Vogue Pattern Book – October – November 1935 (part 1)

Vogue Pattern Book - Oct - Nov 1935

One thing I’m going to try and do more of on the blog is to show you some of the original 1920s, 30s and 40s magazines, catalogues and books from my collection. Today, I thought I’d start with a recent purchase, a Vogue Pattern Book from October – November 1935. I’ve decided to do this in two parts so I can keep the images nice and big for you to have a good look at, and have a read of the wonderful text. You can click on each one to view a larger version. I have picked out a number of my favourite patterns, rather than including the whole book, as it’s got nearly 100 pages.

The book itself was used in a store for the sales assistant to show customers the sewing patterns that are going to be released for those months. On some of the photos you can see the hole in the top left corner where it was allowed to hang from a piece of string for easy access. I would love to go back in time and experience going into a haberdashery shop or department for myself and having beautifully coiffured sales assistants attending to my every need.

As you expect, there’s quite a lot of coats featured, due to it being from the Autumn. I couldn’t help but feature most of them, I love 1930s coats! You’ll also note that the colours are extremely autumnal, from greens to browns and from yellows to burgundies. It’s such great inspiration for my sewing later on in the year. The last two pages show a huge collection of swatches to show off the latest fabrics for the season. I really wish these were coloured photos, but nonetheless, they’re an amazing insight into the types of fabrics used at this time. And as you may have guessed, I’m already on the hunt for modern day versions of these!

Anyway, enjoy and look out for part two soon…

Vogue Pattern Book - Oct - Nov 1935

Vogue Pattern Book - Oct - Nov 1935

Vogue Pattern Book - Oct - Nov 1935

Vogue Pattern Book - Oct - Nov 1935

Vogue Pattern Book - Oct - Nov 1935

Vogue Pattern Book - Oct - Nov 1935

Vogue Pattern Book - Oct - Nov 1935

Vogue Pattern Book - Oct - Nov 1935

Vogue Pattern Book - Oct - Nov 1935

Cate

Just a vintage gal suffering from the Golden Age syndrome. A lover of all things old, especially the 1930s, seamstress, crocheter, maker of hats and enjoys rummaging at flea markets.

19 Comments

  1. Thank you for this! I’m really looking forward to seeing more. It is so nice that the linear (schematics?) drawings of the designs are included, as well as the back views so that we can really appreciate the whole garment. Yesterday I found some Haslam designs for patterns from the 1930’s on Pinterest, it included measurements and schematics for drafting the patterns yourself. I think you would enjoy it if you haven’t already seen these. Take care and happy sewing!

    • Yes, I love the way they’ve included the flats (as we use to call them at fashion college), it must’ve been very helpful for ladies choosing their patterns. Oh, my dream is to find an original 1930s Haslam book all intact, it would be sooooo amazing. There’s a UK based seller who has reproduced some small Haslam booklets and has a few 1930s ones, which I must buy at some point. Okay, so they’re not originals, but I bet they’d be amazing to work with. xx

  2. Even though I don’t sew, I’m still irresistibly drawn to vintage pattern books and magazines, and can spend hours looking at all the wonderful fashions. I picked up some French magazines, called Modes et Travaux, at a flea market. They’re from the 1950s, and they’ve got the most wonderful drawings. Thanks for sharing these amazing pages! xxx

    • Vintage pattern books are such a great source of inspiration. I don’t often find 1930s ones like this as they’re pretty rare, but the French ones seem to be everywhere. You can buy them really cheaply at flea markets and vintage fairs here, but I would prefer to have ones where I can actually read the text! 🙂 xx

  3. Hi Cate,
    When I first saw the coloured photo I thought you were playing with a new filter! She looks a bit like you. And I love the shoes.
    I see that 393 is suitable for playing bridge. I’ve started learning & will now have to consider more stylish wardrobe choices for playing in future…
    Did you notice that 7086 features a detachable peplum? I’ve never seen such a thing. I wonder how it works. You made some excellent choices for posting.
    Vanessa (first time to post but long-time reader)

    • Aw, it’s so lovely to hear from you Vanessa and thank you so much for being a long-time reader, I really appreciate it. Hehehe, you’re actually not the first to say that about the cover photo! I really do wish it was me, I’d love to own that suit. The 7086 is actually a dress pattern and then the belt, with it’s attached peplum, is separate. It’s classic 1930s, creating a genius way to mix up an outfit so it looks like a jacket and skirt. Only in the 30s! xx

  4. First time commenter here.. I am a HUUUUUGE fan of midcentury illustrations. I have preferences to those which bordered the 50s/60s even if they’re a little later, but there’s something to delicate and elegant about the earlier years that I can’t deny. Those design lines are utterly sumptuous, thank you for sharing! I can’t wait to see more 😀

    • Oh, thank you so much for commenting. I always appreciate it. Yes, I love vintage illustrations in general, but as the 30s is by biggest passion, I do have a habit of picking up magazines and books full of them. They’re so wonderful to look at and gather lots of inspiration from. xx

  5. Ooooh! Thank you so much for sharing these with us! So gorgeous!! 🙂

    It’s lovely seeing you again, by the way! I hope you’ve been well! <3

    • Aw, thank you Emily. Yes, I’m good, just completely overwhelmingly busy. Unfortunately, the blog, and my sewing, has suffered because of it, but I promise I’m not going anywhere. xx

  6. Thanks for sharing! I especially loved looking at the fabric swatches. Even though they aren’t in color, it’s nice to see the textures up close and read the descriptions.

    • They’re great aren’t they? They so helpful to try and find exactly the right sort of fabric to use for a project. I’ll definitely be referring to them time after time for my projects. xx

  7. It’s going to be great seeing how these influence your future creations. Your last coat was absolutely scrumptious.

  8. These are lovely. Thanks for sharing them. Looking forward to seeing how they influence your makes.

  9. What a treasure trove of beautiful fashion illustrations! Thank-you for sharing!!!

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