A Talk with Worth About Clothes- August, 1913

A Talk with Worth About Clothes, 1913

It seems like Worth is all the rage in the historical costuming world right now!  Cynthia of Redthreaded just made the amazing Ironwork dress, and Cathy Hay is known for recreating the Oak Leaf Dress and other Worth creations.  I’ve heard rumors of other friends looking to recreate Worth gowns within the year.  How fun!

This interesting article from the August, 1913 issue of McCall’s Magazine, was written by the head designer of McCall’s patterns when she interviewed Jean-Philippe Worth, the son of the founder, who assumed some of the responsibilities of running the company and designing after his father’s death in 1895.

This article gives insight into M. Jean Worth’s design process and what his thoughts are about clothes.  He does make a few generalizations we might not make today, but on a whole I think you’ll find the article a fun little read.

At the end of the article it asks for suggestions for the House of Worth for designs.  Wouldn’t it have been fun to enter that contest?

Click on the images for a larger image you can read.

A Talk with Worth About Clothes, 1913

A Talk with Worth About Clothes, 1913

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Are you a fan of the House of Worth?  Let me know your favorite gowns in the comments!

2 Comments on A Talk with Worth About Clothes- August, 1913

  1. pam
    April 1, 2017 at 5:31 pm (8 years ago)

    Thank you..more posts please.

  2. Margo Moore
    May 3, 2017 at 11:22 am (8 years ago)

    Regarding Worth, in Girl of the Limberlost, by Gene Stratton-Porter, the polar opposite of Elnora, the talented and hardworking country girl, is Edith Carr. Wealthy and spoiled, she ihas a dress made up by Worth for what she hopes will be her engagement to Phillip, the love interest. Elnora makes part of her small income by collecting butterflies. A rare one is the Emperor something, sorry, haven’t read it in a while. This moth is yellow with lavender, and Edith matches the colors (including embroidered shoes) sketches out the concept (long draft sleeves evoke wings), and forwards it to Worth. The result is flattering and fascinating.

    What a cool challenge to research the Yellow Emperor (Eacles Imperialis), and try to design an evening gown that could be mistaken for a Worth Creation! The book was published, if I recall, in 1914, so Worth designs from 1910-1915 would give you a baseline. The gown was made of “lightest weight velvet” if I recall. Of course, you’d want silk velvet so it would be pricey to make and really only good on someone with a slim tall figure, but designing it could be fun.

    What a neat challenge to look up the moth

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