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Commercial Costume Patterns

Simplicity | Burda | McCall's | Index
Where to buy the patterns

Butterick

NOTES:
In 2001 Butterick was bought by McCall's. The future is uncertain, but rumor is the two will continue to be run as separate companies.

3048

discontinued Fantasy Arabian Nights costumes. If you're trying for any kind of real middle eastern garb, skip it. Otherwise, the harem pants can be worn comfortably under most tunics and robes.

3896

discontinued Men's 18th Century Costumes. Coat, two shirts, and waistcoat. A nice modern interpretation of late 18th century (American Revolutionary War) clothing. Reasonably fitted coat in keeping with modern tastes for looser clothing. You might want to narrow the back piece for a more historical fit. This costume closely resembles items documented in _The Cut of Men's Clothes_ as diagrams XXIII, XXVII, and XXXII.

4154

discontinued Pseudo-historical skirt and bodice with variations. Don't be fooled by the pictures. You have one skirt and one top with sleeve and neckline variations. The skirt drapes in views A and C are not included.(You need 4157 for accessories) This pattern tries to cover too many time periods and does none of them well. View B is fantasy, the other two are wrong in so many ways for the periods attempted. I suppose this could be a useful set to a small organization on a budget, but with many better patterns why bother?

4155

discontinued Pseudo-historical jackets for men. Another costume pattern that tries to do too much. View A: great late medieval sleeves, but the man's cote should be at least thigh length. View B: The Emperor's New Clothes. Look, Mommy, he's not wearing any pants! Forget the short jacket, put the sleeves on the longer coat where they belong. View C: not bad even with the princess seams in front. Accessories are in pattern 4157.

4157

discontinued Accessories for use with 4154 and 4157. A mixture of historical and fantasy items to round out various costumes. The bustle pad is nice as is the cravat. The bodice braid (excuse me?) and the two hats are pretty questionable.

4375

discontinued Misses Renaissance. There's more wrong with this than an unfortunate choice of fabrics for the sample garments. It's not styled according to the period, it's not cut in a manner that imitates the period, and it just doesn't look and hang right for an Elizabethan renaissance costume. It does have neck and wrist ruffs, however.

4376

discontinued Mens Renaissance. A slightly better rendition than the ladies version above, this pattern almost works to give you a correct look. The paned pants look good, the doublet isn't agonizingly bad, though the shoulder epaulets are a little exagerated in size and I have problems with the large panes on the sleeves. Narrower might work better, or catching them above and below the elbow with jewelled buttons or pins. I don't know why this laces in back, I haven't seen any extant examples that were made this way.

4483

Wench Costume. With a name like that what else can I say? Patterns for your basic renfest skirt, elastic necked peasant blouse, and ruffled bodice with front bust darts.

4653

discontinued The gypsy blouse and skirt are nice. I think the look works better with a single piece chemise, but unless you're willing to mess with the pattern that much it's probably best to skip.

5655/0414

discontinued A nice enough early Tudor style costume for the ladies. The basic cut of the bodice works well, though the skirt needs to be fuller and supported underneath. You may do better with a simple gathered underskirt rather than fussing with a shaped one. If you make this pattern skip the blouse, it is entirely wrong. Add another 6-8 inches to the sleeves so they can be turned back to show the lining. The French Hood belongs to a later style than the gown, and should sit lower on the head, not standing up like a billboard. See pictures of Henry VIII wives for examples of what this should really look like.

5749

discontinued A dress straight out of an early 70's high school prom. Ugh. The man's shirt appears to be the same as the one offered in #6731.

6197

discontinued Same as 5655 but in Womens sizing.

6200

discontinued Simple harem costumes for misses and girls. Drawstring pants, top, and cap with fantasy styling.

6203/0415

discontinued Misses and child sized fantasy renaissance costumes and headpiece. Would look better if it could be made in separate pieces instead of all sewn as one.

6305

discontinued A mix of fantasy and historical costume pieces for children. May be a good starter set because of the available dress-up options from the same pattern pieces.

6631

discontinued An Empire-style inspired pair of evening gowns. Cut on modern lines, but not a bad adaptation.

6731

discontinued A worthwhile shirt and blouse pattern, and drawstring pants.

6750

discontinued Men's tunic, shirt, hat, boots, and spats. A decent approximation of medieval men's clothing from the 15th century. View A is okay as it stands, but could be made more accurate with more yardage pleated both across the chest and into the sleeve caps. View A can also be lengthened for a floor-length gown more popular with older gentlemen of the time. View B is problematic in several respects, as a style popular with younger men it needs to be more fitted to the body, and the garment tucked into the hose at the waist, not worn outside them. Young studs happily showed their crotch as proof of their masculinity. The sleeves also lack styling of the time period, they should be fitted at the wrist with a band, or simply narrowed all the way down. Another variation would be to have the narrow sleeve slashed from the elbow down and laced allowing the shirt to show underneath.

6751

discontinued Misses dress and headpiece with variations. A good interpretation of clothing of the early to mid 15th century, but it's still cut from a modern seams-on-the-shoulders sloper. A few minor changes would make this pattern even better: sleeve cuffs that come to mid-palm instead of wrist, narrower collars (leave off piece #5, lower collar) and if you must use fur chose a short-haired one. The waistband could stand to be an inch or two narrower, and the skirts should have more yardage pleated (not gathered) into them. I'm not sure what inspired the gauntlets for view B, I'd omit them for now.

6884
Camisole, pantaloons, and petticoat. Modern, yet elegant ladies undergarments suitable for wearing under costumes. The petticoat will help fill out your skirts if you are going for the upper-class Elizabethan look.

All text and artwork copyright 1990 - 2005 D. Duperault. Pattern images used on this page belong to their respective manufacturers and are used for review purposes only. NOTHING on this site may be reproduced or distributed by any means without my written permission. This information offered in good faith, and worth only what you paid for it.
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Butterick
NOTES:	In 2001 Butterick was bought by McCall's. The future is uncertain, but rumor is the two will continue to be run as separate companies.
3048 discontinued	Fantasy Arabian Nights costumes. If you're trying for any kind of real middle eastern garb, skip it. Otherwise, the harem pants can be worn comfortably under most tunics and robes.
3896 discontinued	Men's 18th Century Costumes. Coat, two shirts, and waistcoat. A nice modern interpretation of late 18th century (American Revolutionary War) clothing. Reasonably fitted coat in keeping with modern tastes for looser clothing. You might want to narrow the back piece for a more historical fit. This costume closely resembles items documented in _The Cut of Men's Clothes_ as diagrams XXIII, XXVII, and XXXII.
4154 discontinued	Pseudo-historical skirt and bodice with variations. Don't be fooled by the pictures. You have one skirt and one top with sleeve and neckline variations. The skirt drapes in views A and C are not included.(You need 4157 for accessories) This pattern tries to cover too many time periods and does none of them well. View B is fantasy, the other two are wrong in so many ways for the periods attempted. I suppose this could be a useful set to a small organization on a budget, but with many better patterns why bother?
4155 discontinued	Pseudo-historical jackets for men. Another costume pattern that tries to do too much. View A: great late medieval sleeves, but the man's cote should be at least thigh length. View B: The Emperor's New Clothes. Look, Mommy, he's not wearing any pants! Forget the short jacket, put the sleeves on the longer coat where they belong. View C: not bad even with the princess seams in front. Accessories are in pattern 4157.
4157 discontinued	Accessories for use with 4154 and 4157. A mixture of historical and fantasy items to round out various costumes. The bustle pad is nice as is the cravat. The bodice braid (excuse me?) and the two hats are pretty questionable.
4375 discontinued	Misses Renaissance. There's more wrong with this than an unfortunate choice of fabrics for the sample garments. It's not styled according to the period, it's not cut in a manner that imitates the period, and it just doesn't look and hang right for an Elizabethan renaissance costume. It does have neck and wrist ruffs, however.
4376 discontinued	Mens Renaissance. A slightly better rendition than the ladies version above, this pattern almost works to give you a correct look. The paned pants look good, the doublet isn't agonizingly bad, though the shoulder epaulets are a little exagerated in size and I have problems with the large panes on the sleeves. Narrower might work better, or catching them above and below the elbow with jewelled buttons or pins. I don't know why this laces in back, I haven't seen any extant examples that were made this way.
4483	Wench Costume. With a name like that what else can I say? Patterns for your basic renfest skirt, elastic necked peasant blouse, and ruffled bodice with front bust darts.
4653 discontinued	The gypsy blouse and skirt are nice. I think the look works better with a single piece chemise, but unless you're willing to mess with the pattern that much it's probably best to skip.
5655/0414 discontinued	A nice enough early Tudor style costume for the ladies. The basic cut of the bodice works well, though the skirt needs to be fuller and supported underneath. You may do better with a simple gathered underskirt rather than fussing with a shaped one. If you make this pattern skip the blouse, it is entirely wrong. Add another 6-8 inches to the sleeves so they can be turned back to show the lining. The French Hood belongs to a later style than the gown, and should sit lower on the head, not standing up like a billboard. See pictures of Henry VIII wives for examples of what this should really look like.
5749 discontinued	A dress straight out of an early 70's high school prom. Ugh. The man's shirt appears to be the same as the one offered in #6731.
6197 discontinued	Same as 5655 but in Womens sizing.
6200 discontinued	Simple harem costumes for misses and girls. Drawstring pants, top, and cap with fantasy styling.
6203/0415 discontinued	Misses and child sized fantasy renaissance costumes and headpiece. Would look better if it could be made in separate pieces instead of all sewn as one.
6305 discontinued	A mix of fantasy and historical costume pieces for children. May be a good starter set because of the available dress-up options from the same pattern pieces.
6631 discontinued	An Empire-style inspired pair of evening gowns. Cut on modern lines, but not a bad adaptation.
6731 discontinued	A worthwhile shirt and blouse pattern, and drawstring pants.
6750 discontinued	Men's tunic, shirt, hat, boots, and spats. A decent approximation of medieval men's clothing from the 15th century. View A is okay as it stands, but could be made more accurate with more yardage pleated both across the chest and into the sleeve caps. View A can also be lengthened for a floor-length gown more popular with older gentlemen of the time. View B is problematic in several respects, as a style popular with younger men it needs to be more fitted to the body, and the garment tucked into the hose at the waist, not worn outside them. Young studs happily showed their crotch as proof of their masculinity. The sleeves also lack styling of the time period, they should be fitted at the wrist with a band, or simply narrowed all the way down. Another variation would be to have the narrow sleeve slashed from the elbow down and laced allowing the shirt to show underneath.
6751 discontinued	Misses dress and headpiece with variations. A good interpretation of clothing of the early to mid 15th century, but it's still cut from a modern seams-on-the-shoulders sloper. A few minor changes would make this pattern even better: sleeve cuffs that come to mid-palm instead of wrist, narrower collars (leave off piece #5, lower collar) and if you must use fur chose a short-haired one. The waistband could stand to be an inch or two narrower, and the skirts should have more yardage pleated (not gathered) into them. I'm not sure what inspired the gauntlets for view B, I'd omit them for now.
6884	Camisole, pantaloons, and petticoat. Modern, yet elegant ladies undergarments suitable for wearing under costumes. The petticoat will help fill out your skirts if you are going for the upper-class Elizabethan look.

Commercial Costume Patterns

Simplicity | Burda | McCall's | Index Where to buy the patterns

Butterick

NOTES:

3048

3896

4154

4155

4157

4375

4376

4483

4653

5655/0414

5749

6197

6200

6203/0415

6305

6631

6731

6750

6751

6884

Simplicity | Burda | McCall's | Index
Where to buy the patterns