FIDM Museum Blog

Sewing patterns from the FIDM Museum

Within the FIDM Museum collection are a number of smaller mini-collections. Some, like the Rudi Gernreich Archive, consist of large groupings of objects that document the work of a specific designer. Others, like our photograph collection, are less focused groupings of objects collected to help us interpret fashion history. One of my favorite mini-collections is our collection of paper sewing patterns. In addition to their entertaining envelope illustrations, sewing patterns are a valuable source of fashion information because they help us understand how high fashion or runway garments are interpreted for the mass market. This is particularly true for patterns associated with known designers. They can also point to the social context of specific garments or styles. Because many patterns are copyrighted, they can be very useful in dating extant garments. Sewing patterns also allow us the opportunity to engage with fashion on a very personal level. With a bit of practice and patience, any sewer can create a custom-designed garment demonstrating either a highly individual sense of style or one perfectly attuned to the latest runway fashions.

  Misses' and Women's Slack Suit and Coverall pattern
Simplicity
1942-45
2003.46.10
Gift of Andrea Tice In Memory of Carmelita Johnson

Emilio Pucci

Emilio Pucci's (1914-1992) intensely colored prints are one of the most easily identifiable "signatures" in fashion. Often described as "kaleidoscopic," a classic Pucci print is a swirling mass of abstract shapes, sinuous lines and wild color. Pucci designed the prints himself, drawing inspiration from his Italian heritage and his extensive travels around the globe. The dynamic composition of the prints was perhaps inspired by Pucci's experience as a World War II pilot. In later years, he "clearly recalled the constant movement and the kaleidoscope of colors that spread out before him" when flying over Europe.¹

By the early 1960s, Pucci prints, in the form of lightweight, easily packed silk jersey dresses, were tremendously popular with the international jet set. Not only were the prints exciting, but also the fit. Pucci's dresses were designed to highlight the body, lacking the rigid understructure of most 1950s dress designs. Widely copied at all price-points, the exuberant pattern and figure-skimming silhouette of a Pucci dress embodied the youthful, optimistic spirit that dominated the 1960s.

Maxi dress
1964
Emilio Pucci
Gift of Mrs. Robert L. Wood
97.692.1