Can a person really be born to do something? Not that it was felt within their very core that this endeavour was such a part of them they just had to do it, but that life, situation and circumstances meant that a person was never really going to do anything else. For example, a person born in the public eye may find, that regardless of personality or preference, they would one day be a celebrity of some sort. What, [...]
History has been defined as the study or record of past events, particularly those in human affairs. What about the history of fashion? We can study where the fashion world has been in the same way, but in order to make sense of it, to understand the journey of fashion, we must recognise that it is human affairs that has directly influenced where fashion has been and where it continues to go. Rather than fashion being the leader of [...]
Sybil Connolly has been rightly credited with putting Irish fashion on the map as her designs travelled the globe and made waves in the fashion world. Her most famous creation was The First Love dress. Made from what seemed to be her favourite material to work with, pleated handkerchief linen, it held within its elegant and ethereal length, over five thousand pleats. This piece simply wowed the fashion world and was described by Time magazine as “the dress that [...]
One of the most awarded and recognised fashion designers in the world, Belgian fashion designer Diane Von Furstenberg has influenced, not only fashion, but a long line of women no doubt inspired by her dynamic entrepreneurial image. To this day she still has a huge influence in the world of fashion, being very recently the president of the Council of Fashion Designers of America, Inc (CFDA). This organisation is a charitable council that supports the future fashion designers of [...]
Christian Dior the Fashion Designer seemed to begin his career with a hit. His iconic and well-known ‘new look’ that launched a new fashion era, and contrasted with the constrained style of war time, simultaneously re-established Paris as the leading light of the fashion world. The Dior fashion house is still to this day noted as one of the most successful couturiers to come out of the 20th century fashion world. But this line that fashion director Christian Dior created [...]
When considering the life of any entrepreneur, the more you look into their achievements, the more you come across their life story and personality. And the more you reveal of their personal history, the more their achievements and career choices make sense. What I have read and studied of Schiaparelli’s life and art, has left me with the feeling that this woman was a enigma, a mix of romantic notions and fantasy along with the natural will and determination [...]
When creating a look from the 1950s, it is not just the pattern that you ned to consider, but also the typical printed fabrics that were used at the time. Today we will briefly touch on the fabrics you could use to create authentic 1950s-inspired designs, whilst focussing on the different prints that were popular throughout the era. Such prints included polka dots, plaid, gingham, abstract print, floral print, and Hawaiian print. Polka Dots Polka dots have been considered a staple [...]
During the 1940s, you will find popular prints include many varieties that were also commonly found within other decades of vintage inspired fashion. Here at The Vintage Pattern Shop, we are able to provide you with a wide variety of printed fabrics from the 1940s. Today we’re going to look at five key printed fabric types, including polka dots, plaid, stripes, checks and florals. Polka Dots Polka dots are the go-to print when wanting to create a vintage-inspired outfit, remaining extremely [...]
Throughout recent years, we often see a revival of fashions from decades gone by, and although the 1930s may emerge again within the next few years, it is often a forgotten era. The best way to be able to wear 1930s-style fashion is to sew it yourself. Here at The Vintage Pattern Shop, we can provide the first steps to doing it, by selling patterns and fabrics from the 1930s to get you going. Today we’re going to focus [...]
During the 1950s, it was usual for people in general to knit their clothes by hand. In this era, clothing was made to stand the test of time. Rather than disposing of items with holes, people would knit them back up, or unpick them to knit into something new. If you make the choice to knit your own clothing these days, you see the true worth of the garments you make, helarding against the throwaway fashion culture created by [...]
