Monday 8 July 2013

So you want to pitch in and do your part?

We all know about land girls, right? And we've all seen dozens of pictures with "land girl fashion" - most retro clothes retailers has at least one flowery dress or headscarf marketed using the term. But what did land girls wear, really?


Miss June Perry enrolled in the Women's Land Army 1943 to 1946 Photograph by Malby. Source: Photodetective.co.uk
Besides the ubiquitous dungarees, photos quite often show land girls in their uniform. The most distinctive feature of that is likely the roomy corduroy knee breeches and the knee socks, matched by a knitted sweater, with shirt and tie. So if you want to pitch in and do your part as a land girl, it seems the knee britches are a must. But where to get them?

Luckily, a while back I came across Corsetra Designs who has put up a free pattern for exactly those britches. I haven't tried it myself yet, but I am sorely tempted. Both the pattern and the instructions seem sound, so if I only had some tan corduroy... I especially like that since all land girls seem to have complained about the poor fit of the breeches and how huge they were, you can just err on the side of caution and not worry too much about fit. Too big is just authentic!

If someone else has tried the pattern or is willing to give it a go, I'd be happy to share your experiences! After all, the free world needs us!


3 comments:

  1. I am now officially saying my "hello" and "nice to meet you". I've been reading everything you wrote - keep up the good work.

    Marija

    ReplyDelete
  2. Nice to meet you too, Marija!

    ReplyDelete
  3. ...Oh, just in case you want to drop by, I'm at:
    http://ruzicastapinkidusica.blogspot.com/
    (It's mostly picture-scrapbook about Good Old Days circa 1930 - 1950)

    ReplyDelete