John Fairchild, the witty and irascible publisher and editor who transformed

his family’s fusty trade publication, Women’s Wear Daily, into the lively bible
of the fashion industry, died on Friday at his home in Manhattan. He was 87.

Women’s Wear Daily announced his death without specifying the cause.

For more than three decades, from 1960 to 1997, Mr. Fairchild was one of the
most powerful, and mercurial, people in the fashion business. From his perch
atop Women’s Wear Daily — and later at W magazine, which he founded —
he helped make kings out of designers like Oscar de la Renta, Yves Saint
Laurent and Bill Blass and whacked down those who did not meet his
exacting standards.

And before Gawker and Spy magazine and Page Six in The New York Post
became must-reads, Mr. Fairchild was already encamped at the intersection
of fashion, celebrity and high society, turning socialites like C. Z. Guest,
Mercedes Bass and Pat Buckley into personalities, stationing photographers
outside fancy restaurants as they came and went.

Everyone who crossed his path knew to beware of the newspaper’s saucy
headlines and withering asides in capital letters. He even gave designer
collections letter grades, as if Carolina Herrera and Donna Karan were back
in high school.

“Everybody got graded,” Ms. Herrera said on Friday.

Calvin Klein, another loyal subscriber, said, “He made WWD into a paper that
the media as well as socials and celebrities and everyone else read to find out
what was going on.”

Kenzō Takada
French-Japanese fashion designer

 He opened his first boutique in 1970. Called Jungle Jap, it was housed in a former antique
clothing store at the Gallerie Vivienne that Kenzo renovated himself. It was also the venue of his
first show. The shop later moved to 28 Passage Choiseul in Paris' 2e arrondissement, where his
clothes started attracting more attention.
 His designs featured in American Vogue in 1971, wherehis smock tent dresses, oversized
dungarees, enlarged armholes,original shoulder shapes and unique store were slated by
thepublication as the next development in the Paris boutiquescene.

Issey Miyake
Japanese fashion designer

From the outset, Miyake’s creative process has been based upon the concept of
“one piece of cloth.” His process explores the fundamental relationship
between the body, the cloth that covers it, and the space and room that is
created between these elements, divesting itself of the labels of “East” or
“West”. Miyake’s creative process begins by studying a single thread and
creating his material. In the 1970s, Miyake joined with a number of
collaborators, the result of which was the development of many new fabrics
and ways by which to make things that incorporated traditional handcrafts
wedded to the newest technology. While making innovative improvements to
the cutting-edge synthetic technologies of the time and incorporating them
into his pieces, Miyake also visited historic production regions and excavated
traditional techniques, such as dyeing and weaving, that were on the verge of
extinction. He forged ahead with his work, bringing traditional methods back
to life to respond to the demands of the times. Miyake established a working
method of collaborating with manufacturers and artists, trying to adapt new
products to the needs of a contemporary lifestyle. These collaborations and
research attempts led to the development of his trademark concept, “ one
piece of cloth.” An overview of his work during this period is available via the
compilation ISSEY MIYAKE : East Meets West, published 1978 (Heibonsha).
It was the first monograph of a living fashion designer to be published in the
world. A multitude of dynamic photographs and essays by artists from
different mediums explored Miyake’s interpretations of “one piece of cloth”
with art direction by Ikko Tanaka and editing by Kazuko Koike.
In the 70s, Miyake designed a line of clothing that could be physically
assembled and disassembled.

Yves Saint Laurent

French fashion designer

HE STARRED IN HIS OWN CAMPAIGNS

Today, you’re increasingly likely to see a designer star in his or her own
campaign – or, in the case of Donatella for Givenchy , another label’s
campaign altogether. But several decades before Marc Jacobs ’ beefed up
body illustrated the benefits of nude self-promotion, Yves Saint Laurent’s
(slightly less oiled) physique broke new ground in fragrance advertising in
1971. Photographed by Jeanloup Sieff, the black and white image for YSL
Pour Homme was hardly published anywhere at the time – though it would
come to resonate with the gay community in later years.

For his spring 1971 collection, Yves Saint Laurent was inspired in part by
childhood memories of his mother’s dress in 1940s Algeria — and also by the flea
market clothes sported by his coterie of female friends, such as Paloma Picasso
and Donna Jordan. This fur coat, with its broad padded shoulders and bright
green hue, was a standout piece. But the collection — which is sometimes titled
“Libération” — was lambasted by the press. France-Soir called it “Un grand
farce,” London’s Guardian “a tour-de-force of bad taste.” The “bad taste” was in
reviving the styles of a period of hardship and occupation in France — many saw
the clothes as echoing the dress of the Vichy period, and France’s collaboration
with the Nazis following the Armistice of June 1940. Despite the outcry, the
collection’s emphatic shoulders and platform shoes proved highly influential.
Yves Saint Laurent’s 1971 collection was frequently denigrated as “tarty,” and the
models were compared to 1940s streetwalkers. “For years the eye was used to a
boyish girl without breasts, waist or hips. I never thought the appearance of a
true woman would provoke such a scandal,” Saint Laurent told The New York
Times that year. The sinuous drape of this dress, hung with fox fur, is light-years
away from the space age fashions of the 1960s — but indicates the sensuous
shapes and styles, with a 1940s flair, that would be embraced throughout the
1970s.
In the latter half of the 1970s, Yves Saint Laurent began a sequence of collections
exploring folkloric dress — the most famous being his 1976 Ballets Russes
collection, often dubbed “Rich Peasant” or “Hippy de luxe.” That October, he
presented a ready-to-wear collection of 281 outfits; it lasted over two hours. A key
piece was a light, front-laced corset top. Saint Laurent revived this and turned
underwear into outerwear years before either Jean Paul Gaultier or Vivienne
Westwood did.

Kansai Yamamoto
Fashion designer

Japanese designer Kansai Yamamoto was a fixture of the '70s and '80s fashion
scene, and his avant-garde kimonos gained popularity thanks to one big-name
fan: David Bowie. Yamamoto's floaty womenswear creations helped cement
Bowie's androgynous look during his Ziggy Stardust tour, and a long-term
relationship was born.

Yohji Yamamoto
Japanese fashion designer
The 1970’s was a decade that focused on movements, equal civil rights, and
depression. The Great Depression happened this time so the nation was
going through a tough time. African-Americans, gays, and women were
fighting for their rights and movements like anti-war protests, and
environmentalism, feminism, and youth suffrage were stirring up. The 70’s
were rough but through cinema and music, the 70’s had a positive side.
Grease is one of the biggest hits that happened in the 70’s, with iconic “bad
boys” in leather jackets and grease in their hair. They were edgy, and
rebellious, just like Yamamoto himself. Yamamoto does not listen to trends,
but does whatever he wants to do. Being the rebel that he is, he went the
opposite direction of couture wear in Paris at the time and avoided doing
bright colors with typical silhouettes. He uses a dark palette which expresses
the dark side of the times and the flair in his designs also reflects the flair
clothing in the disco outfits of the 70’s. He never really looks for inspiration in
other designers besides Rei Kawakubo, but only in himself.

1970s

Vogue introduced designer menswear patterns in the early 1970s with designs by Bill Blass and Pierre
Cardin. From Cardin, Vogue 2918 is a double-breasted coat in two lengths:
 Vogue 2918 by Pierre Cardin (1973) Image via Etsy.

1975 saw the release of some his-and-hers Valentino patterns. Vogue 1180, a men’s jacket and pants
pattern, was photographed with a women’s Valentino ensemble, Vogue 1178:
 Vogue 1180 by Valentino (1975) Image via the Vintage Patterns Wiki.

Polo by Ralph Lauren was introduced to Vogue customers in the summer of 1975. The safari-style Vogue
1237 and 1238 were photographed in India:
 Vogue 1237 and 1238 by Polo Ralph Lauren in Vogue Patterns, May/June 1975. Photos: Steve Horn. Image via
Make Mine Vogue.

Also by Polo Ralph Lauren, Vogue 1581 is a double-breasted trench coat with detachable lining:
 Vogue 1581 by Polo by Ralph Lauren (c. 1977)

This Christian Dior shirt-jacket and pants is the only men’s Dior pattern I’ve seen:
 Vogue 1609 by Christian Dior (ca. 1977) Image via PatternVault on Etsy.

This snappy three-piece suit is by Bill Blass:

 Vogue 1620 by Bill Blass (1977) Image via patronescostura on Etsy.

There were two menswear patterns by Yves Saint Laurent: safari suits photographed by Chris von
Wangenheim (see Paco’s related post here):
 Vogue 1645 and 1644 by Yves Saint Laurent in Vogue Patterns, March/April 1977. Photos: Chris von
Wangenheim. Image via Paco Peralta.

Givenchy licensed a trim three-piece suit, Vogue 2112:

 Vogue 2112 by Givenchy (1979) Image via PatternVault on Etsy.

In 1979 the company released a trio of menswear patterns by Calvin Klein—separate patterns for a shirt,
jacket, and pants. Vogue 2256 is a pattern for slim, tapered men’s pants; view B is low-rise and flat-front:
 Vogue 2256 by Calvin Klein (1979) Image via Etsy.

Horn/Griner, 1972 + Labour Day Sale

August 30, 2017 §  1 Comment
 Vogue 8206 and 8204 in Vogue Pattern Book, 1972. Photo: Horn/Griner.

Horn/Griner photographed this military-inspired ensemble for an early ’70s issue of Vogue

Pattern Book: the shirt, Vogue 8206, in camo voile and the pleated skirt, Vogue 8204, in khaki

gabardine. The vest was available as a knitting pattern in the magazine. (Printed voile by

Aquarius Fabrics; Rosewood Fabrics double woven polyester gabardine.) The scene captures the

late-summer mood.
This Labour Day weekend, from Thursday, August 31st through Monday, September 4th,

customers will receive 15% off everything in the PatternVault shop as part of Etsy’s first Labour

Day sale. No coupon required—the new system will show the discounted price. And if you’re

new to Etsy, you can use the new guest checkout.

Happy Labour Day, everyone. See you in September.

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Betsey Johnson: Butterick Patterns

August 10, 2017 §  Leave a comment

Betsey Johnson sketch for Paraphernalia, 1965. Image: CFDA / Pinterest.

Betsey Johnson turns 75 today. Four decades on, the designer’s 1970s Butterick patterns are still

very popular. Here’s a look at Johnson’s early work, with an emphasis on more seldom seen

archival images.

Betsey Johnson (b. 1942) has made a career of creating irreverent, youth-oriented clothes that

stand a bit outside the mainstream. She learned sewing and pattern drafting while running a

dance school as a teen, but got her official start in the business designing for Youthquake

boutique Paraphernalia. By 1970 she was the designer for Alley Cat, a junior sportswear label.

(For more see Vogue.com and Anne-Marie Schiro, “Betsey Johnson: Honor for a Life of Celebrating

Youth.”)
Models wear Betsey Johnson neon satin dresses in Piper’s Alley, Chicago. Life magazine, November 11, 1966.

Photo: Howell Conant. Image: LIFE archive.

Juggling in a Betsey Johnson mini dress in front of Steel Pier’s mystery ride, Atlantic City. Life magazine, May 24,

1968. Photo: Richard Davis. Image: LIFE archive.

In 1971, Johnson won a Coty Award for her work at Alley Cat (see the New York Times notice).

The following year, Butterick launched its Betsey Johnson patterns in the Spring 1972 catalogue.

The designs were also cross-promoted (along with Cyrus Clark cotton chintz) with a Barbara

Bordnick editorial in Seventeenmagazine.

 Butterick 6530 by Betsey Johnson of Alley Cat, Butterick Home Catalog, Spring 1972. Model: Sunny Redmond.

Butterick 6533 by Betsey Johnson in “The Betsey Girl,” Seventeen, January 1972. Photo: Barbara Bordnick. Image:

Gold Country Girls.

Butterick 6530 by Betsey Johnson in Seventeen, January 1972. Photo: Barbara Bordnick. Image: Gold Country

Girls.

Butterick 6535 by Betsey Johnson in Seventeen, January 1972. Photo: Barbara Bordnick. Image: Gold Country

Girls.
 Butterick 6532 by Betsey Johnson in Seventeen, January 1972. Photo: Barbara Bordnick. Image: Gold Country

Girls.

The earliest of Johnson’s Butterick Young Designer patterns refer to her as Betsey Johnson of

Alley Cat, and most seem to predate the founding of her company in 1978. Here’s Butterick

6979 on the cover of the March 1973 issue of Butterick’s news leaflet:
 Butterick 6979 by Betsey Johnson of Alley Cat, Butterick Fashion News, March 1973. Image: eBay.

The young Patti Hansen in Alley Cat:

 Patti Hansen in Alley Cat by Betsey Johnson, Glamour, December 1973. Photo: Rico Puhlmann. Image: Getty.

One of the first items I sold on Etsy was this 1975 issue of Butterick Fashion Newswith a Betsey

Johnson cover. (Click to see inside.) The same embroidered pinafore was featured on the home

catalogue cover:
The Romantic Pinafore: Butterick 4090 by Betsey Johnson of Alley Cat, Butterick Fashion News, March 1975.

Image: PatternVault on Etsy.

 Butterick 4090 by Betsey Johnson of Alley Cat, Butterick Home Catalog, Spring 1975. Image: eBay.

The pinafore also appears in this cute advertisement with Butterick 4088:

 Butterick Betsey Johnson ad in Seventeen, February 1975. Image: Carmen and Ginger.

This Butterick ad shows three Betsey Johnson designs that came with transfers for DIY

embellishment (dress Butterick 4679, knit tops Butterick 4676, and skirt/pants Butterick 4678):

 Butterick ad for Betsey Johnson patterns in Seventeen, 1976. Image: Gold County Girls.

The Spring 1976 catalogue used illustrated photographs to present this DIY series, which also

included a hat and shoes (1st page, Butterick 4680; 3rd page Butterick 4681, with Joyce Walker on

the right):
Butterick 4680 by Betsey Johnson, Butterick Home Catalog, Spring 1976.
 Betsey Johnson patterns in the Butterick Home Catalog, Spring 1976.

Another 1976 Butterick ad shows a Betsey Johnson jumper (Butterick 4956) with deep ribbon trim

—perfect for a late-summer Cape Cod getaway:

 Butterick ad for Betsey Johnson patterns in Seventeen, August 1976. Image: Pinterest.

Happy birthday, Betsey Johnson!

 Cotton ad featuring Alley Cat by Betsey Johnson in Seventeen, August 1973. Models: Sunny Redmond, Betsey

Johnson. Image: FinnFemme.

Diane von Furstenberg

When her figure-hugging, jersey wrap dress became a cult item, both for the Studio 54 crowd and the
Park Avenue set, she was cemented in the realm of icons. Over the next 30 years, she saw her business
soar, decline and, in the last decade, resurge in popularity, to become the multimillion-dollar fashion
empire it is today
Cybill Shepherd, 1976
Cybill Shepherd wore the Diane von Furstenberg wrap dress in Scorsese’s Taxi Driver in 1975. With a
low-neck and a red and with geometric pattern and tie waist, it optimised everything sexy and effortless
about DVF’s designs and soon became a cult 70s happening. 

JOHN BATES

He formed his own label in 1972.

John Bates designed black leather costumes for Diana Rigg in the role of Emma Peel in the
British TV series the Avengers, including what he called "the smallest dress in the world

In 1973 he designed the famous backless evening dress and from the 70's onwards, evening wear played a
major part of his collections. His clothes had a sophisticated youthfulness.

Kenzo (1940)
The first male student to enter Tokyo's Bunka Fashion College, the Japanese designer,
Kenzo Takada, moved to Paris in the 1960s before meeting with success in the 1970s. He
designed fun and young creations mingled with a touch of Parisian elegance. He
reinterpreted the kimono and used bright Oriental textiles that enabled an original fusion of
cultures

Ralph Lauren (1939)

The American designer epitomizes the American style bringing together New England
aristocratic elegance and cowboys' laid-back manners. He started designing men's clothes
that highlighted a strong preppy feel and adapted his menswear to women to whom he
proposed tailored and classic pieces. Being a Jew from the Bronx, Lauren achieved his own
American Wasp dream.

Sonia Rykiel (1930)

The self-taught red-headed Parisian designer has always imagined a very personal fashion,
inspired by what she wanted to wear herself. She therefore created elegant and sensual
garments always unconcerned by trends and with a strong taste for deconstruction, comfort
and layering, epitomizing the Left-Bank “Parisienne”. One of her trademarks, are the
coloured stripes on her jersey designs.
Vivienne Westwood (1941)
The British designer personifies Great-Britain's contrasts by uniting punk and aristocracy.
Her designs reinterpret history with a constant touch of irreverence. An icon of punk and
sexual fetishism with her partner Malcom McLaren in the 1970s, she turned to historicism in
the 1980s bringing back corsets and crinolines to fashion.