Knits go glam. A potted history of knitting fashion.
Regardless of whether it’s tricot in French or knitwear in English, the hand-fashioned glamour of knits has been around for centuries. In fact some of the oldest knit items, socks actually, date back to around 1200 and by the 1400s knitters’ attention had turned to the head and the first caps were being made. Interestingly enough, the first garments were made exclusively for men by men in organized guilds. It wasn’t until the Edwardian era that the girls got a look in when the ‘physical culture’ movement led to a desire for body-conscious clothing. By the 1920s women had won not only the right to vote, but also to dress as comfortably as men.
Nowadays if you’re wearing it and it’s not woven, the chances are it’s knitted – unless of course you’re big into leather or rubber, which is your choice of course, but I’m surprised you’re not reading a different type of magazine entirely. Look closely at that t-shirt or the sweat pants you’re wearing and you’ll see what I mean.
That’s enough about full-size people, we’re here to enter the glamorous world of doll fashion. The inspiration for these outfits is the glamor of the 1930s and Forties. The Thirties woman wanted to be soft and feminine, elegant and alluring, and the new knits were designed to show off her curves. Just the thing for Gene Marshall and Madra Lord – these garments were not afraid to emphasize a womanly figure. In this decade the sweater developed a completely new line: in contrast to the flat-chested boyish styles of the Twenties, when a tubular look was de rigeur, the Thirties woman wanted a tall, slim, and curvaceous silhouette. Her skirts clung tightly and fell almost to her ankles, the waist was set artificially high to give the illusion of long legs, and the shoulders were often widened with capes or puff sleeves to create the impression of slender hips and waist. The choice of crepes, cottons, and fine-ply yarns added even more softness to the profile. This was an age designed for knitwear: the modern woman was not scared of color and she embraced a daring palette.
Women were sexy, feminine and charged with mystery, so it was tricky to cast this doll photo-shoot. Who would wear what? The line of models was long and feisty, but in the end our favorite femmes fatales won out. The enigmatic and beautiful Valia, the highly feted Vanessa Perrin in her Fashionable Life guise, Gene, Monolithic Pictures’ ingenue par excellence, and, inevitably, it was impossible to keep Madra out of the frame. All these Mel Odom and Jason Wu gals have a certain timeless period look.
You may say that it’s a slight cheat to include Gene in Thirties fashions. I’m sure aficionados will point out that her big break came in 1941 when she was discovered at a movie premiere while working as an usherette. But it’s not such a stretch, as Miss Marshall (or Kathryn Gene Marshall as she was then) spent her formative years in the 1930s and her fashion sense would have been finely-honed and informed by that period – long before she became the shining Hollywood Star.
Madra (Gene’s arch rival), on the other hand, had established her career before the arrival of the talkies, so it seems perfectly appropriate for her to model the glamour of Thirties fashions. In Madra’s 2008 incarnation with Integrity Toys, Jason Wu and Mel Odom have taken her back to these glory days in outfits such as Black Calla, a dramatic 1930s’ evening suit, as long and lean as the sculptural bloom that is its namesake.
DON’T BE DEPRESSED
During the Depression period, women were encouraged to “make do and mend”, so knitting was ideally suited to the spirit of the times. Although I can’t imagine any of the models on these pages getting their own needles out, I’m sure there was a huge team of needle-workers behind the scenes. The average Thirties woman used her own knitting skills to vary the monotony of mass-produced clothes and add a little individuality to her apparel. There’s a certain resonance here with the current financial and ecological climate, so don’t shop – knit, you’ll save money and get great karma!
Fashion from the 1940s is such a classic look that it never really goes out of style. By the mid Forties, silk (and the newly popular nylon) wasn’t as readily available because it was needed for the war effort, mostly for parachutes. Most material during this time was in short supply, so fashions had to use less and knitting took off as the pastime of choice – as it was both creative and economical of fabric. Since the men were off at war, women even began turning male suits into suits of their own. Even old curtains and such were put to good use to make dresses without imposing on the nation’s needs. Vogue magazine at the time emphasized keeping one’s wardrobe to a limited color palette in order to mix and match outfits and accessories so as to get a great deal of use out of each piece. A useful discipline today for dressing fashion dolls.
Colors were relied upon for style to avoid using too much cloth. Hues of the decade were deep, rich, and intense. Popular color combinations used vivid contrasts. For example, green and turquoise shades might be matched with maroon and rusty-orange.
The natural female shape continued to be flattered in this decade, partly because less available material encouraged the look. There was an emphasis on the shoulders and bust, small waists, and skirts tailored to enhance the look of womanly hips. Think of Joan Crawford during this era and you get the picture.
When the war ended in 1945, fashion saw an explosion of creativity. Skirts became much fuller, tops began to be more figure hugging with less drape. Blouses quickly lost their “enlisted” look, and became more feminine. In 1947, Dior’s “New Look” changed the face of fashion forever. Skirts became full enough for petticoats and blouses were sleek, tailored, and very form fitting.
So, enough fashion history, already – let’s get back to knitting.
GATHER YOUR YARN
It’s important to choose the yarn that you’ll use with great care. You will both be together for many hours and it would be a shame to fall out after the first few rows.
Wool is warm and elastic. As an animal product it has its own inherent characteristics depending on the source. It’s generally springy and nice to work, but can be itchy against the fingers unless you’re using the finest cashmere – and I suspect our models would be unhappy with anything less.
Cotton is cool and inelastic, which makes for a slightly less forgiving finished garment – although the knitting itself will introduce its own elasticity. Cotton used to be pretty hard on the hands, like knitting with a load of old string. But not any more, the newest organic cottons are so soft and silky, even the most exacting Hollywood starlet could not object. You can get gorgeous blends of cotton with silk, tencel, lycra and acrylic. But beware, some cotton-acrylic blends can knit up like a kitchen scouring pad, so be sure to ask advice in the store.
The newest synthetics are well worth exploring – they’re not exactly period but what Miss Marshall don’t know won’t hurt her. Nothing can knit up a faux fur better than nylon. There are glitzy sparkly yarns that perfectly evoke the party spirit of the Thirties, but go easy on these, you don’t want your dolls decked out like Christmas trees.
CHOOSE YOUR WEAPONS
You need great needles – they’ll be spending many hours in your company. Make sure you like them and that they don’t make you crotchety. The experience should be a relaxing and enjoyable one – you don’t want a tricky pair of uncomfortable needles – so take some time in the shop to find the right ones for you and ask for advice if you’re a beginner.
Needles come in so many different materials, as Amy R Singer explains in her book Knit Wit – 30 Easy and Hip Projects, “Needles are made of plastic, metal (aluminum or steel), wood, bamboo, or casein (a plastic-like material made from dairy protein!). Straight needles come in different lengths. Circular needles are the pointy end of straight needles connected by a flexible cable, and also come in assorted lengths, some people prefer using these to straight needles. Double-pointed needles for knitting small circular things, [like doll dresses]… come in sets of four or five.”
“Aluminum is slippery; bamboo has a little traction; plastic and casein are sort of in the middle. A less slippery needle is best when you’re using a slippery yarn. And sticky yarns will make you crazy on anything but the smoothest needles. Experiment to see what you like best. If you want to travel with your knitting [you can even get] airline-safe needle sets.”
Needles sold in North America are often marked in both US and metric sizes (an inexpensive needle gauge will allow you to check sizes easily). As an illustration, a 4 mm needle matches a US #6.
LET’S GET KNITTING
Instructions are usually designed for a right-handed knitter. As a southpaw myself, I know how unfair life can be in this respect! Many lefties will have little trouble with the pattern, especially if, as I was, you were taught to knit by a righty. But help is at hand in Sally Melville’s book The Knitting Experience: The Knit Stitch, or visit two really useful online resources:
Before you start, be sure to check your tension to make sure you’re getting the right number of stitches for the width and the correct number of rows for the length. It sounds as boring as a very boring thing indeed, but if you miss out this step you could easily end up with a maxi dress for the fuller figure when a knee-length petite was required. Or a knicker-revealing shocker when you’d really wanted a demure cover-up. If your sample is too big, try switching to a size smaller needles and if too small… well you get the idea.
As Amy R. Singer says, “… just knit. The more there are of us, the better this world will be. Cue the violins and dancing frog. I’m going yarn shopping.”
SOURCES AND FURTHER INFORMATION
• The Knitting Experience: The Knit Stitch, by Sally Melville. Published by XRX Books, 2002, USA.
• Fashion, A History from the 18th to the 20th Century, the Collection of the Kyoto Costume Institute. Published by Taschen, 2006, Germany.
• Gene Marshall: Girl Star, by Mel Odom. Published by Hyperion, 2000, USA.
• Knitwit: 30 Easy and Hip Projects, by Amy R. Singer. Published by HarperCollins, 2004, USA.
• Stitch and Bitch and Son of Stitch and Bitch, both by Debbie Stoller. Published by Workman, 2004, 2007, USA.
• Sweaters for Men, by Alice Starmore. Published by Pavilion, 1990, UK.
• Knitting from the British Islands, by Alice Starmore. Published by Bell & Hyman, 1983, UK.
• The 30s Family Knitting Book, by Jane Waller. Published by Duckworth, 1981, UK.
• Petite Doll Knitting Book, by Virginia Lakin. Published by Lakin Enterprises, 1962, USA.
• www.knitty.com Knitting website edited by Amy R Singer.
• For a very useful conversion chart showing knitting needle sizes go to www.fibergypsy.com/common/needles.shtml This table is invaluable when working from vintage or European patterns as it lists the most common equivalents for US, Old US and old UK needle sizes.
This feature first appeared in Haute Doll magazine, 2008.