Designing Women?
In 1859 the first paper patterns for clothing are sold. Their male American creator cashes in on the snob appeal of all things French by calling them "Mme. Demorest’s Mirror of Fashions." It worked. Patterns for cloaks (37 cents), infants' clothes (12 cents), and "fancy dresses" ($1.00), are snapped up by American women.
Before patterns, clothes are cut to size in of two ways: a new garment is made either by copying an old one or tailor made-to measure by basting a rough shape of the garment cut from muslin on the wearer, and reworking it until the seamstress gets the fit right!
that they are immediately popular. and chi, too. Queen Victoria sends to America for Butterick patterns to have suits made for her sons.
