been redone is the cutting layouts.

Original cutting layout at the top, and revised version below

Not much more fabric is needed for the longer length.

Yardage reqirements

I'm sure that most dressmakers would have been perfectly capable of lengthening the skirt pieces themselves, especially as the finished skirt length of the new version varies across sizes but is never more than 2" longer than the original. Nevertheless it was a shrewd move by Simplicity to emphasise the pattern's New Look credentials by revising it.