1920s

Cut & Color Couture: 1926 Flapper Fashion

A 1926 paper doll coloring page

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As a librarian, I usually make it a point to cite my sources, especially when I talk about historical stuff. But I have to admit, I didn’t jot down all my references this time around, so… you’re just going to have to trust me.

I know all of these lovely dresses are from Good Housekeeping from the year 1926, but the exact months and page numbers remain unknown. You can read all the issues from that year, over on the HathiTrust website. It’s a cool online library run by a bunch of big research universities in the U.S., so there’s a ton of great info to explore. Seriously, I end up spending hours poking around there, if I’m left unsupervised.

Anyway, this is one of a collection of Cut and Color Couture series paper dolls that I have been working on that are historical. It’s been fun. I can’t wait to share it- even if I don’t have perfect citations for most of it.

Evening with her 1920s Dresses

A free 1920s printable paper doll coloring page with two dresses, three hats and purses.
A free 1920s printable paper doll with fashions. She can be printed and played with.

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So, today’s 1920s printable paper doll was something I drew, because I was a little tired and the great thing about historical paper dolls from time periods I know pretty well is that they aren’t a ton of work. Especially because resources like Good House Keeping can be found online in their complete run. It makes this fun!

Some of you may recall from my Goals of 2022 was more historical paper dolls and more Dolls Du Jour, so I am super psyched that I got to kill two birds with one stone. Metaphorically speaking, I do not condone bird stoning.

This is my 10th historical paper doll for 2022! I reached my goal and it’s only August. It’s only my 6th DDJ paper doll, I still need four more to reach my goal. I like goals.

I digress.

So, today’s 1920s printable paper doll has two gowns designed to fit in with the theme of a 1920s wardrobe. The dress on the left is a blue and cream day dress and the dress on the right is a coral colored evening dress. It’s not really a super formal evening dress- more like something for an evening garden party. You know, if you have a lifestyle where evening garden parties are your thing.

The blue dress was based on this McCall 5120 sewing pattern from 1927. I assume this is a day dress, but I don’t know for certain. It seems to be more casual daywear. That’s a guess based on other dresses I’ve seen. Her clutch was based on this one, but I modified it to match the dress better.

The coral colored evening gown is from 1924 and was first published in Good House Keeping from June 1924. The dress is described as a light weight option for summer parties. I am always playing around with how to show transparency in linework. The purse comes from a French design and I made the color match the dress.

The paper dolls underwear was inspired by this combination from the Met Museum. You can see similar styles here and here. These teddies or combinations seem to have been pretty popular given the number that have survived.

Sometimes people ask me if my paper dolls are historically accurate and I wince a little. Not because I can’t tell you my sources (I clearly can, I just did), but because the entire idea of historical accuracy is sort of impossible. We simply don’t know enough about the past and we never will. So much about the clothing a person choses to wear has to do with unwritten rules that people conform to in society.

I have no idea how an actual woman from the 1920s would feel about these dresses and I never will. That’s impossible. As a result, I have no idea how accurate anything I draw really is. All I can do is tell you where I found my sources and what decisions I made.

And I hope you enjoy these little expeditions into historical clothing as much as I do.

A 1920s Paper Doll Dress With Hats Based on Designs from Catalog Pages

1920s paper doll dress and hats based on the catalogs of B. Altman and Company and Sears from paperthinpersonas.com. Available to print in color or in black and white.

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And once more into the 1920s my friends. Once more.

Today’s dress, hat and purse are both based on a design from B. Altman and Company. B. Altman and Company was a luxury department store, so the clothing tends to be very fashionable and on the more expensive side. 1920s Fashions from B. Altman & Company is a collection of reprints from their catalogs from Dover Publishers that I used.

The other hat was adapted from a design from Sears, another major department store of the era. Also from a Dover book, but that time I used Everyday Fashions of the Twenties: As Pictured in Sears and Other Catalogs also from Dover. Both of these books are pretty easy to find on the secondary market for reasonable prices.

In case you’ve missed any of my 1920s paper doll series, here’s what I’ve created so far.

The 1920’s Doll & Her Dresses

In the works is some 1960s clothing for the paper dolls (as voted on by my Patrons), but I have no idea when those dolls will be done. I also really want to do some more older historical styles like the 13th century, but I haven’t really tried to tackle that yet. Soon, I hope.

Meanwhile, enjoy my foray into the 1920s.

And if you’d like to help support the blog (I very much run PTP through the NPR model- no ads and maybe people will be nice enough to help me offset costs) consider becoming a Patron.

Need a doll to wear today’s paper doll clothing? All the A Pose Dolls & Clothing

Paper Doll Dress From the Late 1920s With Two Hats

A paper doll dress from 1929 with two different cloche style hats.

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Since I am a librarian, I would be neglectful if I didn’t start out with some sources. Today’s 1929 paper doll dress is based on the design on a sewing pattern from McCall. Specifically, McCall 1517 and it’s very much the end of the 1920s. The skirt lenght is a short as it would get, right below the knee, before it drops in the 1930s to mid-calf. The long narrow neckline with collar detail would have been elongating and flattering.

The feathered hat comes from Liberty of London in 1928 and was based on this one held at the V&A Museum. It’s one of my all time favorite 1920s hats. Her other cloche was inspired by several different hats including this one and this one.

I find hats and purses are a bit harder to research than dresses and shoes. I’m not entirely sure why, but I think fewer of them seem to have survived. Plus, there’s always the question of how to decide what sort of hat goes with what sort of dress. It’s something I probably fret more about than is entirely needed given my medium is paper dolls and I’m not in charge of some sort of exhibit on the topic.

This is the last 1920s dress for a while. I have one more, but it is not entirely finished yet. I don’t think it’ll be done for Monday. Meanwhile, you can print out 1920s Akiko and her other dress to keep you occupied with 1920s styles.

Come back Wednesday for something for the B Pose ladies from the 1930s. I’m trying to decide which decade I could tackle next. I’ve done 1920s, 1930s and 1940s at this point. I am currently divided between the 1950s and the 1960s. Thoughts? Let me know in a comment which one I should do next.

Need a doll to wear today’s paper doll clothing? All the A Pose Dolls & Clothing

A 1920s Paper Doll Dress With Hats to Print

A 1920s paper doll dress with hats for the Dames and Dandies paper doll series. The dress has a dropped waist, side bows and a pleated skirt. The hats are both cloches. The designs come from 1927.

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As promised, today I have a 1920s dress to accompany poor Akiko from last week who needed something to wear over her slip and girdle. Today’s 1920s paper doll dress and hats are from Montgomery Ward Fashions of the Twenties edited by JoAnne Olian. The book is a selection of the 1927 Montgomery Ward catalog. I wouldn’t recommend it as anyone’s only 1920s book, because it only covers one year. However, 1927 is a good year to choose, because the later 1920s are what most people picture when they imagine 1920s styles.

Also, the late 1920s are my preferred part of the decade as well.

I really wanted the hats to coordinate with the 1920s paper doll dress. And if you hop back to Akiko from last week, you’ll see one pair of her shoes match the colors in this dress as well.

Part of why I chose this dress to draw is that I liked it, but also because it has so many elements that are typical of the late 1920s. There’s asymmetrical design elements- the neckline and the bows. The line down the side of the body would be flattering on body. 

And given how hard the dropped waist look of this era was to wear, you need any help you can get. 

I also really like the pleated skirt. Pleated skirts were pretty popular. I think, because they provide some movement in a silhouette that can feel a bit like you’re wearing a sack otherwise. I’ve always wanted a pleated skirt, but I haven’t found the right one yet.

Need a doll to wear today’s paper doll clothing? All the A Pose Dolls & Clothing

The Poppets Paper Dolls Get 1927 Dresses for School and Parties

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Today’s Printable Paper Doll Inspirations: Montgomery Ward Fashions of the Twenties
A printable 1927 paper doll dress with matching hat from paperthinpersonas.com. The dress is a "school dress" with a blouse and matching pleated skirt. The hat is a cloche with contrast trim.

printable 1927 paper doll dress with matching hat from paperthinpersonas.com. The dress is a "school dress" with a blouse and matching pleated skirt. The hat is a cloche with contrast trim to color.

Today I am doing something special and posting two Poppet’s dresses- a school dress and a party dress from 1927. First up, the school dress.

When I was a kid, I loved the idea of a school dress. Despite my mother’s horror stories of wearing patent leather shoes to school, I imagined the idea of having a school dress as something very romantic and old fashioned.

Despite realizing that there’s nothing magical about having special dresses for different activities, I still love the concept.

As anyone who has been following this blog for any length of time has probably figured out, I love the idea of changing clothes several times a day for different events.

I do realize in reality, this would be a total pain in the butt, but hey, it’s a neat idea.

So, I knew I wanted to find a school dress for the Poppets for their 1920’s children’s wardrobe collection. This choice is from the Montgomery Ward catalog of 1927.

The pleated skirt makes me think school dress even though there’s no other reason to associate it with such.

I picked out the hat, because I thought the detailing was similar to the dresses piping details. The dress and the hat both come from Montgomery Ward Fashions of the Twenties. I don’t highly reommend this book, unless you already have a lot of 1920s books. It’s just from 1927, so it doesn’t really give you the range of years that some other books do.

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Today’s Printable Paper Doll Inspirations: Montgomery Ward Fashions of the Twenties

A printable paper doll party dress from 1927. The dress is trimmed in ribbons and roses.

A printable paper doll party dress from 1927. The dress is trimmed in ribbons and roses.

When I was going through the Poppet’s 1920s Children’s Wardrobe Collection, I noticed that they didn’t have a party dress. I poured through the different books I have until I found this one in the book Montgomery Ward Fashions of the Twenties.

Something about this dress made me think of spring time, even though outside the weather is chilly and there was even snow a few weeks ago. Snow in Alabama is a big deal. Everyone buys milk and eggs. Even I buy milk and eggs and I don’t even like milk or eggs very much.

I digress.

The point is that I decided to color this dress pale green, because I thought it seemed like a summery dress. The ruched waistline was tough to draw and I am not sure I was entirely successful. I really had fun drawing the ruffles.

I like drawing ruffles.

Tomorrow, I’ll be sharing some clothing probably? I mean, I haven’t really decided yet what to share about the new series. So, I should get on that. 🙂 Friday will be B&B Sorceress gowns.

Need a paper doll to wear today’s outfit? Pick a Poppet Paper Doll Here.

Poppet’s 1920s Apron Dress: A Paper Doll Dress to Print in Color or Black and White

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Today’s Printable Paper Doll Inspirations: Montgomery Ward Fashions of the Twenties
A paper doll dress based on a 1927 design for an 'apron dress' with a matching hat in blue and coral pink. Free to print from paperthinpersonas.com.

A paper doll dress based on a 1927 design for an 'apron dress' with a matching hat to color. Free to print from paperthinpersonas.com.

First off, Happy Hanukkah to anyone, like me, who is celebrating. It’s the second night tonight and my menorah is burning in the window. No Hanukkah paper dolls this year, which I am a little sad about, but I didn’t manage to get one done in time.

As I mentioned Monday, all the latest 1920s Poppets stuff comes from Montgomery Ward Fashions of the Twenties by JoAnne Olian. This dress was described as an ‘apron dress’ which is a term I’ve seen as far back as the Edwardian era to describe dresses with that flap tabard like thing in the front. This one was one of the less expensive dresses on the page, so I suspect it is meant to be more of a home dress, rather than a school dress.

I loved the piping in the design and the patterned contrast cuffs and pockets.

The hat was on a different page and might not have been worn with the dress, but I really enjoy drawing hats and I thought it was awfully cute.

If you pop over to my Patreon page you’ll find a pastel based version of today’s 1927 apron dress that you might like better. I was fully divided on which version I preferred, I confess.

So, if you like this than check out the rest of the 1920s Children’s Wardrobe collection which is full of 1920s goodness. There will be another Poppet outfit on Friday- it’s a fantasy ice skating toilette.

Tomorrow, there will be a post about the future of the blog! With pictures! Tune if you like. Otherwise, I shall see you Friday.

Need a paper doll to wear today’s outfit? Pick a Poppet Paper Doll Here.

The Poppets 1920s Pajamas for a Printable Paper Doll

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Today’s Printable Paper Doll Inspirations: Montgomery Ward Fashions of the Twenties
A pair of 1920's pajamas based on designs sold by the Montgomery Ward department store in 1927 for the Poppets printable paper dolls from paperthinpersonas.com in color.

A pair of 1920's pajamas based on designs sold by the Montgomery Ward department store in 1927 for the Poppets printable paper dolls from paperthinpersonas.com..

One of the books I treated myself to recently was Dover’s Montgomery Ward Fashions of the Twenties by JoAnne Olian. It was on sale as I recall. Anyway, the book is fashions from one year- 1927 and all from Montgomery Ward which was a higher end department store. So, this next batch of Poppet’s 1920s Children’s Wardrobe collection  all comes from this book.

Today’s addition to the 1920s Children’s Wardrobe collection is a pair of pajamas. One of my Patrons asked for Pajamas a while ago and I realized I’ve done very few pajamas over the years. So, here we are. Pajamas!

This week will be all Poppets paper doll posts. I have a bunch done and I wanted to share them. In fact, this whole month will be a bit random, because I am clearing out the backlog I have of current paper doll series.

In January, all the of the current paper doll series will cease updating and a new series, as of yet unnamed, will take their place. I know this is a big deal and I know there are probably questions.

But at the moment, I have limited answers.

Two things I can promise:

1. The blog is not going anywhere.
2. None of the old content is being erased.

So, I’ll share more as I sort it out in my head, but until then, please feel free to ask questions in the comments and I hope everyone enjoys today’s foray into the 1920s.

Need a paper doll to wear today’s outfit? Pick a Poppet Paper Doll Here.

Poppet Paper Doll’s Get a 1920s Coat to Wear With Matching Hats

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Today’s Printable Paper Doll Inspirations: 1920s Fashions from B. Altman & Company

A 1920s coat design for the Poppets printable paper dolls from paperthingpersonas.com. One of dozens of historical paper doll designs.

A 1920s coat design for the Poppets printable paper dolls from paperthingpersonas.com. One of dozens of historical paper doll designs.

I’m writing this post on a Sunday night, as I often do. Outside, it is raining very hard and I am reminded of how much we all need outerwear. So, it seemed fitting to post a 1926 coat for the Poppet’s 1920s Children’s Wardrobe Collection today.

But paper doll outerwear poses a unique challenge, because paper doesn’t exactly conform to the shape of the coat in question. So, when I create outwear for paper dolls, I tend to size up in the hope that the layering will all work out all right.

There’s a lot of complex 1920s coats in magazines. Fur trimming was popular and so were asymmetrical styles. But I didn’t really feel like drawing all that. I just wanted a coat. Nothing too complex.

I haven’t really drawn many coats (or any?) for the Poppet’s. So, I figured if the coat could be both part of the 1920s Children’s Wardrobe Collection and serve as a regular coat than that would be useful.

This is the last piece I have ready to go for the 1920s Children’s Wardrobe Collection, but don’t worry. There’s four more pieces in my sketchbook that I inked today, including some really cute pajamas.

If you haven’t checked it out, there’s about 8 posts in the 1920s Children’s Wardrobe Collection including 2 different dolls.

Just in case you are curious, today’s paper doll coat comes from 1920s Fashions from B. Altman & Company by Dover. I now own all of Dover’s 1920s fashion books, so clearly they need to publish more of them for me. I am running out of places to find my 1920s children’s clothing designs.

Need a paper doll to wear today’s outfit? Pick a Poppet Paper Doll Here.

A Vintage Historical Printable Paper Doll Dress from 1926

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Today’s Printable Paper Doll Inspirations: The book 1920s Fashions from B. Altman & Company
A historical vintage 1926 printable paper doll dress with matching hat for the Poppets printable paper doll series from paperthinpersonas.com.

A historical vintage 1926 printable paper doll dress to color with matching hat for the Poppets printable paper doll series from paperthinpersonas.com.

This month, as some of you may have noticed, I’ve been posting a historical paper doll outfit each week. I decided to do that, because I had the content and I really love historical stuff.

I know a lot of you enjoy the historical paper dolls as well.

This week’s contribution to the historical paper dolls is a Poppets paper doll dress from 1926. It’s part of the 1920’s Children’s Wardrobe Collection that I’ve been adding to all year. Right now, there’s seven posts in the collection including two different dolls.

The design for today’s Poppet paper doll dress was taken from the book 1920s Fashions from B. Altman & Company which is a collection of reprints of pages for the catalogs issued by the B. Altman & Company.

B. Altman and Company was a luxury department store founded in New York City.

An interesting thing to think about is that Sears, the dress I posted here is from there, was a middle class store. B. Altman was a luxury store and their styles are much more cutting edge than Sears. That’s one of the reasons multiple sources are so useful when thinking about historical fashion.

Today’s dress feels later in the decade to me than 1926, but that’s partly because it is more “fashionable” than what you might see in a less fancy catalog.

There’s one more piece I’ve got finished for the 1920s Children’s Wardrobe collection and I have to ask, should I continue it? Are you all enjoying these forays into 1920s kid’s clothing? Let me know in a comment. I always enjoy your feedback.

Need a paper doll to wear today’s outfit? Pick a Poppet Paper Doll Here.