New School Vintage: Floral Rizzo Blouse

Hey! See that smug lady pictured above? She's all happy coz she snared this cute little 1950's blouse in a local vintage shop. Hahahahaha! A LIE! I totally just told a lie. I totally actually made this blouse, like, a week ago!

For those who have just joined us, let me quickly explain. I have a long-term goal, which I call 'New School Vintage', to make some garments that could viably pass as genuine vintage pieces. I pick a vintage pattern and some roughly era-accurate fabric (plus vintage trims like lace or buttons if possible) to make the project. However, I don't go down the wholely authetic route with particularly vintage sewing techniques or equipment, for example I use a domestic overlocker to tidy up the raw edges inside and I use fusible interfacing rather than sew-in. This is theatre afterall: a facade of vintage. I still want to create a garment that I'm happy wearing.

Largely because we haven't got round to framing any of our prints, Patty and I decorate our bedroom by hanging up special (usually vintage) garments as wall-art. The image above shows how I was trying to create an orangey-red vintage theme and fool everyone into thinking that blouse was real vintage.

So, to explain this project in detail, I going to try a new format for hopefully easier reading than my usual rambling approach: I'm ripping off the Pattern Review format. Let me know if you like it better.

Pattern Description:

I finally got round to making up the blouse I'd confessed to having cut out months ago in my recent Sewing Pattern Hoard post. I made View B, a sleeveless winged collar blouse with tucks for shaping at the waist. I was drawn to it because I could imagine Rizzo from Grease wearing it, but I also feel it's something Kitty & Daisy might rock too. I'm guessing it's mid-1950's, but I don't have it with me and I can't be arsed to research it.

Pattern Sizing:

This is a 34" bust pattern. I was fully expecting to have to let it out around the waist but actually is was fine PLUS I'm wearing a vest underneath in these images (what? It's still March!).

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it?

I'll let you be the judge of that!

Were the instructions easy to follow?

Well, in the instruction were sparce, in that wonderful way vintage sewing patterns usually are. But yes, it was very easy and quick to put together after I'd faffed around with the pattern and cut it out.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?

Rizzo would wear this. And it rocks hard with my thrifted red cardi (though what doesn't?!).

Fabric Used:

Some amazing vintage printed cotton with an almost Hawaiian floral design that I scored at work. This fabric is actually quite faded in places, so not really appropriate for the range we make at work. I'm actually quite happy the fabric was faded because I think it gives it more of an authentic vintage feel. The orangey-red plastic buttons are also vintage and have lived in my button stash for an age.

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:

Well, I folded 2cms out along the waistline of the bodice to account for my short-waistedness and that worked very well as the tucks now hit my natural waistline as they should. I think I'm going to do this alteration as standard on every pattern I make from now on. I also lowered the armholes because I find vintage patterns can be very restrictive around the armholes and neckholes. I then had to redraft the facings of course. I'm pleased I made that alteration but I think maybe I lowered it a little two much in the end.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?

Yep. I would like to make another in black with the leopard print buttons I bought at Sew Over It in South London.

Conclusion:

I'm a big fan of this blouse. I'm not sure how much wear it'll get due to it's sleeveless nature, but it's actually very comfortable (I think I had a nap in it during the day!) and it seeing it makes me feel very summery. It was also an excellent item to wear to a riotous shop-closing party which was also attended by Rehanon (AKA Miss Demeanour) (pictured with me below) who, incidentally, was wearing her epic Mysterious Cities of Gold top! Oh, and I just remembered: Karen better hand over the good money she said she'd give to see me in a version of the Rizzo blouse! I think this might actually turn a profit!

New School Vintage: 50s Day Dress

Some time back I made a bunch of noise about some idea I had which I introduced under the title of 'New School Vintage'. My intention was to make a series of garments by using vintage patterns and out of vintage fabric from the appropriate era to create items that could pass as vintage pieces, rather than home-made retro interpretation. These would, of course, sit in my wardrobe next to my home-made retro interpretations.


Since vintage fabric in sufficient quantities sadly doesn't grow on trees (can you imagine!), you were never going to see these New School Vintage garments come thick and fast. However, I am delighted to present to you my second creation to which fulfills the criteria. I'm calling it my 50s day dress, even though the pattern (pictured above) is from 1963.

This pattern appealed to me for a number of reasons, the most of which being that I wasn't sure it'd look any good on me. I haven't really worn anything this blousey or voluminous for yonks, and surely there is a reason for that?! I had to find out.


Result?: I do think this dress, with it's puffy bodice and funny tie neck, looks like something my gran would have worn. But isn't that the basic aim of 'New School Vintage'?! The pattern was actually a little big for me as well, but seeing as this was meant to be quite blousey, I didn't think there was much point in grading out one whole inch from the bust measurement. But I really like this dress. This pattern is from slap bang in the middle of my favourite fashion era, but if you asked me to describe to you the style elements of that era that I enjoyed the most, NONE of them would be found in this dress! Yet it's a pleasure to wear. Hmmm... curious.

Well, a reason could be found in the fact that it feels nice on. Oh, and have you seen the fabric? Take a closer look. Cute, eh?! All I know about fabric is through my own observations, so I can't be sure that this really is from the same era as the sewing pattern, but I'm confident. Check out how close the fabric print is to the print of the illustrated dress on the pattern envelope. Plus the fabric was very narrow, another tell that it's probably pretty old. I had just enough to squeeze out this dress (oh, an a couple of extra collar pieces because I didn't pay enough attention). Aside from having an insanely cute print, it's fine and light which feels lovely to wear on a hot day.


The construction was pretty easy, however, I paid a touch more attention to the instructions than I normally would, as there were a couple of elements that were different from previous projects I've tackled. Making a waist stay from grosgrain was something new to me, but turned out to be a piece of pi$$ and something I may incorporate into projects in the future even if the pattern didn't call for it, especially if the fabric was light weight like this. The second new technique was trying a new finishing method for these grown on/kimono sleeves. I've queried other peoples' finishing methods for these before and recently been doing some investigative work inside real vintage dresses, and my jury's still out on my preferred method, so I thought I'd give the method in these instructions a whirl:


The inside looks like this:


The outside looks like this:


This seems like a good, if fiddly, method. I found a vintage dress in Snooper's Paradise the other day which also had this finishing method for the under arms, which made me feel pretty good that I'd used an authentic method (even though era-authentic sewing methods are not necessarily part of my NSV criteria). The third new(ish) construction element was inserting a side zip, which I've only done with a concealed zip when I made my Macaron. To be honest, I botched this zip a bit. It's ok but I was in a rush to finish and kind of thought I might go back and re-do it at some point. Having already worn this dress a couple of times, I am pretty sure that will not happen. I could have done some proper research of different methods of inserting a side zip, and taken my time, but mastering side zips will be something for the future. You may have noticed, I am not a perfectionist!

Before I wrap this up, may I clarify, I am aware my mass-manufactured belt (a birthday gift from a belt manufacturer (yeah, I used to know a belt manufacturer, wierd I agree) FYI) and flip flops are not vintagey in any way! But that's not trick I'm trying to pull off here. I'm trying to look as though I'm rocking a vintage dress in a modern day outfit, not trying to look like I stepped out of the original pattern illustration.

Final nugget: I wore this dress in Bologna, Italy, this weekend. It did not go down well with the locals. I'm actually quite pleased because I saw less than two people the whole weekend rocking any even vaguely vintage look, so my interpretation is that they thought I was wearing my granny's dress!

New School Vintage: Lace Embellished Shift Dress

'Oh, this old dress? I picked it up from a vintage shop the other day'. Sound convincing? Lies, all lies!!!! Let me explain: recently, I've been a bit obsessed with making garments that look like straight-up vintage items. Normally, I tend to aim for adding my own spin on vintage/retro styles, for example by using vintage sewing patterns with new fabric, or applying vintage buttons to a modern pattern, or something along those lines. But for some unknown reason, I've been desiring some items that could be confused for original vintage clothing. Similarly, I've also found myself drawn more than usual to other peoples' creations which also seem to blur the new/vintage line. So, I've decided to work on some projects that I'm naming 'New School Vintage', alongside whatever other things I may decide to make. These will be created from vintage fabric and use vintage patterns, simple as that!

'So, why don't you just go vintage shopping, Zoe?', I hear you ask. Well, #1) where's the challenge in that?, #2) I will have more control over the style of garment I end up with rather than relying solely on chance, #3) I can guarantee a better fit by making my own. I'm very lucky to currently have a job in which I am surrounded by fabric, and if a nice piece of vintage fabric that fits the bill comes by, I can 'buy' it by giving a donation to the charity that I work for. This project would be more difficult if I were relying on charity shops and second-hand shops as vintage fabric sources, and more expensive if I were to look online, so whilst I'm in this fortunate position, I plan to make hay whilst the sun shines!

So, the first garment in my 'New School Vintage' range is this lace embellished navy A-line shift dress. The pattern I used is Simplicity 7511 which is dated 1968. I chose the wider neckline (what's up with those super-choking high necklines?) through choice and the shorter sleeve through necessity as I didn't have enough fabric for longer ones. I traced the whole pattern except for the neck facing pieces and made three changes to the pattern. The first change was to finally heed the lessons from past vintage pattern sewing projects and lower the bust dart points about 4cms. The pattern instructions actually showed me how to do this, basically by keeping the position of the darts at the side seam the same, but lowering the point, folding the dart closed and redrawing the side seam to figure out the new adjusted cutting line. I actually could have lowered the bust darts even more, were women's breasticles really so much higher forty years ago? Remind me to ask my mum.

The second was to make it a little wider from the bust line down to the hem to accommodate my lower lady-curves (I ignored the recommendation that this pattern is for 'young junior/teens'!). The third was the redraft the sleeve to remove most of the excessive ease in the sleevehead. In hindsight, I think I took too much out and should have left a bit more in, but there you go.

The fabric is some horrendous synthetic knit stuff that I imagine is from roughly this era, though being a solid rather than print is trickier to date. It behaves like double knit, and therefore is pretty comfortable to wear, though probably intensely flamable! It is a lovely deep inky navy, which is one of my absolute favourite colours to wear, as my Winter coat project may have hinted at. The lace is also from work, once again, no idea how old it actually it, but I think it is authentic enough.

This whole project took very little time to whip up, even with the application of a very inauthentic for the period device: a domestic overlocker. Makes me realise how my mum used to make herself a new dress every Saturday for a period of time during the mid-sixties. I think she used to use pinking sheers on all her seams, which might actually have been more time consuming than overlocking, now I come to think of it. One sewing habit that I use at work for speed's sake is making closed rather than open seams for all but the centre-back one. I've now started to use this method for my projects at home and I'm pretty convinced it's quicker and makes no different to the quality of the finished garment.

There's something not entirely perfect about the fit of this garment around the upper bodice/shoulder area, possibly linked to me taking out almost all the sleeveheas ease, but it's really not enough of an issue in my opinion to warant further investigation. An A-line shift dress technically isn't the most flattering of garment silhouettes for my curvy shape, but as I've said before, I really think that the majority of most women can rock pretty much any silhouette they fancy with a few adjustments and fitting tweaks, and a whole dollup of pizzazz! For this style, I made sure I kept the final hemline not too short. Also, this pattern has an interesting long curved dart that starts at the top hip area and finishes at the bust (maybes you can see more clearly in the close up of the pattern illustration pictured above) which kind of hints at the waist, unlike many shift dress variants.

This dress has had one outting so far (oh look, it's Matty lurking again! Say hi, ladies, he needs the attention!) and I think it's the perfect garment for the festive season. I've never figured out why, on the lead up to Christmas, clothes shops are absolutely rammed full of overly sparkly, glitzy and dazzling sequinned or bejewelled concoctions. Maybe it's just the lame life I lead, but I only find the need to crank out some party wear once or twice over the festive season. Most of my festive get-togthers seem to be quiet (and not-so-quiet) boozy pub sessions or house parties of which I would be laughed out of if I turned up sparkling all over. But there really is something nice and put-together about wearing a dress, even a relatively casual one like this. Through it on with some thick tights, cardi and flat boots or shoes, and PAM! I'm ready!