Vogue 8844: Very 80s Blouson Jumpsuit with Asymmetrical Front and Gathered Sleeves

This jumpsuit has been haunting my dreams, and finally, it is a reality.  

This jumpsuit checked all the boxes for me:  Dropped yoke. Hyper-gathered, pleated sleeves sewn into that yoke to create maximum puffiness.  Asymmetrical front closure.  Shoulder pads.  Side pockets.  Wide belt required.  Plenty of blousing spilling over that belt.  Sleeves that cry out:  please roll me up.  Yes, this jumpsuit spoke to me!

It is, as some sewists say, a fabric hog.  Depending on fabric width, it could consume almost seven yards.  That could get pretty expensive.  So I used an old top sheet from our queen sized bed in khaki green.  I had used the bottom sheet as a test-run for Diahann Carroll's jumpsuit.  Who knew I was sleeping on jumpsuits all those years?

I found this pattern here while browsing online, and soon discovered it's pretty rare.  I could only find two, and so I got the size 10.  I needed a 12.  Which meant I had to adjust the pattern a bit to make sure it fit over my hips.  The top I wasn't concerned about, I mean look at all that fabric!  

There is a technique called slash and spread to make a pattern bigger, which I had heard of but never researched.  I continued my campaign of ignorance and decided to just go ahead "slash" the pattern right down the middle of the leg, beginning just above the waist.  The opening was 1/4 inch the front, and 1/2 inch in the back, to create a total of 1.5 inches around the hips and a bit of a bigger waist.   

I didn't want to cut up my rare 80s pattern,
 so I copied onto tracing paper

I also wanted to make sure I didn't get skimped on the "blouson" part of the jumpsuit, so I lengthened the waist by 1.5 inches.  

The pattern provided a lengthen/shorten line at the waist,
which I used to add more fabric at the critical blousing juncture

Cutting out this jumpsuit required I take over most of our communal living area for a time:

Sewing this up was fairly easy.  And the adjustments I made worked out.

The yoke required a lining.
This leftover bit of cotton shirting I had worked well.

The jumpsuit called for snaps along the front panel with a button at the top, and buttons at the cuffs.  I did snaps throughout (using a larger one at the top of the panel).  I thought buttons would interrupt the sea of fabric flowing around my body!

The Calvin Klein stretch belt is 2.5 inches wide and not vintage.

tons of gathers in the back too!

I particularly like the detachable collar, which is just a long rectangle sewn together with a flat-felled seam.

There is a 7 inch zipper, but it wasn't necessary as I could just pull this jumpsuit on without unzipping it. I might even take it out and just sew that seam shut.

Can you see there's a pleat in the sleeve TOO?

I rather liked it with the cuffs buttoned, but I wanted to see how rolled up sleeves looked:

Rolled up sleeves and knock off Ray Bans from Chinatown

I do love my new jumpsuit, I think it's both chic and comfy.

And there's nothing like a jumpsuit to put you on a pipeline straight back to the 1980s...!

Knock, Knock, it's Knickers: Revisiting 1980s Equestrian Chic

These co-eds are so fresh-faced, it’s as though not only their bodies but their actual souls have been washed clean with Ivory soap.

McCall’s 7670 contains knickers, jodhpurs and long pants patterns.  

pattern copyright 1981

Knickers had a major moment back in the 1980s.  My friend Jean owed a pair in green wide wale corduroy which I can still conjure in my mind to this day.   She wore them with argyle socks. We didn’t know it at the time, but Jean was channelling some 1920s golfer fashion:

Of all the trends in the 80s, knickers was kind of a weird one.  Knickers came fast on the heels of gauchos, which seemed to be more of a 70s thing:

Similar to culottes, gauchos are a lot like skirts but with the convenience and coverage of pants.  Knickers are a lot like pants, but end at your knees with buttoned cuffs. They remind me of Jean circa 1984 or cast members from the Broadway musical, “Newsies”

original photo taken by George Lucozzi

Perfect for hawking papers on street corners or a jaunty pony-ride, knickers seem best suited to younger folk.   Yet, knickers DID take off and there WERE brave souls over the age of consent who sported knickers in the 80s:

(both images from May/June 1982 Vogue Patterns magazine)

Yes, tight-fitting or blousey, knickers had their day.  But could a new day dawn for these spry little trousers?  Could I--SHOULD I--sew and wear knickers? Would I WANT to wear knickers?  Am I ready for the (real and/or imagined) pitying glances? Or would I set the fashion world on fire by creatively reviving a long, twice (or more) dead trend?  After all, 3 people follow my blog, plus my mom.  

How about going way out on a limb and making the jodphurs?  What forty-something woman DOESN’T want her pants to billow out at the hips and then come in real tight at the knees?   Hey, I wasn’t a “horsey” kind of girl (never once crossed my mind to ask my parents for a pony) but it’s never too late to dabble in equestrian chic.  Is it?

more from 1982 vogue patterns mag

Jodhpurs and knickers were originally functional garments meant for sports and horseback riding.  And stirrup pants! Like their name implies, stirrup pants were originally designed so that your pants wouldn’t bunch up when slipping into your riding boots.  The zeitgeist of the 80s quickly absorbed and appropriated all of this horsey apparell and soon horses had nothing to do with them:

So I decided:  I was going to make SOMETHING out of McCall’s 7670.  But first, I wanted to make sure they fit comfortably.  

I have noticed that these 1980s patterns in size 12 seem to fit me quite well.  However, I did notice that my last pair of 80s pants JUST fit. They are comfortable but I wanted a bit more ease in my next pair.

Ease, or pattern ease, is a BIG topic of discussion (and frustration) in the online sewing world.  Of course, if your waist is 27 inches you don’t want the waist of your pants to be EXACTLY 27 inches around.  You need a bit more fabric there so you can move about comfortably.

Currently the “Big 4” pattern companies (Vogue, Butterick, McCall’s and Simplicity) generally add a huge amount of “ease” in their patterns. (As is the way of most things these days, these companies have merged and are now all owned by the same parent company.)  You may innocently purchase a pattern, cut out your size according to your measurements and then be swimming in your new clothes.  

This "Open Letter to Vogue" from the blog Communing with Fabric expounds on this frustration, plus laments for the days when Vogue released many more interesting patterns for the home sewist.  Like many, this blogger has a long history with Vogue and she has seen some unwelcome changes in their patterns. It’s a very good read!

It seems to me that my vintage 80s patterns are just better drafted than many patterns made today.  And the ease included is NOT ridiculous. This has made sewing from these patterns even more enjoyable.  My measurements are basically a size 12 (give or take) and the 1980s size 12 FITS. Wow, what a concept!

Still, I wanted just a little more room at the waist than my last pair of 80s pants had. So I watched this video to learn how to enlarge the waist on a commercial pattern.  It was pretty easy.  

I added a 1 ½ to this waist of this pattern and sewed up a pair of shorts out of a small piece of corduroy I knew I wouldn’t use (it’s a lint magnet).  Turns out that they were too big...by 1 ½ inches.  

So what I learned is that 1980s Vogue pants patterns fit OK and could use a little more ease, and 1980s McCalls patterns fit me great.  I should have intuited this from my prior makes with 1980s McCall’s patterns.  The pants on my white strapless jumpsuit fit like a dream.   

So what will it be?  Knickers? Jodhpurs? Pants with strange puffy bottoms?

What will become of me and McCall’s 7670?

Well, I actually have finished this project and all that remains is for me to corrall (ha) my husband and make him take pictures.

Tune in later this week to see!

Vogue 9227 (1985): Navy Dotted Tan Pants with White Top and Red Belt

While leafing through my July/August 1985 copy of Vogue Patterns Magazine, I noticed this pattern:

The pants were paired with their “Ultimate Big Shirt” (Vogue 9324) in a photo spread called Easy Fast Fashions for Summer. Needless to say, I tracked both patterns down online!

Vogue 9227 pants with the "Ultimate Big Shirt"

In September, people shift gears from summer to fall and school starts up again.  In Chinese Medicine, this transitional period is acknowledged as a 5th Season called Late Summer. (Back in the 80s, we called this time Indian Summer).  The days are getting shorter, the leaves are starting to change but it’s still 80 degrees outside!  

We have been experiencing that transitional feeling a lot lately in New York.  Cooler days are intermixed with very warm ones; it can be hot in the sun but cool in the shade.

I decided these pants in the ankle length version would be a good choice for early fall (as opposed to the mid-calf length which screams Summer).  I had a navy dotted tan midweight cotton that I got at Walmart a few years ago. It’s the kind of fabric that will be comfortable on all but the coldest of days.  In other words, perfect for right now!

Tan and Navy are a classic combination.  Those of us who were alive and shopping in the 1980s may remember that Tan and Red also had a moment, especially in the early 80s.

Vintage terry cloth dress (no longer available on Poshmark)

Was it because those Thom McAn hiking boots with the red laces were everywhere back then?

After you lace up your boots, don't forget your tan puffer vest!

Hits of Navy and White sharpened things up; puffer vests and jackets often came in these color combinations.

I find this palette of colors to be vivid yet earthy, and all are good choices as we move from summer into fall.

I had no major snafus in the making of these pants (it is “Very Easy” after all) and I lengthened them by 1.5 inches.

Never a believer in the No White After Labor Day Rule, I paired the pants with a bright white top I had made from this very useful 1981 McCall's pattern. 

I made the shell top, View A

The fabric is a some kind of semi-opaque crepe.  

The matching bright white lucite cuff is 80s vintage and was purchased here.  

The red belt is also vintage 80s, purchased here.

Another shoe that was big in the 80s were moccasins, particularly those made by Minnetonka.  Their iconic moccasin with the Thunderbird beadwork debuted in 1955. Enduringly popular, they became “a worldwide favorite during the 1980s Urban Cowboy trend” according to their website.  In 1986 they released their “driving moc” which immediately gained traction among the Preppy set.

The red suede moccasins I’m wearing are not Minnetoka, but are similar in style to their “driving moc” and are made by Michael Kors.

Eventually I let it all hang out and cast the belt aside:

I love how the shirt and pants have matching hemline slits!

These pants would look cute with a cropped navy blue sweater and ankle boots when it gets cooler and the moccasins go back in the closet.   I’m sure boot weather is coming soon, it just doesn’t feel like it quite yet!

Vogue 8924 (1985): Crop-Top with Puffy Sleeves and Matching Puffy Pants

In case you hadn’t heard, Puffy Sleeves Aren't Going Anywhere.

But even if they were going somewhere, I'd be all over this adorable two piece outfit:

When I think about puffy sleeves and the 80s, certain iconic images come to mind.  

Who could ever forget the epic wedding gown Lady Diana wore when she married Prince Charles on July 29, 1981?

Alexis Carrington had some absolutely gorgeous puff sleeves

Off the Shoulder Puffy Sleeve

Gorgeous sleeves.  The buttons!

I hunted around the internet for puffy sleeves and it’s true: this look is sold in stores and has been on trend since last year.

Red Valentino top available at farfetch.com.
 I might have to copy this.

Harmonia Puffed Sleeve top, available at farmrio.com
The pleat is a nice detail

Yes, the 80s really are trending as evidenced in this Harper's Bazaar article. I was touched by this young writer’s once dismissive attitude toward the 1980s until she realized that actually, fashion today is “stagnant and boring.” She wore an over the top 80s inspired gown food-shopping in order to feel alive again.  Also, this young woman was rocking some incredible shoes with her dress, sold at farfetch.com:

This shoe is BITCHIN

On a different occasion, she tones her look way down but still honors the 80s by wearing a blouse with “moderately puffed sleeves and shoulder pads” atop a pair of jeans.  Like the woman in this article, I also want to revisit some 80s looks without having people mistake me for a time-traveler.

I made Vogue 8924 in a blue and white striped seersucker.  Cotton seersucker is easy to work with, and I had no fitting issues with this pattern.  Size 12 fit just fine. I lengthened the pants by one inch which is a typical adjustment for me.

This puffy outfit comes to you straight from 1985 and needs no excuses or modifications.  It is 2019-ready!

Why, hello

I'm trying to copy the pose on the pattern

Love the texture of seersucker fabric

Here is the inside, or "wrong side" of the sleeve.  The sleeve-cap is gathered, creating a ruffle. It is then sewn into the armhole.  The pattern instructions say to iron the ruffle toward the sleeve, which helps the puffs to stand up and out better (especially in a crisp fabric like seersucker):

The pattern describes the top and pants as follows:   “loose-fitting, pullover, below waist top has back neck slit with button and loop, slightly cut-away armholes, shaped hemline, side zipper and short sleeves.  Slightly flared skirt, below mid-knee or tapered pants, above ankle, have waistband, back zipper and side pockets.”

It’s interesting to me that there is no mention of the gathered sleeve caps or that the pants are gathered at the waistband.  These are such defining elements and this outfit would look completely different without them.

The neck of the top is big enough that I can just slip over my head.  So the button and thread loop is essentially decorative and adds nice detail.  

It gave me the opportunity to practice making a thread loop, which isn’t hard, but there is a knack to it.  There are many short video tutorials online. This one was especially clear and helpful.

This outfit is comfortable and just a bit different. I'm really glad I made it. It's just right for early summer, which is right around the corner!