W magazine, June 1997. Model: Danielle Z. Photographed in New Orleans by Ellen von Unwerth.

Setting aside the corsets, Morticia costumes* and Ren fair looks that may come up in a “goth pattern” search, this is the only pattern I’ve seen that truly testifies to that time in the ’90s when goth was trendy:

Vogue Attitudes 2072 by Anna Sui (1997) Dress, top and fingerless gloves.

Technical drawing for Vogue 2072

Here’s the envelope description: Misses’ dress, top & gloves. Lined dress, above mid-knee, has close-fitting bodice variations, dirndl skirt, attached petticoat with yokes/ruffles and back zipper. A: elasticized gathers below waist. B: boned bodice with princess seams and purchased trim. close-fitting, pullover top has neck binding, stitched hems and long sleeves. Close-fitting gloves have narrow hem.

What I find delightful about Vogue 2072 (in addition to from the fact that it enables you to make your own stretch mesh top and fingerless gloves) is the variety of fabrics required for its frilly goth-out: double edged scalloped lace for the dress, organza for the lining and underlining of yoke and bodice, chiffon for the skirt lining, and tulle for the petticoat, as well as velvet ribbon and pre-gathered lace trim.

Vogue 1290 is a close second. I was surprised to see it’s still in print.

Vogue 1290 (ca. 1994) Jacket, dress, top and pants. Image via Out of the Ashes Collectibles.

Full disclosure: During the ’90s I actually had the first two patterns** linked above made up. As well as view C of Vogue 1290.

Happy Hallowe’en everyone!

* It must be admitted that the children’s version of the 1992 Addams Family costumes, Simplicity 7991/0630, is unforgivably cute.

** Vogue 1605 by Bellville Sassoon and Simplicity 7990/0629.

Guy Laroche is Vogue Patterns’ most established licensee. The first Guy Laroche pattern was released over fifty years ago and, despite a lapse in licensing after the mid-Eighties, Vogue Patterns renewed its agreement with the house in the decade following Guy Laroche’s death in 1989. The designer who prompted this renewal was Alber Elbaz: Lanvin’s current designer worked as creative director at Laroche for two years before he was recruited to Yves Saint Laurent.

To reintroduce Guy Laroche, Vogue Patterns chose three designs from the Fall/Winter 1998-99 ready-to-wear, Elbaz’s third collection for the house. (You can read about Elbaz’s first two collections for Laroche here and here.) The cover of the November/December 1998 issue of the magazine proclaims, “Introducing Guy Laroche: A Fresh Young Attitude” and, inside, the Laroche feature calls the young Elbaz “one of the brightest talents in Paris.” The company also licensed a fourth design from the Spring/Summer 1999 collection, Elbaz’ last for Guy Laroche.

1. Guy Laroche Prêt-à-porter Fall/Winter 1998-99 (shown March 1998)

The Guy Laroche Fall 1998 ready-to-wear collection showed off Elbaz’s skillful tailoring with pinstripe and monochrome looks, as well as entire outfits of red sequins and long dresses in jersey and velvet. In counterpoint to the commercially viable clothes, the models were made up to mask their eyebrows, and almost all wore Afro wigs. (See Anne-Marie Schiro’s review here.)

L’Officiel 1000 modèles devoted six pages to this collection. Here’s a sample:

L’Officiel 1000 modèles no. 12 (1998) via jalougallery.com

L’Officiel 1000 modèles no. 12 (1998) via jalougallery.com

Vogue Patterns’ first selection from the collection, Vogue 2202, is a skirt suit with ruched, bias jacket:

Vogue 2202 by Alber Elbaz for Guy Laroche (1998) Bias jacket and skirt

Technical drawing for Vogue 2202

Here’s the envelope description: Misses’ jacket & skirt. Close-fitting, bias, interfaced, lined, below hip jacket has collar, slightly extended shoulders, shoulder pads, ruching, no side seams and long, two-piece sleeves with vent and button/buttonhole trim. Straight, lined skirt, above mid-knee or mid-calf, has contour waist and back zipper. Purchased top.

The runway version of the jacket seems to have been shown with a matching turtleneck and pants:

Image via jalougallery.com

Vogue 2206 is a sleek suit consisting of flared pants, self belt, and a tailored jacket with rounded lapels, shown made up in doubleknit jersey:

Vogue 2206 Alber Elbaz for Guy Laroche (1998) Pantsuit and belt

Technical drawing for Vogue 2206

The envelope description reads: Misses’ jacket, pants & belt. Fitted, unlined, hip length jacket has front extending into collar (wrong side shows) and to side back, no side seams, shoulder pads, flaps, pockets and lined, long, two-piece sleeves with button vent. Fitted, straight-legged pants have contour waist, carriers, belt and side zipper. Purchased top.

The third selection, Vogue 2205, is another pantsuit, this one with flat-front pants and a jacket with exposed zippers:

Vogue 2205 by Alber Elbaz for Guy Laroche (1998) Jacket and pants

Technical drawing for Vogue 2205

Here’s the envelope description: Misses’ jacket & pants. Semi-fitted, lined, above hip jacket has neck bands, front yokes, inset bands, side panels, no side seams, side front pockets, exposed front/sleeve zippers and long, two-piece sleeves. Straight-legged pants have waistband, carriers, side pockets and back zipper. Purchased top and belt.

This design made the cover of the December counter catalogue:

Vogue Patterns catalogue, December 1998. Image via eBay.

Elbaz sent out variations on the Vogue 2205 jacket—in both jacket and coat lengths, in charcoal, a mauve-tinged grey, two shades of red, and black leather. Runway images show the jackets worn with matching skirts and tops:

Image via jalougallery.com

L’Officiel included the black leather version in an “Emma Peel” fall trend feature—the Ralph Fiennes/Uma Thurman film The Avengers had opened late that summer:

Bottom left: Laroche jacket in plongé lambskin, L’Officiel, October 1998. Image via jalougallery.com

2. Guy Laroche Prêt-à-porter Spring/Summer 1999 (shown October 1998)

Elbaz was leaving to design Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche, and his last collection for Guy Laroche was a sad farewell. To a soundtrack of Edgar Allan Poe’s “Annabel Lee,” the models walked the runway in floor-grazing skirts, dressed in sombre colours accented with contrast inserts or embellished with drooping flowers. (See Suzy Menkes, “Designers Struggling to Find a Voice,” and Anne-Marie Schiro, “Anticipating the Mood: Retailers Check the Pulse.”)

Here is the collection image from L’Officiel 1000 modèles:

L’Officiel 1000 modèles no. 2 (1998) via jalougallery.com

Vogue Patterns’ selection from this collection, Vogue 2497, is a modern evening suit with tailored jacket, long skirt, and side-buttoned camisole top:

Vogue 2497 by Alber Elbaz for Guy Laroche (2000) Jacket, top, and skirt

Technical drawing for Vogue 2497

The envelope description reads: Misses’ jacket, top & skirt. Fitted, partially interfaced, lined, above-hip jacket has collar, cut-in shoulders, shoulder pads, side panels, no side seams, flaps, welt pockets and three-piece, below-elbow sleeves. Close-fitting, lined top has bias shoulder straps, princess seams, side slits and button/loop closings. Slightly flared, below-waist skirt, floor-length, has right side mock pleat and side zipper.

The spring collection had a number of variations on the Vogue 2497 evening suit, some with flowers at the lapel, some with colour blocking, whether a single sleeve, a narrow contrast panel, or a broad hem band. The ensembles were shown with the jacket worn alone or open over a white t-shirt. The skirt’s mock pleat is visible in this Corbis image:

Model: Colette Pechekhonova. Image © Stephane Cardinale/Sygma/Corbis.

These Alber Elbaz/Laroche patterns have some interesting, unusual design features, such as Vogue 2202′s bias jacket or the three-piece sleeves on Vogue 2497. But I find that, despite promoting the freshness of Elbaz’s work at the house, Vogue Patterns opted for changes that diminish the designs’ freshness and modernity. Why not show a matching, tomato-red skirt with the Vogue 2205 jacket, or pants with the feminine, ruched Vogue 2202 jacket? Or a t-shirt with Vogue 2497′s evening suit? It feels to me like underestimating home sewers’ appetite for fashion.

Have you made up an Elbaz/Laroche pattern?

I love finding pattern designs in ad campaigns. Vogue 1016 by Yves Saint Laurent is a long-sleeved, full-skirted formal dress with a dramatic décolletage and optional stretch-lace camisole:

Vogue 1016 by Yves Saint Laurent (1992) Dress and camisole. Image via PatternVault on Etsy.

The news from Paris that season was lower hemlines, with pleated skirts and tartans at Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche. (See Bernadine Morris, “Review/Fashion; New Tricolor in Paris: Stars and Stripes.”)

The late, great Helmut Newton photographed the Vogue 1016 dress for the Rive Gauche Fall 1991 advertising campaign:

Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche Fall 1991 campaign. Photo: Helmut Newton. Image via jalougallery.com.

(You can see more campaign photos in the August 1991 issue of L’Officiel—scroll about one-third down. Further 1991 campaign images by Newton may be seen in Paper Pursuits’ archive.)

Newton’s photograph shows a woman standing in the well-appointed bathroom of a Parisian hotel. (Another campaign photo shows Karen Mulder in the parking garage.) She wears the long-sleeved version of Vogue 1016, sans cami and done up in black Bucol silk. The dress is worn with big, dramatic accessories: a collar, ear clips, and a pair of gold (!) booties. On a shelf before the mirrors are two glasses of red wine; written in lipstick on one mirror is the message ‘ADIEU ET MERCI, SUSAN.’ Although the model’s elaborately coiffed head is turned away from the camera, she looks back out at us from the inscribed mirror.

The photo’s grand hotel setting and atmosphere of bad-girl mischief are pure Helmut Newton. (On the photographer and his work see Lindsay Baker, “Helmut Newton: A Perverse Romantic.”) Some might relegate its subject, the Vogue 1016 dress, to a period of post-Eighties decadence, but the interplay between photographer and designer is interesting. The two had a long-standing professional relationship, and Anna Wintour, quoted in Helmut Newton’s WWD obituary, hints that Newton’s photos of Yves Saint Laurent’s work could be as influential as the work itself. Does Newton’s photograph colour our view of Vogue 1016?

Isabel Toledo in her 2007 Ribbon Roller Dress (2009) Photo: Ruven Afanador. Typography: Ruben Toledo. Image via Ms. Muse.

Cuban-American designer Isabel Toledo has been called a “radical classicist” (Susan Yelavich quoted in Valerie Steele and Patricia Mears, Isabel Toledo: Fashion from the Inside Out [Yale 2009], p. 64). A cult figure known for her brilliant pattern-making, Toledo’s fortunes with the mainstream fashion press had waxed and waned until Michelle Obama wore a custom Isabel Toledo ensemble to Barack Obama’s first presidential inauguration in 2009. Later that year, the FIT exhibition Isabel Toledo: Fashion from the Inside Out brought the designer’s work to a wider public. (View the online exhibition here; see Michelle Obama’s Lemongrass dress and coat and listen to Valerie Steele’s commentary here.)

Toledo refers to herself as a seamstress; she says she learned pattern-making from Vogue patterns. (See her 1997 interview in Index magazine.) Her volunteer work at the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute also gave her unique insights into construction as practiced by master couturiers such as Balenciaga, Grès, and Vionnet.

Ruben Toledo illustration from Isabel Toledo, Roots of Style. Image via Amazon.

Toledo’s innovative pattern-making makes her a natural favourite for home sewers. In the mid-1990s, a handful of Isabel Toledo patterns were released through the Vogue Attitudes line. The July/August 1995 issue of the magazine introduced the designer:

Vogue Patterns magazine, July/August 1995. Image via eBay.

The magazine cover shows the shirt from the first Isabel Toledo pattern, Vogue 1608—a design for a peplum shirt, sleeveless top, skirt, and pants:

Vogue 1608 by Isabel Toledo (1995) Image via Etsy.

Technical drawing for Vogue 1608. Image via Etsy.

Here’s the envelope description: Misses’ top, skirt & pants. Loose-fitting, blouson (back) top A has collar and band (cut-in-one), lined yoke, forward shoulder seams, front bands, back pleat, self-lined peplum and long sleeves with pleats and button cuffs. Fitted top B has princess seams, armhole binding and hem slits. A-line skirt, above mid-knee or tapered pants, below ankle, have button waistband. C: side front and side back seams, back zipper and narrow hem. D: seam detail, stitched hems, back slits, and side button opening.

Toledo and her new design were also featured on the cover of the store catalogue:

Vogue Patterns catalogue, July/August 1995. Image via eBay.

Vogue magazine had published an article on Toledo earlier that year (Sally Wadyka, “A Structured Life”). The pink organza shirt jacket on the right looks like a variation of the Vogue 1608 shirt:

Isabel Toledo profile in Vogue magazine, February 1995. Image via Ready Set Fashion.

Vogue 1869, a pattern for a jacket, stretch-knit top, and bias pants, was the focus of a two-page feature in the November/December 1996 issue of Vogue Patterns magazine. The feature draws attention to the jacket’s special construction—it’s underlined with fusible tricot knit interfacing, and the welt pockets are cut on the bias for a shaped effect. This pattern is in the collection of the Commercial Pattern Archive:

Vogue 1869 by Isabel Toledo (1996) Jacket, top, and pants. Image via PatternVault on Etsy.

Technical drawing for Vogue 1869

The envelope description reads: Misses’ jacket, top & pants. Fitted, partially interfaced, lined, below waist jacket has front extending into standing back collar, slightly extended shoulders, shoulder pads, front extending slightly to side back, no side seams, seam detail, welts, armhole piping and long, two-piece sleeves with button vent. No provision for Above-Waist Adjustment. Close-fitting, pullover top has back extending to side front, no side seams, stitched hems, back zipper and long sleeves. Bias, lined, tapered pants have back button waistband, front/back welt pockets/welt trim, no side seams, back seam detail and back zipper. (Top for stretch knits only.)

Vogue 2043, a pattern for a shirt, skirt, and pants, appeared in the January/February 1998 issue of the magazine, in the Shop Vogue section:

Vogue 2043 by Isabel Toledo (1997) Shirt, skirt, and pants. Image via Sew Exciting Needleworks.

Technical drawing for Vogue 2043. Image via carbonated on flickr.

Here’s the envelope description: Misses’ shirt, skirt & pants. Loose-fitting shirt has collar, dropped shoulders, front bands, side back extending to front (forming pleats), princess seams, shaped hemline and long sleeves with placket, pleats and button cuffs. Narrow hem. Semi-fitted, tapered, lined skirt, above mid-knee, has back button waistband/zipper/vent. Slightly tapered, lined pants have narrow waistband and side zipper.

For me, the highlight of the series is Vogue 1748, a pair of dresses for stretch knits:

Vogue 1748 by Isabel Toledo (1996) Image via PatternVault on Etsy.

Technical drawing for Vogue 1748

The envelope description reads: Misses’ dress. Dress, above mid-knee or above ankle, has close-fitting bodice, yoke variations, slightly flared or flared skirt with seam detail and back zipper. A: front princess seams on bodice, mock wrap skirt. B: bias shoulder straps. draped front neckline, shaped hemline, side back slits and stitched facings.

Vogue 1748 shows some similarities with garments included in the FIT exhibition, perhaps best seen in the catalogue’s technical drawings:

Pedestal and Tanker dresses, Isabel Toledo: Fashion from the Inside Out, pp. 124-25. Image via Fish Monkey’s Writing Stuff.

The Pedestal dress (left), from Toledo’s Fall/Winter 1994-95 collection, can also be seen in the online exhibition; the Tanker dress (right), from the Spring/Summer 1992 collection, has the same bodice detail and hip yoke as view A of Vogue 1748.

Isabel Toledo’s collaboration with Vogue Patterns downplays her experimental side in favour of her genius for construction. Yet as a browse through the stunning pieces in FIT’s online exhibition and catalogue shows, the patterns are consistent with Toledo’s play, in the ’90s, with two- and three-dimensional geometric shapes in relation to the body.

Detail, Givenchy Fall 1996 advertising campaign. Image via eBay.

Thanks to a runway video posted by blogger Fubuki, I’ve been able to identify a fourth Givenchy pattern designed by John Galliano. (See my post on the other patterns here.)

For a while I’d wondered about Vogue 1887, a tailored, mock wrap jumpsuit. Caveat emptor: an unscrupulous online dealer has been selling V1887 as Alexander McQueen, but the pattern appears in Vogue Patterns magazine prior to McQueen’s first Givenchy show in January 1997. My copy is copyright 1996 and, although the fabric requirements weren’t yet available, Vogue 1887 was first shown in the November/December 1996 issue of Vogue Patterns magazine, in a trends forecast on jumpsuits. By the January/February 1997 issue it’s featured in an editorial.

Vogue 1887 by John Galliano for Givenchy (1996) Jumpsuit.

Technical drawing for Vogue 1887 jumpsuit

Here’s the envelope description: Misses’ jumpsuit. Loose-fitting, straight-legged, cuffed, mock wrap, partially lined jumpsuit has self or contrast collar, shoulder pads, upper welt, flap, lower welt pocket, side seam pockets, concealed front pleat/zipper and long, two-piece sleeves.

Fubuki’s runway video of Galliano’s Fall 1996 prêt-à-porter collection for Givenchy shows two versions of the mock-wrap jumpsuit. (For a review of the collection see Suzy Menkes, “A Neat, Cool Take on Couture for Fall.”) The Vogue 1887 version is worn under a long, white jacket; the second version has a front drape and is shown with a single, embellished gold epaulette:

This matador look gives a better view of the epaulettes:

Here’s an editorial photo of another jumpsuit from the same collection, from L’Officiel’s ready-to-wear special issue. The runway version was modelled by Chrystèle Saint Louis Augustin:

“All in one, a bustier jumpsuit in white-striped grey tennis flannel. To be worn with an ivory silk cape, Givenchy.” L’Officiel no. 807, August 1996. Photo: Bruno Bisang.

I’m a little late to the party, but—as part of Anne of Pretty Grievances’ Jungle January event, I thought it would be fun to use a reptile print to make the strapless dress from Vogue 2086, the first of Vogue Patterns’ Givenchy patterns by Alexander McQueen.

Vogue 2086 by Alexander McQueen for Givenchy (1998) Strapless dress and jacket. Model: Jacki Adams.

The dress and jacket are from the Fall 1997 prêt-à-porter, McQueen’s first ready-to-wear collection for Givenchy. (See my earlier post here.) As you can see from this Richard Avedon campaign photo, animal prints were a feature of the collection:

Givenchy Fall 1997 advertising campaign. Model: Honor Fraser. Photo: Richard Avedon.

The runway collection included not only leopard lace but also leopard dresses, skirts, and coats. (Fashion TV even has a highlights video of the leopard looks on the Givenchy runway; full runway video starting here.) Leopard lace was also used in this strapless catsuit, modelled by Shalom Harlow:

McQueen showed versions of the Vogue 2086 sheath in both leopard and emerald green python (models: Michele Hicks and Naomi Campbell; photos via L’Officiel 1000 modèles):

Coming soon: a post on my reptile print PVC version of the Vogue 2086 strapless dress.

After 28 years together, Mark Badgley and James Mischka of Badgley Mischka were married in New York last weekend. To celebrate, here’s a look back at two decades of Badgley Mischka sewing patterns.

Badgley and Mischka met at the Parsons School of Design. They founded Badgley Mischka in 1988, making 2013 the label’s 25th anniversary. Badgley Mischka’s relationship with Vogue Patterns began in the 1990s, when they were introduced to the Vogue Attitudes line.

These two early Badgley Mischka patterns show the pair’s knack for polished dress-and-jacket ensembles:

Vogue 1049 by Badgley Mischka (1993) Image via Etsy.

Vogue 1639 by Badgley Mischka (1995) Image via Etsy.

Of course, Badgley Mischka is best known for bridal and evening wear. A bridal line was introduced in the mid-1990s and, often, Badgley Mischka evening wear patterns will be shown made up in bridal ivories and whites. Vogue 1903 has a bias skirt and options for a contrast, Empire bodice with rhinestone straps or beaded contrast back. My mother has made view A for opera-going:

Vogue 1903 by Badgley Mischka (1996) Image via eBay.

Vogue 2237, a strapless evening dress and bolero pattern, has been in print for over a decade:

Vogue 2237 by Badgley Mischka (c. 1999) Image via Main Street Mall.

This sleek evening dress has a contrast bodice yoke and elbow-length sleeves:

Vogue 2716 by Badgley Mischka (2002) Image via Etsy.

In recent years the label’s new lines, Mark + James and Badgley Mischka Platinum, have also been licensed to Vogue Patterns. From Badgley Mischka Platinum, this bias evening dress with gathered bodice, front drape, and matching stole is shown in a liquid lamé:

Vogue 1079 by Badgley Mischka (2008) Image via Etsy.

This Mark + James ruffled, strapless jumpsuit is in Vogue’s current offerings:

Vogue 1249 by Mark + James (2011) Image via Etsy.

Also current, this Badgley Mischka Platinum cocktail dress has details including cowl sleeves, open shoulders, and jewelled appliqué, that nod to Badgley Mischka’s favourite inspiration, the glamour of Old Hollywood:

Vogue 1256 by Badgley Mischka Platinum (2011) Image via Etsy.

Michaela Bercu wears Perry Ellis by Marc Jacobs, Vogue, November 1989. Image via the Fashion Model Directory.

Can you believe the early-nineties revival in fashion right now? We remember Marc Jacobs’ ‘grunge’ collection for Perry Ellis as a turning point in ’90s fashion. It’s easy to forget that Jacobs had been designing for Perry Ellis since the late 1980s. It was Perry Ellis who persuaded Jacobs to enrol at Parsons and, before his death, Ellis had said he wanted Jacobs and his business partner, Robert Duffy, to join his company. Jacobs and Duffy were hired in 1988, and Jacobs presented his first collection for Perry Ellis, for Fall 1989, at the Puck Building in Soho.

Vogue Patterns’ licensing agreement with Perry Ellis lasted into the 1990s: the company’s Perry Ellis patterns from the 1990s represent some of Marc Jacobs’ earlier work. Here’s a selection of Perry Ellis patterns by Marc Jacobs from the early ’90s.

A dress from Marc Jacobs’ 1989 Resort collection for Perry Ellis made the cover of Vogue magazine (see above). Vogue 2475 has the same yellow and white stripes (is that Carla Bruni?):

Vogue 2475 Marc Jacobs for Perry Ellis (1990) Image via eBay.

The March/April 1990 issue of Vogue Patterns magazine included an interview introducing Marc Jacobs, accompanied by an editorial shoot showing two Perry Ellis patterns, Vogue 2474 and 2475:

Marc Jacobs in Vogue Patterns magazine, March/April 1990. Image via eBay.

Vogue 2475 and 2474 in Vogue Patterns magazine, March/April 1990. Image via eBay.

(eBay link)

These two patterns from 1991 also have a ‘resort’ feel:

Vogue 2665 by Marc Jacobs for Perry Ellis (1991) Image via patronescostura on Etsy.

Vogue 2666 by Marc Jacobs for Perry Ellis (1991) Image via patronescostura on Etsy.

Vogue 2475′s yellow stripes were also seen in the Spring 1991 collection, and stripes made a reappearance the following spring. Here are collection images for Marc Jacobs’ Spring 1991 and 1992 collections for Perry Ellis (presented in 1990 and 1991):

Marc Jacobs for Perry Ellis, Spring/Summer 1991. Image via jalougallery.com.

Marc Jacobs for Perry Ellis, Spring/Summer 1992. Image via jalougallery.com.

This pattern for daywear separates with colour blocking looks more like a Fall/Winter design (the companion pattern was Vogue 2759):

Vogue 2760 by Marc Jacobs for Perry Ellis (1991) Image via Amazon.

Here’s the collection image for Marc Jacobs’ Fall 1990 collection for Perry Ellis:

Marc Jacobs for Perry Ellis, Fall/Winter 1990. Image via jalougallery.com.

(A free knitting pattern is available for the New York skyline sweater at VogueKnitting.com.)

In retrospect, the headline for Vogue Patterns’ 1990 interview—”Marc Jacobs: Doing it his way”—is ironic considering the circumstances of the designer’s firing after his Spring 1993 collection for Perry Ellis. You can see more early Marc Jacobs designs for Perry Ellis in L’Officiel 1000 modèles’ 2012 hors-série issue devoted to Marc Jacobs.

Next: Marc Jacobs’ ‘grunge’ collection for Perry Ellis.

Marc Jacobs’ Spring/Summer 1993 ‘grunge’ collection for Perry Ellis was a succès de scandale, a landmark collection that got him fired and continues to provoke debate. (See my earlier Marc Jacobs for Perry Ellis post here.) Shown in November 1992, the collection was inspired by the music of Seattle bands like Nirvana and the layered, mismatched, thrift-store vintage look associated with the grunge scene in the Pacific Northwest.

Kurt Cobain performs in a vintage floral print, Amherst, 1990. Image via Malibu PR Gal.

At the time, Jacobs described his interpretation of grunge as “a hippied romantic version of punk.” The collection referenced grunge style with mixed floral and tartan prints and thermal layers, but translated them for the runway through play with luxurious materials: the flannels and thermals were sand-washed Italian silk and cashmere, worn with Doc Martens and specially-made duchesse satin Converse and Birkenstocks.

Model: Christie Turlington. Image via Corbis.

Models: Kristen McMenamy and Kate Moss. Image via Couture Culture.

In December 1992, Vogue magazine published “Grunge & Glory,” a Steven Meisel editorial styled by Grace Coddington and accompanied by an essay by Jonathan Poneman, cofounder of Sub Pop (the label that released Nirvana’s first album). The shoot included pieces by Anna Sui, Ralph Lauren, and several from Marc Jacobs’ grunge collection for Perry Ellis:

“Grunge & Glory.” Vogue, December 1992. On right: Kristen McMenamy in Perry Ellis by Marc Jacobs. Photo: Steven Meisel. Fashion editor: Grace Coddington. Image via Rag Pony.

And in case you thought the flow of influence between fashion and alternative culture was unidirectional, Sonic Youth’s video for “Sugar Kane” (dir. Nick Egan) was shot in the Perry Ellis showroom during the making of the grunge collection:

In early 1994, Vogue Patterns released two patterns for designs from Marc Jacobs’ grunge collection for Perry Ellis. Vogue 1335 is a pattern for bell bottoms and a jacket and cropped vest with butterfly appliqués:

Vogue 1335 by Marc Jacobs for Perry Ellis (1994) Jacket, vest, and pants.

Technical drawing for Vogue 1335

Here’s the envelope description: Misses’ jacket, vest & pants. Semi-fitted, lined, below hip jacket has notched collar, shoulder pads, flaps, upper and lower welt pockets, side back seams and long, two-piece sleeves with mock vent and button trim. Semi-fitted, lined, above waist vest has side panels, no side seams and welts. Both have purchased appliques. Bell-bottom pants have contour waistband and back zipper.

The Vogue 1335 ensemble was photographed for this 1993 press photo:

Jacket, vest, and pants by Marc Jacobs for Perry Ellis; DKNY high-tops. Detroit Free Press, March 1993. Photo: George Waldman.

The second pattern, Vogue 1304, is for a pair of long, lightweight dresses—a princess-seamed slip dress and an ankle-length, retro style with flounces and flutter sleeves:

Vogue 1304 by Marc Jacobs for Perry Ellis (1994) Image via PatternVault on Etsy.

Technical drawing for Vogue 1304

The envelope description reads: Misses’ dress. Loose fitting, flared, pullover dress A, ankle length has front button trim, side front and back seams, sleeve and hem flounces and above elbow sleeves. Fitted and flared dress B, above ankle, has shoulder straps, princess seams, side pockets and front button/loop closing. (Recommended fabrics include chiffon, georgette, and crepe de chine.)

The Vogue 1304 floral print dress was photographed with another dress in the same print by Patrick Demarchelier for Harper’s Bazaar. The models are Shalom Harlow and Susan Holmes:

“Garden Party.” Harper’s Bazaar, February 1993. Photo: Patrick Demarchelier. Image via noirfacade.

(Click the image for the full editorial. For Vogue Patterns magazine, the Vogue 1304 Perry Ellis grunge dresses were photographed with the similarly on-trend Vogue 1293 by DKNY.)

Shalom Harlow was also photographed by Bruce Weber in a similar, vintage-style Perry Ellis dress, in a cherry-and-butterfly print chiffon—this time with Flea, the bassist for the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Vogue called the dress “this season’s signature”:

“Traveling Light.” Vogue, April 1993. Photo: Bruce Weber. Image via Herringbone and Houndstooth.

The same black floral print was also used for a silk bikini top and shorts, as seen in a Vogue summer editorial photographed by Ellen von Unwerth:

“Beauty and the Beach,” Vogue, July 1993. Photo: Ellen von Unwerth. Fashion editor: Grace Coddington. Image via Herringbone and Houndstooth.

Years later, Jacobs spoke of being inspired by the energy of grunge after hearing Nirvana on the radio in Berlin, saying:

“I liked the idea of making some visual noise through clothing. I found a two-dollar flannel shirt on St. Mark’s Place and I sent it off to Italy and had it made into a $300-a-yard plaid silk. It was like the Elsa Perretti crystal tumbler at Tiffany that was inspired by a paper Dixie Cup. I love to take things that are everyday and comforting and make them into the most luxurious things in the world.”

(Source: Mary Clarke’s interview for Index magazine.)

It’s this effect of visual noise, of dissonance, achieved by Jacob’s high fashion take on street style that makes the Perry Ellis grunge collection so influential. There’s also something very ’90s-postmodern about reverse-faux—luxury materials mimicking their more affordable counterparts. Yet, according to Voguepedia, the grunge collection was never produced, making Vogue’s Perry Ellis patterns all the more interesting to lovers of ’90s fashion.

Vera Wang with Ralph Lauren at the CFDA Awards, June 3, 2013.

Last night Vera Wang was honoured with the CFDA’s Geoffrey Beene Lifetime Achievement Award. (Read style.com’s article here; Voguepedia bio here. Watch the awards ceremony here.) Wang, 63, has built a retail empire that began with the bridal boutique she founded in New York in 1990.

Thanks to Vogue Patterns, you don’t have to be Blair Waldorf to wear a custom Vera Wang dress. Vogue Patterns licensed Vera Wang dress patterns from the mid-1990s into the 21st century. The company introduced Vera Wang in the May/June 1995 issue of Vogue Patterns magazine. The cover shows Vogue 1584, a Vera Wang design:

Vogue Patterns magazine, May/June 1995. Image via eBay.

Another Vera Wang design, Vogue 1583, made the cover of the June counter catalogue:

Vogue Patterns catalogue, June 1995. Image via eBay.

The first series of Vera Wang patterns consisted of three patterns, only one of which was officially a bridal design. (By 1993 Wang had branched out into formal wear.) The bridal pattern consists of a long-sleeved dress and overskirt in two lengths; the two-way stretch “illusion” fabric used for upper bodice and sleeves makes the dress an alternative to strapless bridal designs:

Vogue 1583 by Vera Wang (1995) Image via Etsy.

The other two patterns are sleeveless, high-collared cocktail or evening dresses with mesh details. The first has a contrast back and collar, while the second has contrast yokes and armhole binding:

Vogue 1584 by Vera Wang (1995) Image via Etsy.

Vogue 1585 by Vera Wang (1995) Image via eBay.

Back interest is a theme running through Vogue’s Vera Wang patterns. This formal dress has a mesh back criss-crossed by broad straps:

Vogue 1767 by Vera Wang (1996) Image via Etsy.

The elegant Vogue 1944 features a bias back drape:

Vogue 1944 by Vera Wang (1997) Image via Etsy.

This bridal gown may be made with a back pleat or an attached, ruffled petticoat that spills out through the skirt’s back:

Vogue 2118 by Vera Wang (1998) Image via Etsy.

These two dresses, one with a stretch knit contrast bodice, the other with spaghetti straps and peekaboo back, are classic minimalist ’90s formal wear:

Vogue 2251 by Vera Wang (1999) Image via Etsy.

Vogue 2257 by Vera Wang (1999) Image via Etsy.

Kate Moss in “Courrèges Edge.” Photo: Nick Knight, 1995.

Today we’re used to a firm division between fashion magazines and sewing magazines. But for several decades after Condé Nast sold Vogue Patterns, editorials featuring sewing patterns could still be seen in Vogue magazine—editorials with the same models, photographers, and fashion editors as Vogue’s high fashion shoots. This post is the first in an occasional series on these editorials.

Launching the series is “Courrèges Edge,” a 1995 editorial photographed by Nick Knight and showing Kate Moss in clothes made using patterns from Vogue and Butterick. The shoot covers the Sixties trend with all-white, Courrèges-style looks while playing with the theme of surveillance.

Here, Kate Moss’ leather jacket is Vogue 9076; the nylon dress on the right is Butterick 4048:

Vogue, August 1995. Photos: Nick Knight. Fashion Editor: Camilla Nickerson.

Below, Vogue 9170, a coat dress pattern, is shown made up in white leather, and Butterick 3999, sold as a top, is made in silk and worn as a mini dress:

Vogue, August 1995. Photos: Nick Knight. Fashion Editor: Camilla Nickerson.

In the back of the magazine, readers could find technical drawings and further details on the patterns used, all “edited by Vogue”:

In This Issue, Vogue, August 1995.

Linda Evangelista in Anna Sui, Harper’s Bazaar, August 1995. Photo: Patrick Demarchelier.

Anna Sui (b. 1955) is beloved for her playfully postmodern designs. Sui collections are typically full of eclectic, retro references—fun and accessible, but always with an alternative edge. (For a comprehensive discussion of Sui’s work see Andrew Bolton, Anna Sui [Chronicle Books, 2010].)

Anna Sui’s licensing agreement with Vogue Patterns lasted from the mid-1990s until quite recently. There were also Anna Sui knitting patterns, like this paillette-trimmed mohair sweater shown on the cover of Vogue Knitting magazine:

Anna Sui sweater on the cover of Vogue Knitting, Winter 1998-99. Image via Vintageknits.net.

This two-part series will present some highlights from Anna Sui’s earlier Vogue patterns, ordered by collection.

1. Anna Sui, Spring/Summer 1995 collection

Anna Sui was introduced to readers of Vogue Patterns in the July/August 1995 issue with a design from her Spring 1995, vintage ’30s and ’40s collection. Inspirations for this collection included pulp magazines, waitress uniforms, and Minnie Mouse. The collection was notable for its use of textiles, which ranged from nylon pinstripes and rubberized chiffon to prints both rockabilly and haute: some of the dresses and skirts used 1940s prints that were designed by Christian Bérard for Ascher Ltd and specially recoloured for the collection.

Vogue 1619 is a pattern for four dresses with vintage details like cut-in shoulders and puffed or tucked sleeves. The red, bouquet print in the large photo is by Christian Bérard. Vogue later proclaimed the “1940s floral look” the look of the season*:

Vogue 1619 by Anna Sui (1995) Image via PatternVault on Etsy.

Here’s the Bérard print dress on the runway, complete with red shoes worn with pink socks:

Image via New York Daily News.

Vogue 1619 made the cover of Vogue Patterns’ September 1995 catalogue:

Vogue Patterns catalogue, September 1995. Image via eBay.

Just for fun, here’s a photo of Nicole Kidman in one of the spring collection’s pinstripe suits:

Nicole Kidman in Anna Sui, Vogue, February 1995. Photo: Steven Meisel. Fashion editor: Grace Coddington.

2. Anna Sui, Fall/Winter 1995 collection

For Fall 1995 Sui presented a Mod collection. The show opened with Linda Evangelista on the back of a Lambretta scooter and continued with skinny mod suits and pieces in black leather and sequinned camo, referencing Andy Warhol’s camouflage screenprints.

Vogue 1702’s mod suit includes a front-pleated skirt and sleeveless top—best worn with a matching headscarf (as shown with Vogue 1789):

Vogue 1702 by Anna Sui (1995) Image via Etsy.

Linda Evangelista was photographed in the Vogue 1702 suit by Patrick Demarchelier (see top of post). A tweed version was modelled by Stella Tennant:

Stella Tennant in Anna Sui, Vogue, October 1995. Photo: Arthur Elgort. Fashion editor: Grace Coddington.

3. Anna Sui, Fall/Winter 1997 collection

Sui’s ‘goth’ collection was presented at the Church of Divine Paternity, a neo-Gothic church on New York’s Upper West Side. Siouxie Sioux was a major inspiration for the show, which had post-punk makeup by François Nars and a wealth of textiles characteristic of old-school goth style, such as velvet, lace, lace-printed chiffon, and fishnet. As Bolton notes, the collection referenced the goth love of historicism in Vivienne Westwood-style bustles and ‘mini-crinis.’

Vogue 2072 is a pattern for two mini-crini dresses trimmed with ribbon and lace. It even includes the mesh top and fingerless gloves (see my earlier post here):

Vogue 2072 by Anna Sui (1997)

Karen Elson and Tasha Tilberg modelled the Vogue 2072 dresses on the runway, accessorized with matching fingerless gloves, sheer leggings, and beaded devil horns:

Models: Karen Elson, Tasha Tilberg. Images: Bolton, Anna Sui and firstVIEW.

The red, view B version of the Vogue 2072 dress, complete with Sui devil horns, was photographed on a young Sofia Coppola:

Sofia Coppola, Spur, October 1997. Photo: Satoshi Saikusa. Image: Bolton, Anna Sui.

4. Anna Sui, Spring/Summer 1998 collection

For spring 1998 Sui presented a surfer-inspired collection. Bold prints, bright colours, and bucket hats conveyed the laid-back spirit of surfer subculture, with Hawaiian, Indian, and Balinese prints and accessories evoking days spent on tropical beaches.

Vogue 2152’s three summery little dresses are like a mini vacation wardrobe:

Vogue 2152 by Anna Sui (1998) Image via Etsy.

Here are two of the Vogue 2152 dresses on the runway. The slip dress in view B was worn with a long-sleeved mesh top:

Models: Kylie Bax and Christina Kruse. Images via firstVIEW.

Kate Moss wears another dress from the collection in this editorial photo by Terry Richardson:

Kate Moss in Anna Sui, Harper’s Bazaar, January 1998. Photo: Terry Richardson. Image via Bolton, Anna Sui.

The gold-appliquéd pink sari silk was inspired by a dress belonging to the Duchess of Windsor, again bringing home the wide-ranging eclecticism of Sui’s references.

Next: Anna Sui’s Vogue patterns into the 2000s.

* Katherine Betts, “The best & worst looks of the ’90s,” Vogue, January 1996, p. 130.

Anna Sui cosmetics and fragrance campaign, spring 1999.

This week, the second part of my series on Vogue patterns by Anna Sui. (See Part 1 here.)

5. Anna Sui, Spring/Summer 1999 collection

Sui’s Spring 1999 collection was inspired by American sportswear designer Claire McCardell. Nylon dresses invoked McCardell’s functionalism, while denim pieces developed the Americana theme. Further New World references ranged from Mexican clothing, Día de los Muertos handicrafts, and Haitian voodoo, to glam rock and Cecil B. DeMille’s Samson and Delilah (1949). (Browse the full collection at firstVIEW.)

Vogue 2305 is a pattern for two dresses with gathering details. View A is sleeveless, with a raised, drawstring waist and scarf collar; view B has a mock-wrap bodice, off-the-shoulder puffed sleeves, and a midriff cutout above the flared skirt:

Vogue 2305 by Anna Sui (1999) Image via eBay.

Kirsten Owen and Giselle Bündchen modelled the dresses on the runway:

Models: Kirsten Owen and Giselle Bündchen. Photos via firstVIEW.

6. Anna Sui, Spring/Summer 2001 collection

One of the main inspirations for the Spring 2001 collection was the Mudd Club, a locus for New York’s cultural underground in the late 1970s and early 1980s. An Edo Bertoglio polaroid of Mudd Club co-founder Anya Phillips in her blue, lace-up dress was a reference for some of the pieces. (As well as being an independent fashion designer, Phillips was art director at Fiorucci; see Tim Blanks, “Mudd Quake.”) As Andrew Bolton notes, even the collection’s less overtly ’80s designs reflected Sui’s “Mudd Club thrift-shop punk aesthetic.” (See the full collection at style.com.)

Vogue 2551 is a pattern for two LBDs for stretch knits. The one-shouldered view A is cut on the bias, with the right skirt front extending into a twisted hip drape; view B has pleats at the right shoulder and a left side slit:

Vogue 2551 by Anna Sui (2001)

Here are the two dresses on the runway. The one-shouldered jersey dress was modelled by Hannelore Knuts:

Models: Hannelore Knuts and Anouck Lepère. Images: Bolton, Anna Sui and style.com.

These two Edo Bertoglio portraits from the Mudd Club era show Anya Phillips, in her blue dress, and Anna Sui (photos via New York Magazine; the Sui portrait was first published in Vogue Italia):

Anya Phillips, 1979, and Anna Sui, 1981. Photos: Edo Bertoglio. Images via NYMag.com.

(More Mudd Club-era photos may be found in Maripolarama [powerHouse Books, 2005], which contains a recollection by Anna Sui.)

7. Anna Sui, Fall/Winter 2001 collection

Sui’s inspiration for her Fall 2001 collection was another legendary New York venue: the Factory, Andy Warhol’s studio. In reference to Warhol’s Factory parties and ideas about celebrity, the runway presentation incorporated a screening of a black-and-white, short film, commissioned from Zoe Cassavetes, of Sui’s famous friends attending a cocktail party. Other ’60s inspirations included “Baby” Jane Holzer’s eclectic wardrobe, the work of Rudi Gernreich, and William Klein’s film Who Are You, Polly Maggoo? (1966). (Full collection at style.com.)

Vogue 2640 is a pattern for a jacket and dress with contrast binding, plus a matching scarf:

Vogue 2640 by Anna Sui (2002) Image via Etsy.

Vogue 2640’s striped jacket and dress ensemble was the spring collection’s opening look:

Model: Laura Delicata. Image via firstVIEW.

The collection’s stripes are a reference to a particularly Op-art scene in Klein’s Who Are You, Polly Maggoo?:

Still from Who Are You, Polly Maggoo? (1966) Image via the Guardian.

8. Anna Sui, Fall/Winter 2003 collection

The concept of art deco skiwear inspired the Fall 2003 collection, which Sui designed during another cold winter (2002-3) when urban skiwear was dominating New York street fashion. In the colours, motifs, and especially the geometric patterns of art deco, as well as the distinctive, tubular 1920s silhouette, the collection chanelled the flapper’s modernity, but with a dose of fun fur. (Full collection on style.com.)

Vogue 7950 or 639 is a pattern for five different faux fur pieces: a jacket, vest, hat, mittens, and legwarmers. The jacket is cropped, with elbow-length sleeves, while the vest has an exposed zipper. The hat has a contrast scarf that could be made to match the mittens’ contrast palms and cuffs, and the legwarmers have elasticized leg bands:

Vogue 7950 by Anna Sui (2004) Image via Etsy.

Here are some detail shots of the hat and legwarmers on the runway:

Model (on left): Missy Rayder. Images via style.com.

L’Officiel’s collection image shows the ’20s ski theme, complete with Anna Sui-branded snowboard (click to enlarge):

Anna Sui FW 2003-4. Image via jalougallery.com

Anna Sui’s work wears its postmodernity lightly. The designer’s myriad references, fantastical narratives, and hybrid concepts mean her collections keep evolving while staying true to a bohemian, thrift-store aesthetic. I’m already planning to make several of these (one of the hazards of research). Which are your favourites?

I made the first of my patterns by Alexander McQueen for Givenchy: the cowl-neck sheath dress, Vogue 2248. (See my earlier post here.)

Vogue 2248 by Alexander McQueen for Givenchy (1999)

I had planned to make the dress in my default black, and had even bought some mesh for the contrast cowl neck. But when I started looking back over runway photos from Givenchy’s neo-noir Fall 1998 ready-to-wear collection, I was struck by the palette of neutrals, electric blue, and especially the combination of oxblood with red.

Models: Frankie Rayder and Sunniva Stordahl. Images via firstVIEW via the Fashion Spot.

Photos: Thierry Orban. Images via Corbis.

(There’s a blue version of the original sleeveless dress on eBay. The dress fabric is a nylon/acetate/elastane blend, with acetate lining, and the back zipper reaches all the way up through the cowl.)

I made View B, the sleeveless, mid-calf version, in oxblood with a red cowl neck. I hit Designer Fabrics and found some oxblood wool, red mesh for the contrast cowl, and Bemberg for the lining. The pattern recommends chiffon for the contrast, but I wanted to stick with the mesh used for the runway version. I was a little stumped as to interfacing for the contrast, and even bought some tomato red tricot to use before learning that the best interfacing for mesh is more mesh.

I wanted a close fit, so I ignored the sizing and went by the finished garment measurements printed on the pattern, including 1″ ease at bust and waist and a little more in the hips. I also lengthened the skirt by 1.5″ to achieve the correct length.

Technical drawing for Vogue 2248

This was my first dart-fitted dress, and I had fun sewing my very first contour darts—eventually realizing the virtues of even a makeshift tailor’s ham. The cowl neck is cut on the bias, but this didn’t pose any problems, since the mesh handles much better than chiffon.

With the full lining and absolutely no stretch, the dress feels very old-fashioned to wear. One thing I misjudged was the bodice/cowl part of the bodice—I cut the right size in the bust, but didn’t distribute the extra waist length I was adding between the above-waist and shoulder areas, so it’s a bit on the high side and the cowl neck has a closer fit than in the runway photo. It would have been simpler to cut a size up and take the bodice in at the sides. The “interfaced” mesh is also a little bulky; the extra layer was probably unnecessary.

Since the Fall 1998 collection was inspired by Blade Runner, it seemed appropriate to take photos of the dress at the David Cronenberg: Evolution exhibition at TIFF Bell Lightbox. In the Interzone area, devoted to Naked Lunch (1991), visitors could have their photo taken with a Mugwump:

Naomi took some photos of me upstairs at an extension of the Cronenberg show called Body/Mind/Change (BMC). Visitors to the biotech facility BMC Labs can observe the production of personalized POD (Personal On-Demand) implants, which are held awaiting pickup by their hosts. The BMC Labs facility is still open if you’d like to create your own POD implant:

Image via BMC Labs.

Here I am in the POD holding area:

A closer view of the mesh cowl neck:

The cowl fastens in the back with hooks and thread eyes:

The lab staff let me hold a brand-new red POD (rara avis—most are colourless):

We were delighted to find BMC Labs at the end of our visit: it was the perfect backdrop for the dress given McQueen’s futuristic, sci-fi inspiration for his collection for Givenchy. I’m crossing my fingers for a red POD of my own…

Guinevere Van Seenus in Vogue, November 1997. Photo: Mario Testino.

This week, the second post in my occasional series on Vogue’s pattern editorials. (See the first post here.)

“Clean Cuts,” from the November 1997 issue, seems to have been Vogue’s last editorial to feature sewing patterns. Mario Testino photographed Guinevere Van Seenus and Amber Valetta in ’90s minimalist style in the season’s body-conscious basics—”the edgier side of Vogue Patterns,” as the headline says.

Here Guinevere Van Seenus models a white tank top made using Vogue 8062; on the right, her hooded red dress is Butterick 5088, lengthened, made sleeveless, and with an altered neckline:

Vogue, November 1997. Photos: Mario Testino. Fashion Editor: Camilla Nickerson.

The hoodie pattern, Butterick 5088, reappears on Amber Valetta, this time as a zip-up top in black Lurex. Her white silk shirt is Vogue 9501, while the red leather pants are Vogue 1982 by DKNY:

Vogue, November 1997. Photos: Mario Testino. Fashion Editor: Camilla Nickerson.

Here Van Seenus models the Vogue 9501 shirt in silk jersey with the Vogue 1982 DKNY pants in black, while Valetta wears the Vogue 8062 tank with a red leather skirt, Vogue 7074:

Vogue, November 1997. Photos: Mario Testino. Fashion Editor: Camilla Nickerson.

Butterick 5088 appears once again as a jacket in sequinned jersey with a silver lining (the tank is Butterick 8062); Valetta’s black leather tank dress is Vogue 1725 by Calvin Klein:

Vogue, November 1997. Photos: Mario Testino. Fashion Editor: Camilla Nickerson.

As always, in the back of the magazine readers could find the details of the patterns used in the shoot:

In This Issue, Vogue, November 1997.

It’s curious that the text doesn’t mention the designers behind Vogue 1982 and 1725; Donna Karan and Calvin Klein would have been major advertisers. Most interestingly, in showing patterns’ potential through fabric choice and alterations, the editorial reveals Vogue editors thinking like dressmakers.

Rebecca Lobo photographed by Michel Comte, Vogue, November 1997.

In 1997, Michel Comte photographed pro basketball player Rebecca Lobo for Vogue magazine in an evening dress made from a Vogue pattern. The American Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) had had its first game earlier that year, and the New York Liberty forward was featured in a health and beauty portfolio, “Women on the Verge,” on six women in the public eye.

Rebecca Lobo, Vogue, November 1997. Photo: Michel Comte.

The caption reads: “Rebecca Lobo, forward for the New York Liberty, former college basketball star, and Olympic gold medalist, is too tall (six feet four) for off-the-rack women’s clothes and too stylish to be relegated to baggy unisex sweatsuits. Her solution: a custom-made wardrobe. Here, satin evening gown from Vogue Pattern #9400.”

Lobo’s bias evening gown is view C of Vogue 9400 from 1995, made up in silk crepe-backed satin:

Vogue 9400, In This Issue, Vogue, November 1997.

Lobo appeared in the same issue as my previous Patterns in Vogue post—apparently the last issue to feature sewing patterns.

Kate Moss photographed by Juergen Teller, Vogue, June 1994.

It’s Kate Moss Month at SHOWstudio, so I was able to update my “Courrèges Edge” post with a newly released, early fashion film by Nick Knight featuring video of Kate Moss from the 1995 patterns shoot.

An earlier Kate Moss editorial shows the model in sophisticated summer looks, all made up in red using Vogue patterns. Photographed by Juergen Teller, “Red Hot” appears in the June, 1994 issue of Vogue magazine.

Here Moss models a simple, silk charmeuse gown, Vogue 8689; on the right she wears a sheer nylon shirt, Vogue 8447, with a pair of Ray-Ban mirror shades (click to enlarge):

Vogue, June 1994. Photos: Juergen Teller. Fashion editor: Camilla Nickerson.

On the left, Moss’ silk charmeuse romper was made using Vogue 9765, a 1980s bias lingerie pattern; on the right, the jacket from Vogue 1326 by Claude Montana becomes a short, patent leather trench coat:

Vogue, June 1994. Photos: Juergen Teller. Fashion editor: Camilla Nickerson.

Here Moss’ basic silk tank is Vogue 1342; on the right, her silk satin pantsuit is Vogue 1402 by Genny, worn with a black, silk charmeuse cami made with another ’80s lingerie pattern, Vogue 2146:

Vogue, June 1994. Photos: Juergen Teller. Fashion editor: Camilla Nickerson.

As always, in the back of the magazine readers could find all the details on the patterns used in the shoot:

In This Issue, Vogue, June 1994.

Click the Patterns in Vogue tag for more posts in the series.

Vogue Italia, February 1990. Photo: Steven Meisel. Image via Bellazon.

In celebration of Canada Day, this models post is devoted to Canadian supermodel Linda Evangelista.

Born in St. Catharines, Ontario to Italian-Canadian parents, Linda Evangelista (b. 1965) was discovered by a scout from Elite at the 1981 Miss Teen Niagara beauty contest. (She didn’t win.) At eighteen she signed with Elite and moved to New York and later, Paris. Evangelista became one of the world’s most successful and influential models, especially after Julien d’Ys cut her hair short in 1988. (More on Voguepedia.)

Harper’s Bazaar, March 1997. Photo: Patrick Demarchelier. Image via Top Models of the World.

Some of Evangelista’s early work can be seen in 1980s Vogue patterns and Burda magazine.

1980s

The young Evangelista made the cover of the Spring/Summer 1985 issue of Burda international:

Burda international, Spring/Summer 1985. Image via flickr.

She also starred in a jazz club-themed Burda editorial shot by Günter Feuerbacher (click the image for more):

Linda Evangelista in Burda international, Spring/Summer 1985. Photo: Günter Feuerbacher. Image via Magdorable!

Evangelista’s work with Vogue Patterns was for the Paris Originals line. Here she models a popular, pleated wrap dress by Emanuel Ungaro, Vogue 1799:

Vogue 1799 by Emanuel Ungaro (1986) Image via the Vintage Patterns Wiki.

Evangelista can be seen on a number of Yves Saint Laurent patterns. Vogue 1720 is an elegant dress with blouson bodice and wide, bias roll collar. The pattern includes the contrast sash:

Vogue 1720 by Yves Saint Laurent (1986) Image via Paco Peralta.

Here Evangelista shows off advanced-class colour blocking in Vogue 1721, a Nina Ricci pattern for a dramatic hooded blouse, mock-wrap skirt, sleeveless top, and sash:

Vogue 1721 by Nina Ricci (1986) Image via Etsy.

This editorial photo from the Autumn 1986 issue of Vogue Patterns magazine best conveys the different colours:

Linda Evangelista wears Vogue 1721 by Nina Ricci, Vogue Patterns, Autumn 1986. Image via Magdorable!

Evangelista also appeared on the cover of the July/August 1987 issue of Vogue Patterns:

Vogue Patterns, July/August 1987. Image via tumblr.

1990s

In the mid-1990s, Evangelista’s runway work for Yves Saint Laurent reached home sewers on Vogue pattern envelopes. From the YSL Rive Gauche Spring 1996 collection, Vogue 1862 is a pattern for cropped jacket, blouse, and high-waisted pants (see a detail shot on firstVIEW):

Vogue 1862 by Yves Saint Laurent (1996). Image via Etsy.

Evangelista brings out the drama of this Yves Saint Laurent Cossack-style coat, Vogue 1652:

Vogue 1652 by Yves Saint Laurent (1995) Image via Paco Peralta.

Happy Canada Day, everyone!

Olivia Williams (Phina Oruche) in “Hush” (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, season 4)

“Hush,” one of the strongest and spookiest episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, stars a model-turned-actor who appeared on Vogue patterns in the mid-1990s. Giles’ girlfriend Olivia is played by Phina Oruche (b. 1972). Born in Toxteth, Liverpool to Nigerian parents, Oruche was a successful model in London and New York before she won her first role in Sydney Pollack’s remake of Sabrina (1995).

Phina Oruche on the cover of Essence magazine, September 1992. Image via Phina Oruche.

Here Oruche models Vogue 1328, Issey Miyake’s jacket, top, and hammer pants:

Vogue 1328 by Issey Miyake (1994) Image via Etsy.

Vogue 1344 is an ensemble consisting of a top, high-waisted pants, and jacket with custom closures from Anne Klein II:

Vogue 1344 by Anne Klein II (1994) Image via Etsy.

Here Oruche shows off the lace-up back of Vogue 1353, a summer dress by Betty Jackson:

Vogue 1353 by Betty Jackson (1994) Image via Etsy.

Ornate trim highlights the seam detail on Vogue 1354, a top and skirt by Geoffrey Beene:

Vogue 1354 by Geoffrey Beene (1994) Image via Etsy.

Just for fun, here’s a recent portrait of Oruche by Paul Jones:

Phina Oruche. Imaage via Paul Jones.

The Gentlemen are coming…

Phina Oruche in “Hush” (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, season 4)

The closing look from John Galliano’s Maison Martin Margiela Spring 2015 couture collection. Image via style.com.

Today John Galliano presented his first collection as creative director at Maison Martin Margiela: the Spring/Summer 2015 couture. It was the first time Margiela showed in London; the collection will also be viewable by appointment during Paris couture week. (See Suzy Menkes, “Galliano for Maison Martin Margiela” and Melanie Rickie, “John Galliano: penitent return of an enfant terrible.”)

The show comes four years after Galliano’s last runway presentation. It’s been nineteen years since his first couture collection, for the house of Givenchy in January, 1996.

Shalom Harlow in Givenchy Haute Couture by John Galliano, Vogue Paris, March 1996. Photo: Mario Testino. Image via Vogue Paris.

To celebrate the designer’s return, here’s a roundup of my posts on sewing patterns by John Galliano, both for Givenchy and his own label:

• John Galliano for Givenchy: Vogue Patterns
• A Fourth Givenchy Pattern by Galliano
• Free Designer Pattern: John Galliano Jacket

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For a retrospective look at Galliano’s career, see this Vanity Fair slideshow or British Vogue’s editorial gallery.