Doll For Culea Book
The inspiration for this ensemble came from a vintage
McCall's pattern dated January 1940. The pattern stated
"Insist on a McCall pattern, it's the short cut to Paris
style". I really wanted to create something elegant with
beading and this design seemed the perfect canvas. The suit
is a lush brown silk dupioni. It is embellished with size
13 charlotte beads in dark brown, olive green, black and gold.
The shoes and purse are also the same silk with beading. The
black gloves were made from spandex that stretches both ways
with beaded hems. The fur muff and hat were made from the fur
cuff off an old coat (my collecting of old odds and ends paid off!).
Her jewelry is crystal gold lined faceted beads and gold colored
round beads.
I started with the blouse pattern and cut it down and put in darts
in the front and back to create the flared skirt for the suit bodice.
The straight skirt with darts in the front and back had to be drafted by
draping paper towels on the figure and transferring marks where the sewing
lines should be. The suit top and skirt were both made in paper towels as
the first trial and then in muslin before I started working with the silk.
In June 1940 Paris fell to Germany and the German occupation began controlling
haute couture, and the New York designers were not able to travel to Paris for
design inspiration. In 1941 the United States entered World War II and
restrictions were put on materials that could be used for the war effort
and fashion turned to more utilitarian designs and recycling of precious
clothing. It wouldn't be until 1947 that the world could turn back to
fashion for fashion's sake.
