Springtime Spunkiness in the 1955: McCalls 3354I don’t know for sure if we always broke out the jump

Springtime Spunkiness in the 1955: McCalls 3354I don’t know for sure if we always broke out the jumper and the blouse come springtime when I was a kid, but there is something about the combination which always reminds me of going to school in the spring. Of course, they were more practical for girls as you didn’t have to worry about keeping the blouse tucked in and by switching out blouses, you got some variety. This one dates to the 1950s and came in both women’s sizes, “Misses” and tween and teens, “Juniors.” We know it is the 1950s by the trim waist and long, flared skirt which reached almost 10 feet in circumference at the hemline. In such a fit and flare jumper, you had no fear of your hips. Not that the New Look silhouette, which debuted with a Christian Dior collection in 1947, was indifferent to hip size. Dior also showed long, tight skirts, and by the mid-1950s the long, tight sheath dress was very popular. But the wider skirts were easier to wear, so long as you didn’t get their width stuck in a door. (Yes, circle skirts get stuck in car doors; I speak from experience). This is a young look, notice the kitten held by one of the models. And notice the goofy novelty print chosen for the largest illustration which seems to have human figures and who knows what else, although the high heels shown would have been too much for the 11-15 year olds who could have worn this pattern. Corduroy is the first fabric mentioned, another sign that it was a possible school outfit, followed by flannel, linen, cottons, tweed, lightweight wools and rayon suitings. So some fall fabrics and some spring ones. The jumper is as versatile as the dressThe blouse has a rounded Peter Pan collar which was also considered a young look because it harmonizes with the full cheeks of the young. It was to be made of linen, cottons shirtings, and nylon–so modern and considered a miracle fabric because it didn’t need ironing. The blouse came in two sleeve lengths with darts at the waist as well as the bust in order to limit the bulk under the jumper. Unless this jumper was made of a stiff fabric, it would take some sort of stiff and fluffy petticoat to make it stand away from the body at the hemline. Sewing pattern illustrations were fussy about getting the garment lines correct, but they did defy gravity at times. -- source link

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