Figure 1.--
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Figure 1.-- |
American mail order catalogs offer a very useful time line on changing fashion trends.
We have some undated material which appears to have been offerd in the 1950s, but we can not date it to any specific decade. One item was a pattern for toddlers
that could be made into a girl's sailor dress or a boys' sailor suit
Sailor suits were out of style for school-age boys by the 1950s, but some younger boys still wore them. We have noted a simplicity pattern for todlers that could be used for both a girl's sailor dress and a boy's sailor suit in different styles.
This Simplicty child's sailor suit pattern was in a size 3. I'm not sure to just what size it was made. It includes pieces for middy, skirt, pants, vestee and tie. The pants pictured on the pattern jacket was for two boys' outfits with long pants. Perhaps Simplicity thought they might sell better. Often the cover illustrations on such patterns would show one with long and the other in short pants. In this case both boys' illustrations are for long pants in a rather formal blue suit and an informal red suit. Presumably the pattern had instructions for making both long and short pants. These garments could make sailor outfits for boys and girls. There are matching girl's skirted outfits. The pattern was complete with instructions and pattern pieces.
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