McCall Costume Patterns

These costume patterns are a selection of McCall and Butterick Magazine Pattern Cover images from the World War II era 1940-1945.

The mini version above shows all the slightly larger cover pictures, further down this page and the early to mid 1940s.  War meant that these were the years of Utility clothing, rationing of clothing and the ultimate make do and mend way of life.  These images of clothing are very reflective of the lines of everyday wartime fashions and many women may have actually made up such pattern fashion designs themselves or had a dressmaker/tailor construct a garment for them.

Many brides would have constructed their own wedding dress or adapted an existing dress using a Butterick or McCall's pattern such as the wedding pattern cover shown here. See real 1940s' brides in their wedding photos here.  Incidentally, these images are ideal as the basis for making Butterick retro patterns.

My original detailed text information on the 1940s can be found in the main section in Utility Clothing and  there are many more 1940s images including the 1940s fashion plates. You can also see some 1950s dressmaking pattern covers

See more images here of McCall and Butterick dressmaking pattern covers from the post war era of 1945-1949.

You are reading an original 1940s compilation of McCall and Butterick pattern covers page by Pauline Weston Thomas for www.fashion-era.com 2009 ©.

Mccalls Costume Patterns 1940-1945
1940	1940
1942	1943
1943	1943
1944	1945
1945	1945

These above images are taken from McCall and Butterick Magazine Pattern Covers from the era 1940-1945.

If you are making retro garments, remember that these were the years of Utility clothing and rationing.  As a result women's motto was 'make do and mend'.   Butterick and McCall's magazine covers also preserve a fashion statement of life during wartime.

Many brides would have tailored their own wedding dress, or else remodelled a sister's dress using a Butterick or McCall's pattern such as the cover shown above.