You, too, can dress like the ‘best dressed’ woman in the world

 By Leslie Drollinger Stratmoen

Home sewers in the 1920s needed to look no further than their McCall’s magazines for the latest fashion trends, according to my March 1922 McCall’s.

HERE’s THE ARTICLE 

Headline: “In a season of beautiful silks Irene Castle chooses Corticelli 

“With crepe the undisputed favorite among silks for this season’s frocks, Irene Castle chose these two charming designs (pictured) in Corticelli Castle Crepe. (Oh my. The material is named after her.)

The article goes on to say, “Present day frocks are remarkable for their simple, graceful lines. Their success is dependent upon the choice of material and design.”

“‘The best dressed woman in the world,’ – as Irene Castle is often called – finds Corticelli Castle Crepe with its many lovely designs and its soft, attractively draping texture peculiarly adapted to the present vogue.” 

“Corticelli Castle Crepe is made in a wide variety of designs and in the fashionable colors. (Oh, I so wish they would have mentioned the colors.) Its charm lies not only in its design but in its quality. In no other way could you get so fashionable a frock at so moderate a cost.”

The Wrap

The Corticelli Silk Company advertisement then goes on to mention all the other crepes it has available, like Satin Patria, Satin Princess, Satin Crepe and Crepes de Chine (which is the only one I’ve ever heard of), along with taffetas and poplins. 

Then the article goes on to tell the reader where to write to receive a free booklet of “frocks just designed for Irene Castle,” and McCall’s offers the patterns, in this case, for 45 cents. Quite a deal, wouldn’t you say?

Well, for everyone, maybe, except for the fashion icon herself, Irene Castle. I’m betting she didn’t get paid for either the usage of her name or the modeling. At least, that’s how I understand the business from everything I’ve read about how the studios “loaned” out their stars.

Any money exchanged typically went to the studio, not the star. However, you can bet, I will be doing more research on that just to see if I can find out if she ever got paid. I’ll keep you posted.