Let's Talk About: Target Customersthe Target CustomerOne of the most critical moments in designing fashion is creating a concept that will sell to a specific shopper. This person or group is called the Target Customer. It is for them that designers struggle to find the perfect idea that will make up into the accessory or garmen…
Embroidered Folk Wear TopsFashion trends are inspired by the 1970's this fall. Peasant blouses and folk wear tunics embellished with embroidery are going strong. The fashions shown here are from 1972. These styles offer fun and inspiring ideas that can be applied to today's tops and blouses. Machine and hand embroidery…
Sew your Party Dress: McCall's 6646"The Party Dress Book by Mary Adams" has many inspiring styles of party dresses that are based on a simple princess seamed bodice. It includes creative tips for sewing your own special dress too. McCall's patterns has entered this arena with a dress pattern #6646 that is nearly identical to the …
Fern Violette: California DesignerThis dress was designed by Fern Johnson Violette. She was born in 1920 in Montana, and grew up on a farm. At age 19, she married Ed Violette and had soon had a daughter. In her early 20’s they moved to Southern California to work in the aircraft factories during WWII. After the war, Fern worked…
12 Famous SweatersThis is just a bit of fun. 12 famous sweaters. After you identify them, try to brain storm other well known sweaters that could be added to the list. Charlie Brown comes to mind. Actually, you can get this as a "T" shirt graphic, perfect for a costume nerd or similar personality! You'll find thi…
Back to School Fashions, 1959Gotta love how the 1950's and 60's were so excited about 'back to school' and fall fashions in general. That was always the thickest magazine issue of the year. I guess after a summer of old cotton dresses, new wool Chanel-style suits, crisp paisleys and plaids were a sight for sore eyes. …
Let's Talk About: Pantone Color Report for Spring 2013Now that the Spring 2013 Runway shows are over, Pantone has released to the public the courtesy version of their color prediction for next spring. These colors look alot like a bright rainbow crayon box, with clear versions of the basic colors we are familiar with. It has the primaries: red, blue,…
1960 Dress Style: How to Get That LookAren't these classic dresses from 1960 cute? They are from a Penney's department store advertisement. The dresses are cotton and use a black and white gingham check. What makes each one special are the details: pockets, borders and banding trims. When you plan to sew a dress like this, designing …
NY Public Library: Fashion in the FilesHere is a fashion design from 1939 that includes both front, back and schematic views. You can find more like this in the New York Public Library digital gallery collection. Just enter your search terms. "Costume", "fashion", "sewing" are some good terms to try out. If you use an image, be sure …
1963 Swimsuit Design: Rose Marie Reid advertisementSuper cool 1963 swimsuit design with a flirty Flapper look by California designer Rose Marie Reid, whose fabrics and designs forged new silhouettes in traditional swim wear fashions. Her innovative approach for this blouson swim suit pre-dated the bra-less era by nearly 5 years. Her style parallel…
