While You Wait

I'm still waiting to get one more piece of info before I post about the thing I said yesterday I was going to post about today, so in the meantime, please enjoy this fantastic dress-and-jacket combo, courtesy of Rita at Cemetarian. (Only $12!)

I love this so much I can't look away. It's a fantasy, really: The hats! The white shoes! The shortie gloves! The bracelets! The bouffant hair! The complete absence of pockets! (That's how you know it's a fantasy, although I suppose you could do an inner breast pocket in the jacket ... ) I bet there's a boxy white handbag just out of the frame.

The idea that you could make one jacket and two coordinating dresses is so seductive. You could pack the whole thing (not including the hat) and a bikini in your hatbox, and, carrying that and your train case (which holds your negligee and make-up), get on a flight to who-knows-where for the weekend, escorted by your much-older, captain-of-industry boyfriend, of course. (His wife "doesn't understand him," and thinks he's at a sales meeting.)

Or you could get this pattern, make it up in good men's suiting, and wear it to meetings. (But that's not nearly as funny.) But either way, it's a great pattern, isn't it?

Comments

[Allison]

When I looked at the picture, Erin, I thought that this post, with its title, "While you wait" was going to be about dirigible hostesses handing out complimentary cocktails to everyone in coach class (wait, do dirigibles have graduated seating??) when the airship is delayed before takeoff. It is totally a dirigible stewardess dress. What do they need pockets for anyway? They can probably store stuff in the hat! :-D

[Anonymous]

gotta love the way the lapels and neck band form a double ended arrow...

[Lisa Simeone]

I lived through this era and am still amazed at how this '60s style obliterated the female form. I suppose you could say it hides a multitude of sins, but I never liked the shape (or lack thereof); it was kind of infantilizing. Maybe that was the point . . . ?Anyway, cute color switcheroo possibilities!

[goldilocks]

It would be cute, if-and-only-if, you were about 19 and girlishly slender.In that case, everything looks adorable, though. That is pretty much the only thing I miss about being nineteen. LOL.(the bit about the "wife doesn't understand him" is cringe-inducing and funny!!)

[Cookie]

I've come to like these up-tight 1960's looks more, in theory, but it reality what kills them is so often they're made in some stiff polyester blend, and can stand up by themselves. When they're hand stitched in shantung or linen, it's a different story.Definitely like the coordination of all the paraphernalia. Also the simplified color schemes. For a look that's in reality so elaborate and calculated, it's neat that a lot of the ensembles look quite breezy and unencumbered.

[Marjie]

Chuckled at the weekend with the captain-of-industry boyfriend. Of course, she would have been much more pampered in 1960 than today, wouldn't she?I do like the one jacket, 2 dresses, many outfits idea!

[Anonymous]

Believe it or not, in 1975 I had a dress almost exactly like this! Mine had a larger panel across the top, probably came down about another 3 inches. The panel was white and everything else was navy, and yes it was a polyester blend, but a very thin flexible one. And mine was a uniform, too, though I was not a dirigible hostess. Just a member of a service sorority in college; and we made them ourselves, but without a jacket. It just needs a couple of those long darts in the front to make it a little more shapely, a designer fabric and it would easily suit Diana Rigg for an afternoon tea with James Bond. Wow, it does inspire fantasy!Dawn

[Ivy]

I had this in polyester double knit -- I made it myself when I was 14. It was hot pink and white and I was sure I was the it girl in it.

[Maggie]

Ah, my favorite era and styles! Sure Twiggy, Jean Shrimpton and Jackie Kennedy did it best, but the styles were easy to whip up and their simplicity never drove you nuts like the embelishments we sometimes see today. As to the covering of the female form, don't forget that in most cases the skirt was up to there. I've read thories on this. Some say that the covering up of the female anatomy was all part of the sexual revolution and the leggy stuff a nod to the rebellion of women. Go figure. Although... my complete and absolute idol was of course Mrs. Peel. I even got into the "cat suits"...went on the first date with my husband in one that I made. He claims he knew that night I was meant for him. Anyway Erin, your posts keep me going on a bad day...heck even on a great day they are the first thing I check out.Marguerite (Mrs. Peel, you're needed!)

[Renee]

I thought they looked like stewardesses in training. Its the hat and gloves, I think. Those high neck, no cleavage showing, shapeless dresses came with really high hemlines to match - a counterpoint to the body hiding, dartless sack. I think it coincided with bra burning, the end of girdles and the beginning of lingere` and pretty underwear as part of daily dressing.

[Anonymous]

I had a similar dress that my mom and I made way back then when I was about 15. It was two shades of.....get this....purple. And is was sleeveless! No jacket either but that was likely because our sewing skills didn't extend that far...probably why the dress was sleeveless too. It may be somewhat shapeless but you did have to be slender to pull off the look. Busts and a rounded belly don't really look as great in this style. And yes the hemline was up to there!Don't hemlines rise and fall with the economy? Does that mean they should be rising now or falling? 60's/early 70's non-hippie fashions look so clean and crisp compared to today's patterns, don't you think? take care allTeresahappily clad in jeans in sunny/droughty CA

[cheryl]

When I saw this pattern, it reminded me of some I saw on the racks the last time I was in the fabric store! They may have been ment more for knits now, (and not such a short hemline) but it really proves that everything comes back into style eventually!

[Tommy]

Great pattern ! the patterns from the 60s can still be used in this day and age, infact a blast from the past in fashion always works a treat. If you have the figure to carry this one off ,then why not? As for the hat idea thats great ! (not sure about during the winter season though! )

[Xiao Ge]

Dear Ms. Erin:You should remove "sexy"'s comment. They are not about dresses.

[cathylwood]

This is so stewardess-wear, but I believe my mother had a similar blue and white ensemble she wore to church every spring -- and since she never gets rid of anything, I'll bet I could still find it in a closet somewhere!

[Anonymous]

I second sexy's frustration. The suspense is me.

[Anonymous]

I second sexy's frustration. The suspense is me.

[Anonymous]

I second sexy's frustration. The suspense is me.

[Erin]

Sorry about the Chinese spam, Blogger cleaned up most of it but I'm still running around with a little broom and a dustpan. :-(

[Hana]

I thought of dirigible hostesses immediately, as well! I love it, I guess it's beacause it's blue and white - I have a very soft spot for blue and white (and study Finnish, what a coincidence! - well, actually not) - and this one looks so clean! I'd love to have it. In something else than polyester.It also reminds me of all those 60's films, of which I haven't seen much, being 21 in two days. I mean European films, as I'm from Europe, but I guess there must be some American equivalents as well.

[Penny]

this lovely ensemble and your description Erin of how you could pack everything in a little bag or hat, reminds me of the 1967 Expo Stewardess or Hostess uniform of that time in Montreal, Quebec.. and they had a hat box that matched and close to these colors... If I had to pin a date on this lovely look, would guess it to be 1967 around the Expo time..

[Anonymous]

Unrelated, but have you seen this (http://community.livejournal.com/bygonefashion/201941.html#cutid1) yet? 50s swimsuits with POCKETS. I don't know if they're awesome or bizarre.

[Gidget Bananas]

Way back then designers used to emphasize one erogenous zone at a time, so short short dresses usually covered up everything else. It's a balance that's missing today, that's for sure.The shift was also meant to free a woman from the need for waist-cinchers, long-line bras and girdles that many 50s styles required. And yes, the styles were meant for the young and very slim -- remember Twiggy?I never resembled Twiggy in any way, shape or form, but I wore the dresses. Ah, nostalgia!

[magnolialane]

I bought it! It came today(Speedy Delivery!). Though I do want to make it in linen, I'm thinking silk for my son's wedding in June. I will make it a tad longer, sleeves too. As soon as Christmas is over, I will make up first muslin. Erin, thanks for showing this one!!!!(keyboard seems to keep making exclamation points I noticed!)cindy b

[Anonymous]

My dress like this was made of chocolate colored polyester double knit. Must have been in the late 60's. We called it my "telephone dress" because we had seen it first on the cover of the Indianapolis phone book. Loved it. Looked great, very comfortable. Judy