>Beach Pajamas in New Zealand- What Real People Wore

>A very good friend emailed me shortly after my last post on the lady with beach pajamas sharing with me a fabulous picture of her grandmother in New Zealand. She says the photo is from around 1931 or 1932.

She says in her email :
“It isn’t very easy to see alot of detail, unfortunately (it is a rather tiny photo), but I can tell you that it she told me they were made of cotton, green with an orange floral pattern on them and the bottom of the trousers were zig zagged with solid orange. She had them made by a dressmaker rather than make them herself. She lived in Auckland at the time (NZ’s largest city) and wore them at Otaki when she went to visit her Grandparents. Apparently she caused a bit of a sensation amongst the local boys who followed her over the sand dunes whistling!”

How flattering!  Isn’t her outfit beyond fabulous?  I adore her wide brimmed hat as well.  My friend is looking for a similar fabric to reproduce one for herself of this old family photo.  Has anyone seen anything similar?  If so please let  me know so I can pass on the information :)

8 Comments on >Beach Pajamas in New Zealand- What Real People Wore

  1. Andrea
    February 5, 2010 at 10:19 am (14 years ago)

    >Lauren, I found a beach pajama repro pattern, but it only comes in 40in bust http://www.pastpatterns.com/114.html. Have you thought about reproducing your pajama pattern? It's just too cute for words!

  2. casey
    February 5, 2010 at 11:27 am (14 years ago)

    >Her outfit is fantastic! :D I just adore the zig-zag detail along the hems; how amazing is that? Thanks to you (and your friend!) for sharing this!!!♥ Caseyblog | elegantmusings.com

  3. Wearing History
    February 5, 2010 at 4:50 pm (14 years ago)

    >Thanks, gals! I really adore her stylish pajamas! Yum!Andrea, I was actually thinking about it… it does take up quite a bit of paper, but they are REALLY fun and I love the way they make up. Maybe in time for Summer! Do you think there would be a demand for them?

  4. Lauren
    February 5, 2010 at 6:01 pm (14 years ago)

    >That is a great picture! I love her outfit.

  5. 1930s Girls About Town
    February 5, 2010 at 6:09 pm (14 years ago)

    >Terrific. I think there's a demand, at least at this house! I would also like to see some separate b.p. pants, as in the French pyjama blog: http://lamodepyjama.blogspot.com. I did by that Past Pattern one, since it is my size, several months ago, but don't know anyone who could make them up, so it's unopened in a drawer.

  6. Andrea
    February 5, 2010 at 8:29 pm (14 years ago)

    >Lauren, beach pajama patterns tend to go high on eBay so there must be a market for them. If you do reproduce your pattern, make sure to display a picture of you in yours. I have found that what scares newer sewists from vintage patterns are the line drawings if they are only used to photos on modern patterns.

  7. Wearing History
    February 5, 2010 at 8:45 pm (14 years ago)

    >Ok, they're added to the repro list then!I'm hoping to remedy that very issue soon- I'm taking part in a fashion show in May and am in the process of making up all of the patterns :DExciting!

  8. The Dreamstress
    February 5, 2010 at 9:06 pm (14 years ago)

    >Gorgeous! Particularly exciting for me because I'm down here in NZ (and have spent time on the dunes at Otaki!)There are a lot of early images out there of Kiwi's on the beach. Check out Leslie Adkin's stuff:http://collections.tepapa.govt.nz/search.aspx?term=adkin&imagesonly=onThey didn't seem to have quite the hold up that American's did about photographing themselves in casual wear.

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