October 2, 2012

Retro Pattern Review – Simplicity 6432

By Andrea

Fall as arrived here, and with it, fall yardwork (yuck!).  Unfortunately, this is cutting into our working-on-the-Westi time, so I don’t have anything new to report there to you this week.  Instead, I am bringing you a retro pattern review – Simplicity 6432, which I am calling my Super Seventies Pants.

Most of my vintage pattern collection comes from thrift stores or garage sales, but this was a pattern that when I saw it online, I liked it so much, I spent a lot of time searching for it on eBay!  This one dates to 1974, and it arrived factory folded and uncut.

I made these up in a stretch denim with a silver metallic pinstripe. This was my first time making up the pattern, which I had to grade up quite a bit (I don’t generally do up a muslin for most patterns, as I find it a little wasteful), and I found there to be a bit more ease in the pattern than I expected.  However, this could also be partially due to my choice of stretch denim, which wouldn’t have been around in ’74.

I think what I liked most about this pattern, was the buckle tab detail at the back.  This is definitely something that works better on a high waisted pant, and not a detail I would have thought of if I hadn’t seen it on this pattern.  The pattern envelope shows the pants hemmed to an ankle length, but I made mine longer – I am 5’11″, and I don’t like any look that might be considered flood pants!

All in all, I am quite happy with the way these pants came out.  I may take this pair in a little, for a bit more of a fitted look, but they are definitely quite wearable as is.  I am also super pleased with the fact that even though they are high waisted, they don’t look like “mom jeans”!