Daniel Riser
A-List Customer
- Messages
- 349
- Location
- 51st State
DanielJones and I had a conversation developing in the "show us your suits" thread that was tempting the ever so popular and unforgivable sin: G-O-I-N-G--O-F-F--T-O-P-I-C
So I decided to answer Dan's question (where can I find modern materials with 30's patterns?) in an appropriate thread.
Dan,
I own a couple period patterns. My favorite, a 1927 butterick, features a long pointed collar (almost approaching on a 1970's flair) with french cuffs and closed body (the shirt only buttons half-way)
Lauren made me a shirt from this pattern that was so beautiful it forced me to begin a collection of different fabrics for future "vintage" shirts and you'll never guess where my favorites have come from...
WAL-MART
That's right ole' Sam Walton may not know the difference between partical board and fine oak but he sure has some cool patterns floating around the bargain racks. Folks that buy fabric from Wal Mart generally aren't interested in french cuffs*, what little shirt weights are available usually end up on the top of the $1 per yard bin and that is where your pearl will be found.
The last one I picked up was a light blue with thin burgundy pinstripe. It is an exact match for a shirt I have seen in a 1932 catalogue.
I found, in a bargain bin at yardage town, a fantastic evenly spaced burgundy and tan stripe, very bold but very thirties!
I have a few original thirties shirts with patterns that are dizzier than "free love era" furniture.
I even have a shirt that's medium green base with dark green, orange, yellow, red, amber and black stripes! So ask Root, Deckard and Marc to send you pics of actual shirts from catalogues, find the patterns that are asthetically pleasing to you and make sure to judge a pattern with an entire shirt in mind.
And last but not least...
Check those bargain bins, for some reason a lot of terrific patterns (with usually just enough yardage to make a shirt) end up there.
*The author recognizes that this is not politically correct :beer:
So I decided to answer Dan's question (where can I find modern materials with 30's patterns?) in an appropriate thread.
Dan,
I own a couple period patterns. My favorite, a 1927 butterick, features a long pointed collar (almost approaching on a 1970's flair) with french cuffs and closed body (the shirt only buttons half-way)
Lauren made me a shirt from this pattern that was so beautiful it forced me to begin a collection of different fabrics for future "vintage" shirts and you'll never guess where my favorites have come from...
WAL-MART
That's right ole' Sam Walton may not know the difference between partical board and fine oak but he sure has some cool patterns floating around the bargain racks. Folks that buy fabric from Wal Mart generally aren't interested in french cuffs*, what little shirt weights are available usually end up on the top of the $1 per yard bin and that is where your pearl will be found.
The last one I picked up was a light blue with thin burgundy pinstripe. It is an exact match for a shirt I have seen in a 1932 catalogue.
I found, in a bargain bin at yardage town, a fantastic evenly spaced burgundy and tan stripe, very bold but very thirties!
I have a few original thirties shirts with patterns that are dizzier than "free love era" furniture.
I even have a shirt that's medium green base with dark green, orange, yellow, red, amber and black stripes! So ask Root, Deckard and Marc to send you pics of actual shirts from catalogues, find the patterns that are asthetically pleasing to you and make sure to judge a pattern with an entire shirt in mind.
And last but not least...
Check those bargain bins, for some reason a lot of terrific patterns (with usually just enough yardage to make a shirt) end up there.
*The author recognizes that this is not politically correct :beer: