Vintage Clothing Pattern

A Guide To Vintage Clothing Pattern Terminology

If you are considering sewing with vintage patterns, then you will definitely want to learn the terminology. Vintage patterns come with vintage terminology, not all of which may be familiar. Here are a few of the terms you might encounter when working with vintage patterns.

1. Continuous Lap: A strip of fabric cut on the straight grain and used to face edges of an opening or slit in a garment.

2. Jabot: A ruffle or cravat-like accent attached to the front of a dress or blouse.

3. Lapped Seam: A seam in which one seam allowance edge is lapped over the seam allowance of its joining piece and stitched.

4. Pin tuck: Very small tucks stitched just a pin's width from the fold to slightly shape a garment piece. In the late 1920's, a series of pin tucks were often applied across the natural waistline of a frock for shaping and detail.

5. Plaits: An array of narrow (known today as "knife") pleats often applied at the hem of a dress, the ends of sleeves, or around the neck opening.

6. Shirring: Three or more rows of gathers made by small running stitches in parallel lines. The rows are spaced as desired.

7. Slide Fastener: The original term for zippers.

8. True Bias: Fabric that is cut at a precise 45-degree angle to the fabric grain line.

9. Toile: The French term for fabric pattern. Originally pertained to the muslin test garment. Today, with the help of the internet and the popularity of all things vintage, it's easier than ever to acquire vintage patterns.

Sewing with the real-deal pattern in its original form is a great experience and a fun way to re-create those wonderful designs from the past. I hope the above glossary of terms will help you easily navigate the world of vintage clothing patterns, and make your sewing experience fun..

Below are some recommended books about vintage clothing patterns.

Women's Vintage Dress Sewing Patterns  >> See product details

1940s Vintage Pants, Overalls and Blouses  >>  See product details

Making Vintage 1920s Clothes  >> See product details

Vintage Blouse Online Stores Recommendation

Vintage Blouses Shopping Tips

So, you're interested in buying vintage blouses. But where do you start? One big impediment to the modern vintage shopper is an inability to find a reliable and quality purveyor of vintage clothing. It is difficult to find something that you want when you really have no idea where to look. But in actuality, there are many reliable places to find vintage blouses. 

This guide will explain how to accurately seek out and identify quality vintage blouses. When you are looking for vintage blouses, it's important to scrutinize the quality of the item. Keep your eyes peeled for snags in fabric and other intrinsic manufacturing errors. Also look out for stains and tears, which may often be located in the lining of clothing. 

Damaged clothing is much cheaper, but the obvious downside is that it is damaged, and not as attractive to the wearer. Sellers will almost always mark down clothing that is damaged unless it is a famous designer piece. Consider the age of your vintage clothing and weigh that against how you wear it. Old clothing is frequently fragile, and you don't want something you have paid dearly for to fall apart.

However, most clothing being sold is of good quality and sturdy build. In fact, much vintage blouses was made with more skill and care than contemporary clothing. Local flea markets and swap meets are convenient repeat-sellers of vintage clothing. Sometimes colleges or other organizations host fundraising flea markets for their students. This is a great opportunity for you as a buyer. 

Individual sellers will come together at these types of events and display their inventory. At these events, keep your eyes peeled for familiar names - things with labels like "Dior," "Pucci." and "Schiaparelli" will fetch hefty prices on resale. Designer names in general will sell for high prices, especially vintage items. 

Vintage shirts are also easy to find, attractive, and cheap. Many sellers own their own vintage stores. Look around your neighborhood for hidden independent vintage stores. Specialty stores may be a bit pricier but generally have consistency in the quality and quantity of their items.

The online market is a painless and easy way to find and purchase vintage blouses. Most real-life vintage stores have online counterparts, where you can purchase something that you saw in the store. The internet auction site, Amazon, has a vastly diverse selection of things. Vintage blouses, hats, gloves, shawls, dresses, skirts, purses, and even opera glasses are available, in addition to a host of other items.  With these tips, you'll be sure to find yourself the nice vintage blouses you were looking for.

Below are some examples of vintage blouses from online vintage blouses store.

Ruffled V Neck Chiffon Vintage Style Blouse

Women's Ruffled V Neck Chiffon Office Vintage Blouse Tops  >> See product details

See also >> Where to buy Vintage Blouses

Vintage Blouse Shop

How to make your vintage chic

• To make the right kind of fashion statement, limit your vintage blouses to one per outfit. Use your vintage blouses to add flair to more contemporary clothing staples like a pair of black pants, a simple top, or a flattering dress.
• Use your jeans. A flat front, lower rise, boot-cut jean goes with everything, including any of your fabulous vintage finds.
• Avoid overdoing it with accessories. Keep it simple and let your vintage blouses be the focus of your outfit.

Locating those great vintage blouses that are going to blend beautifully into your current wardrobe, takes a lot of time and patience. You may have to visit several stores before you find that perfect piece. Keep your eyes open for some key items.

Vintage Blouse Online Shop

Vintage Blouses Shopping tips:

1. Look for quality

Make sure you examine the garment before you buy; most stores have a very strict no return policy, so if you buy a damaged item, you're stuck with it. Look for broken seams and stains; if you find any, the garment is not worth it. Small problems like missing buttons and broken zippers can be repaired, so don't discount a great find over small details.

2. Shop around

Vintage blouse stores replenish their inventory pretty regularly, so visit them often to check out their new stock. Try to be friendly with the staff. They may be willing to contact you when they get a bunch of new arrivals.

 

See also >> Where to buy Vintage Blouses Online

Unique Vintage Style Blouses For Women

Vintage styling is mainly clothing between 1920's and 1990's period. Though you may not find your size and fit in real vintage style clothing, you may find your choice of colors and fit in retro-vintage, which is imitation of those designs which were in vogue years ago.

So, if you are sick of rummaging through that stacked up clothes stores, why not design your look for the next week-end party with styling clothes? For that dream dress of yours, try out some vintage styling. It's sure to make you look original and imaginative and of course, stylishly elegant too.  

Many celebrities are sporting vintage clothes in Page 3 events, thus acknowledging the freshness of that era! Many of the fabric of that bygone era are not found in today's world. The detailed work on them like lace, embroidery, crochet, needle work, etc. are not found today. 

Mostly, vintage style clothing is customized clothes and the fabrics are of the highest quality. The detailing done on them have no match, whatsoever! Quality combined with desirability is worth owning in clothing. Certain style and design value make it worthy. If you see vintage clothing back in market is because of this quality.

Most of the vintage style clothing is handpicked from stockiest and makers or designers. Sometimes even the labels will be intact, so that you can have unused first hand vintage item in your hands. The 1960's minis are making a comeback among the youth today. Tank tops, platform shoes, bell bottom, etc. are all doing the rounds of fashion circuits. The disco style of 70's is well seen in the hairstyles as well as clothing.

Below are some modern vintage style blouses that I like.

WW2 Retro Vintage Style Blouse  >> See product details 

Elegant Ruffle Trim Long Sleeve Vintage Style Blouse  >> See product details

Vintage Collared Button Down Shirt Long Sleeve Lace Stretch Blouse >> See product details

Investing in these clothing will never be a waste. It means you are trying to preserve a piece of history as well as helping in preserving our depleting environment. That is recycling. By buying vintage style blouse you are trying to recycle the old clothes. That means you are cutting down on waste.

See also >> Where to buy Vintage Blouses

Vintage Short Sleeve Blouses

Whether it is the summer or not, your wardrobe cannot be without an array of different vintage short sleeve blouses. There are so many different fashion tops within the women's fashion industry today that sometimes it is nice to simply throw on a comfortable and soft vintage short sleeve blouse and enjoy the day in pure comfort. 

Below are some of my favorite short sleeve vintage blouses, you can choose the one that best suits your personal taste.

Women's Short Sleeve Tie Neck Chiffon Vintage Blouse >> See product details

Women's Vintage Short Sleeve Chiffon Blouse  >> See product details

 Cute Contrast Collar Short Sleeve Casual Blouse  >> See product details

Women’s Sexy Cutout Tops 1950s Vintage Style  >> See product details

One great thing about vintage short sleeve blouses is its availability, you really don`t have to suffer getting some because allot of cloth shops have it in stock. It comes in array in design and kinds, and no matter your preference you will get what can do a good style for you. Making vintage fashion work for you is all about finding the look that best suits you and your lifestyle.

See also >> Where to buy Vintage Blouses

1940s Vintage Blouses

1940 Blouses, image source: vintagebobbin.blogspot.com

For women, fashions in the 1940's were a time of practical comfort and simple elegance. War rationing limited fabric choices and designs but even after the war the styles didn't change much. Here is a quick overview of common fashion designs in the 1940's. 1940's women wore either dresses, two piece suits, skirts and blouses or occasionally pants. 

The dress was shaped like an hour glass. The shoulders were wide and padded, narrowed down the bodice to a tight waist and then flared out moderately to an A-line skirt ending at the low knee. This was the shape of the decade. Designs were simple and uncluttered with fancy trims or decorations. Colors were earthy in the early 40's and bright and pattered in the late 40's.

You can find this 1940's vintage blouse image source: buffalogalvintage.com

 

Two Piece suits were very popular in the 1940's. The skirt was A -line with minimal pleating and centered around the high waist (above the bellybutton.) The Suit jacket was shaped like a dress, with two or three big buttons down the front, square shoulders, and fitted at the waist. The bolero jacket was another jacket variation worn over a blouse. 

Blouses had padded shoulders, puffy loose sleeves, and they tapered at the wrist for long sleeves and ended just above the elbow for shorter sleeves. They could be plain light colors or fun striped patterns. Many women knit their own blouses and sweaters. With clothing being plain the accessories were big, colorful, bold and vibrant with patterns and textures. 

"Costume Jewelry" was all the rage with women along with fun plastic clutch purses. Hats were either small and decorated or large and simple, many with veils that hung over the face and underneath the chin. Shoes were plain, "chunky", pumps, wedges or oxfords. Even sandals took on a similar heavy look. This is 1940's fashion in a nut shell. 

See also >> Where to buy Vintage Blouses

Vintage Blouses Tops

Vintage fashion is back and how. This is an age where we see the return of the retro fashion era. Gone are the days of modern clothes and accessories because according to the fashion gurus, the buzz is that Vintage is the "in" thing in the fashion circuit. With the "old is new" setting in people are busy giving their wardrobes a retro make-over.

As vintage clothing styles including vintage blouses began to expand in the 1970's, people all over the world started to embrace and search for vintage clothing items from the past to mix into their eclectic wardrobes. The definition of vintage today varies around the world, and often includes the word "old" or is described as something from a specific time era.

Here are some of my favorite vintage blouses tops;

Women's Cute Collar Short Sleeve Casual Blouse Tops >> See product details

 Elegant Cap Sleeve Keyhole Lace Blouses Tops  >> See product details

Ruffle V Neck Half Bell Sleeve Vintage Blouses Casual Top  >> See product details

Women's Tie Ruffle Neck Vintage Blouse Top  >> See product details

Green Puff Sleeve Casual Solid Top Pullover Keyhole Back Blouse  >> See product details

Each of us can create a vintage blouse fashion trend of our own, all we have to do is to figure out what are the best fashion accessories that look good on us. Being our own personal stylist is not a hard thing to do, all we have to make sure off is that we are looking in the right places for the right clothes.

See also >> Where to buy Vintage Blouses Tops