DuBarry 1300B (Ladies' Pirate Costume)

Mid 1930s.

This one is in the fine tradition of pirate pin-up girls, who sometimes get enlisted to sell oranges.

Although today we think of costumes being worn only on Halloween, fancy dress parties were still popular in the 1930s throughout the year.  Sometimes they were charity benefits.  I believe I see a pirate in the second row, third from the left in this wonderful 1930s group from Tasmania.

From the Tasmanian Philatelic Society

Pattern pieces are included for the blouse, bolero, and shorts.  The instructions sheet describes how to cut out the bandana and sash, both on the straight, and because this is the 1930s, also on the bias.

DuBarry patterns were sold in Woolworth's and produced by Simplicity. This unprinted pattern shows some signs of being used.

Happy Talk Like a Pirate Day!

Du Barry 5904 - Men's Undershirt and Shorts

1944.

Styles in men's underclothes change slowly.  See Economy 4617 for largely similar men's under garments dating about 40 years earlier.  DuBarry is Woolworth's house brand of patterns.  They were produced by Simplicity.

There seems to be a strong expectation by the designers that you'll make this up in stripes; the yardage chart very carefully states the yardage for lengthwise striped material.  Cutting the waistband crosswise means that you don't have to try to match the stripes in the shorts, but this option disappears in the layout for a large size, when to make the most efficient use of the goods the waistband is cut lengthwise.

The instructions state the seams should all be flat stitched (we would generally say flat felled now) but they don't give instructions on how to do this; you're expected to know how.

Illustrations on patterns for men's clothing frequently show the gentleman smoking a pipe (see the small line drawing); perhaps this manly activity is supposed to distract us from the fact that we're walking around Woolworth's carrying a picture of a somewhat scantily clad male not related to us.

Du Barry 2350B - Child's Two-Piece Snow Suit and Cap

Latter 1930s.

I remember my snow suits being blue quilted nylon and horribly ugly.

Du Barry patterns were sold exclusively at Woolworth's and were produced by Simplicity.

The description on the back of the envelope provides some cheerful, if somewhat ungrammatical advertising copy:

This is a nice, thoughtful design with the reinforced knees and two patch pockets (for two hankies for runny noses.)  As long as the new slide fasteners didn't jam (mine sometime did, thirty years later) they would have been an improvement over trying to cope with buttons with cold or mittened hands.

Making up a snow suit in a size two is a labor of love.  The center back length of the jacket is only fifteen inches.  The outer side length of the trousers will be 24 inches.