Wow, I really got sucked into this vintage movie by Simplicity. THAT’S RIGHT, BETTY, LET THE PATTERN TELL YOU. Cringeworthy and hilarious, especially the shame spiral at the beginning, but there is still seriously useful information once you get further in.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-E1j9DxEEUw
What a hoot! Love the featherweight she was sewing with, though.
I thought the same thing!! And all shiny and new. I did learn some things after we got past the pitch for using Home Ec to catch a man.
I think we saw this, or something very close, in eighth grade sewing! The narration alone took me back. Fun to see.
Hi, Mandy. Thank you for posting this. Simplicity must have been in the forefront in 1948 by showing a young man crediting a young woman’s professional knowledge and skill. But, giving credit to a woman’s abilities in dressmaking was fairly safe. Did you notice the young man almost compared his skills in architecture to the woman’s designing skills? Of course, Simplicity was trying to appeal to women. I wonder if the script was written by a woman or man. Interesting.
The sewing content was well done. I was surprised how complete it was. Where did you get this?
I was trawling youtube looking for old commercials for sewing machines! I learned quite a bit from this, in truth, and will be adding a few of the technqiues to my slowly growing skill set with garment sewing. I also thought it was interesting that there was a not so subtle emphasis on her being able to control him with her good looking outfit, like when he visibly swallowed when he saw her.
Oh my gosh. Your description is so accurate, hilarious and horrifying all at once. If only we could distill the useful information and get past the “snag a man” narrative it would be perfect!
Still, a useful video all in all, don’t you think? And women still do this, although perhaps not to the degree of making our own couture to make it happen, ha!
Oh how I love this! Hilarious yet helpful. I think I’ll have to share on my blog as well, if you don’t mind. I do love her comment (and wish more people realized the truth of it) when he comments that her clothes look so well-made and she reminds him that the best clothes are hand made – not purchased from a mass-produced rack.