The Minerva Style Book, Volume 73, dates from 1947. The cover ensemble is called 'Guardsman' and is supposed to look military. It is knit on size 3 needles at 8 sts/inch of fingering yarn. The jacket is diagonally buttoned and is meant to be worn without a blouse. The skirt is pencil slim and has both front and back slits for walking ease.
The dramatic evening dress is knit at 7 sts/inch in a dress yarn called Minerva Monterey, but the flowers are knit in Germantown yarn. The motifs are knit in intarsia rather that being embroidered in duplicate stitch afterward. The skirt is knit separately from the top, then the two are sewed together.
The model for the Fern Fantasy dress looks a little like Drew Barrymore to me. Look at those shoulder pads! This outfit was supposed to be special because it was designed by a Hollywood designer, Audrea of Hollywood, who I have never heard of but will look up later. The fern motifs are also worked in intarsia and the garment is a dress, not two pieces.
Here is another design from Audrea of Hollywood. I like the lines of this one except for the linebacker shoulders, especially the 3/4 sleeves and the neckline. It is knit of Monterey dress yarn at 8 sts/inch.
The fuller coat topper with a swing back was popular after the war and into the fifties. In this version, the back is very full and the whole garment has lots of dressmakerly qualities like cuffs, yoke, and collar.
Continuing the military theme, this dress is called 'Epaulet'. If you bumped into a shorter person in a crowd, you could put their eye out with those shoulder pads. In spite of that, the whole effect is elegant. Also of Monterey at 8 sts/inch.
'Double Check' is a one-piece dress with gathered skirt worn with a short, checked jacket. The instructions say it was knit in pearl and appleberry, by which I think they mean cream color and apple green. I have heard it said that 3/4 sleeves will fool the eye of the beholder and make you look 10 pounds lighter. They certainly look chic.
This one-piece dress has intarsia panels in the contrasting dress front, a slightly flared skirt, and a knitted bow tie.
Today is supposed to be about 10 degrees cooler than yesterday. The weather guys here always talk about the maritime influence and the fog creeping up or down the coast and making its way inland, so the fog is supposed to really get here tomorrow. I will applaud its arrival.
1 comment:
Audrea of California is my step-grandmother. She had a yarn shop on Rodeo Drive in the 30s & 40s and designed knits for Joan Crawford, Paul Newman, and other big names of the time. Beautiful stuff! I hope I can find the pattern book you have b/c I don't have many of her patterns.
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