I have been looking for Dress Design by Hillhouse and Mansfield (1948) for years. It was a hot item on Ebay at one time and sold for much, much more than it was probably worth. This book has become highly collectible because it contains detailed pattern draping and drafting instructions for 1940's women's clothing design. I found a very nice copy of this book for a mere $2 at a thrift store. I knew if I kept my eyes open at the thrift store, it would eventually show up and I checked the used books every time I was there. Yep, I was quite excited to finally find this!
This book came to my attention in design school. There was an advanced pattern making/theater class that utilized this book as a textbook. The book was, of course, long out of print and the college gained special permission to print special spiral bound copies. Word spread among the design students about this book and copies of the book would sell out before some of the students of that class could even buy their copies. I was never able to grab a copy when I was in school.
You can see from these two pages that the designs are iconic and also complex. It's these two characteristics that makes the books so highly desireable and collectible to people who wish to reproduce a 1940's vintage style. Many of these styles would be difficult, if not impossible, to replicate in a modern factory. The labor charges would be enormous. Regardless, this pattern drafting manual would be a great resource to study and learn from. I have not yet attempted any of the drafting instructions, so I can't comment on the difficulty. For me the book is for inspiration.
