Whatever happened to curved darts?

Looking through my 60's vintage patterns, I noticed that a lot of the dresses had those curved darts down the front.  I've also noticed that the waist measurement of all these patterns is a lot less than today's standard waist measurement for the same bust and hip measurements.  This got me wondering whether that was why we never see these darts on contemporary patterns; that maybe they just are not necessary anymore.  So I decided to make up one of these patterns to test this out and chose Simplicity 8882 for this purpose.  I added 6cm to the waist and 4cm to the hips to bring the measurements up to date for a pretty standard Australian size 12 (92cm bust)

Well, the darts are great.  The dress looks better on a real body than it does on my dummy. Sorry I dont have a photo to show you.  I can see how the darts contribute to making a lovely silhouette and I really cant understand why contemporary patterns have stopped using them.  I reckon this Asos shift dress would be much improved with them.  The fabric kind of just hangs like it is waiting to be stitched into a curved dart.

So, looks like curved darts are still good even on bodies that dont have the classic hour glass figure that women were supposed to have in the 60's (and before).  Having solved that puzzle I can merrily go on and make up more patterns from my vintage collection.

Here's what the back view of the made up Simplicity 8882 looks like

Project Details

Pattern: Simplicity 8882 (c. 1969),  view 5

Fabric: 1.8m Annamoa  medium weight cotton fabric from IKEA plus 30cm pink and white spot lighter weight cotton for facings from my stash

Notions: 50cm invisible zip

Vogue 8613 - Pattern Review

I think it was the cap sleeve of view A that attracted me to this pattern.  The skirt without gathers, tucks or pleats yet with some flair also appealed. I have a piece of silk/cotton fabric which I could picture in this style.  The skirt construction and style also means that it would be easy to line.  The only problem I could foresee was that the pattern was sized for moderate stretch knits only and the silk cotton is a woven with no stretch.   I could see that the skirt could be cut on the bias, the bodice too.  This would create more ease in the garment.

Intending to make a muslin before cutting into the cotton/silk, I found a piece of stretch poplin in my stash and decided to use this.  It had some stretch in it but not as much as the kind of knit fabric the pattern is intended for but would offer scope to judge just how much movement was allowed in the pattern.  I  added .5cm extra to the seam allowance and left enough fabric at the centre back of the bodice to make a pleat, if required.  The dress features a front button opening and a side seam zip.  I wondered if the zip would be necessary.  It certainly is.  The dress is very fitted and without the zip it would be much harder to get into and out of, though I suspect that if the fabric is very stretchy you could get away without the zip as there would be enough stretch at the waist of the dress to get it over head or hips.

It is hard to tell from the photo, but I did create a pleat in the lower part of the back bodice to add comfort and allow for movement.

The feature on the front bodice I thought from looking at the illustration was going to be three little tucks. They are in fact darts.  They could easily be made into tucks or gathers; either of which I think would be attractive.  I did make the self fabric tie but thought the dress looked a little dowdy.  A different colour would lift the dress and the illustration for View A does picture a contrasting tie belt.  For this dress, a belt made from the same fabric with a vintage looking buckle would also look great.  The dress in the photo is shown with a belt purchased from Country Road.

 

My cap sleeves have a few gathers at the sleeve head. I think a moderate stretch fabric would have enabled me to eliminate these and end up with a result that did look just like the picture.  I actually like the gathers.  They add a touch more femininity which suits this fabric and creates a softer look. I bound the lower part of the armhole, which would not have been necessary if I had used a jersey or similar fabric.  I was very happy with how this dress turned out. It was an easy pattern to sew. The pattern is definitely sized for a stretchy fabric, so it would be essential to make a muslin if using a woven fabric to garner the correct fit for ease and comfort.  I'm especially pleased I didnt make the dress in the silk/cotton first up as having seen the finished result I have decided that I am less keen on this style.  It could easily look dowdy and a little too plain for my liking. Choosing the right fabric or embellishments for the dress would ensure against this.  I think if I made this pattern again I would make it with short puffed sleeves (not an option included with the pattern).  Or out of a picture fabric; one that requires a plain construction to allow the fabric to star.