Unconventional Dating
Using pattern mailing envelopes
Some vintage patterns still have their original mailing envelope, like 5098 and 5099 (seen in the photo above). If the pattern does not have a date printed on the envelope, or if we do not have a catalog resource in our library, we will use the date on the mailing envelope. In this case, unless proven otherwise, we date the Christian Dior and Norman Hartnell patterns from 1963.
We hope you found the process of dating rare and obscure patterns to be interesting.
Warm Regards,
Cara Austine
Founder and Executive Director
Couture Pattern Museum