Here at Calico Laine we realise that not everyone is a follower of fashion trends and that some people prefer to stick to what suits them best. As we all know, fashions come and go and while some disappear into a void others stand the test of time. Clothing from the 1920s to 20 years before the present time are commonly referred to as vintage or retro. Retro (short for retrospective) is an umbrella term for 'vintage style,' which usually refers to clothing that imitates the style of a previous era. Retro fashion in its broadest sense has an on going popularity and Dressmaking Fabrics and patterns are following suit to accompany demand. There are now vintage boutiques popping up online and on street corners all of the time. Even charity shops such as Oxfam are aware of the popularity of retro clothing. Reproduction, or 'repro' clothing is a newly made copy of an older garment. The high street shop 'Pop Boutique' is well known for creating these sort of garments and it is now a popular trend of dressmakers to imitate these styles. The dressmaking pattern company Butterick do a whole range of retro patterns under the name 'Butterick Retro.'  In the 60's dresses with fuller skirts were all the rage but buying this style of dress now might set you back a bit. Butterick Retro 60, pattern number B5748 is a perfect example of this style of dress. Owning a pattern such as this one will mean endless possibilities of colours, textures and graphic designs of this beautiful garment. This pattern recommends Dressmaking Fabrics such as linen, broadcloth and pique, most of which we stock the same or similar versions of here at Calico Laine. We would also like to recommend another fabric that we have which is ideal for this style of dress. Cotton Spandex Dressmaking Fabric is perfect for a garment like this as the 3% spandex in the fabric allows for a perfect fit while the 97% cotton component allows the fabric to breathe. Our cotton spandex fabrics are 60 inches wide and available in a range of nice bright colours but we also have some eye catching designs to choose from. For something a little more glamorous, dress pattern company McCalls have a bunch of vintage patterns under the name 'The Archive Collection.'  Dress pattern M7154 is a full length dress designed for medium weight woven Dressmaking Fabrics. Depending on the finish that you desire we recommend our satin back crepe fabric which is available in a large range of beautiful colours. This fabric drapes well, is reversible and is 45 inches wide.