#simplicity 9449

[professorpski]

The Skinny and the Wide of the 1950s, Simplicity 9449

Although this pattern from Simplicity is marked 1960s, it has many of the hallmarks of a 1950s pattern. Of course, fashion trends have never fallen exactly into decades anyway. Christian Dior’s New Look came out in 1947, two years after World War II which had required women all over the world to conserve fabric. The New Look’s soft shoulders, trim waist, and long and full skirts became the new fashion for years, but there was also a skinny skirt version which we tend to forget.

By the end of the 1950s, skirt length had crept up from lower calf to a bit below the knee as you see here. A back kick pleat is needed to make it possible to walk since most women’s natural stride is wider than the skirt. That fitted look at bust, waist and hips gave us the mid-50s obsession with the sheath dress. The 1950s sheath for daytime usually had sleeves and far more details than our current sheaths.

This pattern comes in modern sizes and gives you both the full and the skinny look in a dress, a skirt or a jumper. It allows for both a daytime look in a narrow jumper and a evening look in a wide skirted dress. To achieve the enormous width of the pattern illustration, you will need a stiff petticoat underneath or a very stiff fabric.

You can make it in any kind of fabric according to the pattern envelope, from plain cottons for a summer dress, to wool or corduroy for a fall jumper, or velveteen for a dressier look. I could also see it in dressier stiff silks, without the pockets, and with a little jacket to stay warm this winter. So many possibilities in a single pattern.

Find it at your local fabric store, or online here: https://www.simplicity.com/simplicity-storefront-catalog/patterns/brands/simplicity-sewing-pattern-s9449-misses-dress-jumper-and-skirts/

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