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Joan Crawford in Mildred Pierce, 1945. You could land a B-29 Superfortress on those shoulders!

A collection of useful links to 1940's swing music and fashion resources, plus a  few other fun features.  Scroll down and take a look!  Want to see the order of the program so you can get your folder in order? Click Here Send A Westford Chorus Swinging Telegram! A great way to invite people to our June Swingband Concert. Click Here To Send One Today The Forum Have A Discussion, ask questions, state opinions, trade clothes and accessories! Click Here To Enter The Forum

Retro Butterick
This link takes you directly to the Retro Butterick section.  Of the retro patterns at this site, only a few are applicable. They are listed below.

6701 - 1943 blouse
6700 - 1944 blouse
6329 - 1942 dress
6461 - 1944 dress

Vintage Vogue
If you visit the Vogue Patterns site and navigate to Vintage Vogue, you will find a number of patterns that are appropriate. I have listed them below.  I have excluded most of the stuff from the late forties that has the "new look"--the longer skirts, more fabric, etc… A few patterns I have listed below are later designs that can be made short or long.  The street length version of these patterns is too long for the period we are concentrating on, but the design is otherwise good.

2494 - 1948 gown
2495 - 1947 gown/dress
2354 - 1947 gown/dress
2371 - 1941 gown/dress
2198 - 1944 suit
2353 - 1946 suit
2384 - 1944 wedding gown
2354 - 1947 gown/dress
2321 - 1943 dress
2322 - 1943 dress
2199 - 1946 suit
2196 - 1940 jacket/dress
2197- 1939 dress
2371 - 1941 gown/dress
2367 men's zoot suit
7325 - 1940's ladies hats

Ken Burns Jazz - A History of America's Music
Glenn Miller and Benny Goodman Bios
Zootsuitstore.com - Ready to wear Zootsuits!
Swingwear.com - For All Of Your 40's Fashion Needs.
Bedford Big Band - Our Collaborators for the Spring Show.
Amazon Dry Goods - Fashion Books, Vintage Patterns and Accessories.
 

• Glamour. October 1942, June 1943, July 1943, September 1943, October 1943, December 1943, January 1944, April 1944, May 1944, September 1944, May 1947, September 1947, November 1947.

• Leese, Elizabeth. Costume Design in the Movies. New York: Dover Publications, Inc., 1991.

• O'Donnol, Shirley Miles. American Costume, 1915-1970. Bloomington: University of Indiana Press, 1982.

• Peacock, John. 20th Century Fashion. London: Thames & Hudson, Ltd., 1993.

• Peacock, John. Fashion Accessories, The Complete 20th Century Sourcebook. London: Thames & Hudson, Ltd., 2000.

• Simon, George T., ed. The Big Bands Songbook. New York: Barnes & Noble Books, 1975.

• Taylor, John Russell. Hollywood 1940s. New York: Gallery Books, 1985.

• Vogue. February 1941, June 1945, December 1945.

Thanks to my mother, Georgia Reich, for lending me her collection of vintage 1940s fashion magazines, for teaching me to sew, and for instilling in me a love of costume.  Thanks to Dan Rowntree for his technical help in creating this site.