Before There Were Tweens: Simplicity 4540This sub-teens set of separates has all the marks of the ea

Before There Were Tweens: Simplicity 4540This sub-teens set of separates has all the marks of the early 1960s. The full skirts of the 1950s had shortened to just below the knee, and the 1950s had introduced the slim slacks as playwear for women as well as girls. When slacks were made of fine fabrics, like silk shantung, they were at-home wear for special occasions or entertaining. Matching separates were popularized by Claire McCardell in the 1950s. Notice I said matching which, as you can see, gives the look of a dress out of a separate blouse and skirt. McCardell boasted of two kinds of tops, one for daytime, one more bare for nighttime, both matching a short and a long skirt. Here we see the print, the plaid, and the solid fabric used to make both the blouse and skirt or the vest and skirt. Like women, girls wore dresses for the more serious occasions of their lives, be that school, religious services, or social events, so these worked as two-piece dresses. The pants were playwear for after school and on the weekends, or for sports and vacation. The plaids match perfectly in the illustration, a goal that ready-to-wear doesn’t always aim for today. Notice the practicality of this one-pattern wardrobe. Both formal and informal, both sleeveless and sleeved, and a neighboring color harmony of blue and green, plus white as the background. Ten total pieces, and a whole lot of looks, which is why separates, including those not made of matching fabric, became so popular. And why we are still wearing them, although to this degree of coordination. But this does make me want to ponder my print fabrics and see if a matching blouse and skirt couldn’t be in my plans for summer. -- source link

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