Roaring Twenties

Did you know that after I graduated from design school, I turned my back on all things sewing and design related? It's true. I had spent my entire college career slaving away over garments until the wee hours of the morning. Each garment would start with a series of sketches and inspiration boards, and from there we would flat pattern or drape the garment, create a pattern, fit it in muslin, and finally sew it in the fashion fabric. It was an enlightening process, but, oh, what labor of love (with the emphasis on labor)!

I moved to New York City seven months after I graduated college, and while I took a job in fashion, it had little to do with fashion design. Instead, I decided to play the part of muse, pursuing modeling rather than designing.

Well, seven years after putting down that needle (with a few exceptions here and there), my passion for sewing seems to have returned with a vengeance. These days it seems that all I think about are patterns. I am not drafting my own so much (I don't have a personalized fitting shell, nor a dress form in my proportions), but am working with store bought patterns.

A screen capture from Thoroughly Modern Millie (1967)

I have bought a few modern patterns, but mostly my interest runs to patterns from earlier eras, namely the twenties to the fifties. I have spoken of my love of the styles of the 1920s before, but not unlike the protagonist of Thoroughly Modern Millie, my shape just doesn't accomodate the silhouette of the twenties. Nevertheless, I was practically salivating over this pattern book from spring 1923 that is on Ebay right now. The going price is still quite low, but I'm sure it's going to shoot up, and alas, I have no room in my budget these days for such items. Below are the seller's images from the book. They're lovely!

If you happen to be the lucky winner of this magnificent book, won't you please share the images with us?


XOXO,

Lulu

A well dressed woman, even though her purse is painfully empty, can conquer the world.
~Louise Brooks

As always, you can click on any of the pictures above for a larger view.

I thought I would keep in the vein of things and do a post on one of my favorite 1920s leading ladies.

Who: Mary Louise Brooks, more commonly known by her stage name, Louise Brooks
Date of Birth: November 14, 1906

She was a dancer, model, and silent screen actress, known for her bobbed haircut. She starred in 17 silent films and is known for her work in Pandora's Box, Diary of a Lost Girl, and Prix de Beaute (Miss Europe).

She was the quintessential flapper-- epitomizing the brash behavior of women in the 1920s who bobbed their hair, smoked, drank, and treated sex casually.

Louise is absolutely exquisite-- you should definitely check out some of her films if you get a chance. She's one of my favorite actresses. She also has my dream haircut that I would totally get if 1. I was allowed to cut my hair (because I model, I'm not allowed to make drastic changes to my personal appearance without permission from my agency), and 2. I had Ms. Brooks' string bean body. I'm skinny, but I'm curvy-- I just don't think that haircut would suit me as well.