I promised more details about Butterick “Forecast” wardrobe patterns. Butterick’s Delineator magazine gave just one page to patterns 8 A through 8 D in October of 1927, and one page to patterns 9 A through 9 D in November. The fact that they cost $1 each — and had very strange pattern numbers — wasn’t mentioned. [But I still need to revisit those volumes….]
Incidentally, there is no consistency about these pattern numbers — the illustration might use a hyphen (9-A), while the text said (9A) and a space might be used in Delineator‘s pattern list (9 A). I wonder what the pattern envelopes said….
Butterick Forecast Wardrobe Patterns, October 1927
Butterick Forecast patterns 8 A through 8 D, Delineator, p. 26, October 1927. “The Smart Woman sees Each Costume as a Part of the Whole Wardrobe.”
Some recommended accessories were illustrated and described along with the patterns.
Butterick pattern 8 A, Delineator, Oct. 1927. Her bag seems to match her scarf.
Butterick pattern 8 B, for a complex but lovely evening dress. Chartreuse Georgette fabric was suggested.
A large bar pin sits below the V neckline.
The purse, shoe, stockings, and optional flowers or necklace were also illustrated.
Two flowers made of organdie could be attached to the shoulder of the evening dress, or a fringe necklace of gold could be worn. 1927.
At first, I thought the necklet was inspired by Egyptian revival lotus buds, but you can see that they are individual long and short beads.
Very sheer stockings for evening wear might still have pattern (called a “clock”) on their sides.
Sheer stockings for evening wear. Delinator, Oct. 1927.
These nearly identical clocked formal stockings appeared in an ad for Kayser Hosiery three years earlier.
Sheer stockings with “clocks” for formal evening or bridal wear. Ad for Kayser Hosiery, Nov. 1924. Stockings were often matched to the color of the dress in the twenties.
Butterick pattern 8 C, October 1927, Delineator.
A bag for daytime use, Oct. 1927 Delineator.
The bag and “slipper” (shown below) could be suede, lizard, or kid. The color of the gloves should match the color of the “guimpe” [a false blouse or dickey] under the dress. Fox fur “scarves” or neckpieces were widely worn, even with very lightweight, summery fabrics. Below, pattern 8 C is shown under the wrap coat, but made in a lighter color.
Butterick coat pattern 8 D from Delineator, Oct. 1927.
Butterick Forecast Wardrobe Patterns, November 1927
Butterick Forecast patterns 9 A through 9 D, page 26, Delineator, November 1927.
Outfits with the blouse trimmed in the skirt fabric appear often in Delineator illustrations from the late twenties. Pattern 9 A strikes me as probably unflattering to any woman, but it does look nice as an Art Deco drawing….
Butterick pattern 9A, from Delineator, p. 26, November 1927.
Dresses with applied trim like this one were often made from two fabrics in the same color but of contrasting textures (e.g., velvet and silk), so the bands on the bodice would be a subtle change of texture rather than of light/dark values as illustrated here. Double-sided silk crepe used with matte and shiny sides out was popular.
These dresses use both the matte and shiny sides of double-sided crepe satin. Butterick 1775, Dec. 1927, and 1705, Oct. 1927. Delineator magazine.
The skirt of 9A is described as “two piece” and “flared front;” during most of the twenties, the back of a skirt or dress was cut straight, with all of the fullness — and walking ease — in the front. See the “front flare” coat below.
Butterick coat pattern 9-B from Delineator, Nov. 1927, p. 26.
Accessories for Nov. 1927. Delineator, p. 26.
The “Oxford” shoe above left was recommended for wear with dress 9A, and the three-toned shoe and envelope purse at right are suggested for dinner dress 9C, below:
Butterick 9C is a sleeveless gown with matching jacket for dinner or bridge. Delineator, Nov. 1927. The wide rhinestone “necklace” and “cuffs” are not jewelry, but part of the dress and jacket. I love the sporty — but rhinestoned — jacket!
“The embroidery in necklace and bracelet outline is new and important.” In the same month, Delineator showed this drawing of a “Necklace Dress” by couturier Jean Patou; the “necklace” was actually trim on the dress:
A “necklace dress” by Jean Patou, illustrated in Delineator, Nov. 1927. The three-strand false “necklace” is trim applied to the dress.
Butterick pattern 9-D from Delineator, Nov. 1927.
Bias panels joined by fagoting were associated with Vionnet. This diagram gives you an idea of how it works:
The panels were connected by horizontal stitches over a space of an eighth to a quarter inch or so, leaving a tiny part of the undergarment visible. It meant the panels could move (slightly) independently. The dress would be worn with the bias in a vertical position. See a later vintage dress with fagoting as trim here.
Vionnet also used pin tucks to create diagonal lines across the front of dresses like this one, dated 1926-27 in the Metropolitan Museum collection. You could use double lines of pin tucks instead of fagoting to recreate Butterick 9-D.
