Original 1923 Ladies' Home Journal Pattern No. 3956 - Girls' One-Piece Dress

Original 1923 Ladies' Home Journal Pattern No. 3956 for a girl's one-piece dress with a deep, pointed zigzag yoke and kimono sleeves finished with matching pointed cuffs. The dress opens in back and is tied with a sash at the dropped waist. Factory Folded and Unused.

Quick Facts

• Pattern Number: Ladies' Home Journal No. 3956
• Year: Dated 1923, found in The Ladies' Home Journal, June 1923, Page 57
• Garment: Girls' One-Piece Dress
• Size: 12 Years (30" Breast)
• Condition: Factory Folded

Design

Ladies' Home Journal 3956 is built around a striking zigzag line. The upper edge of the dress body is cut in a pointed outline and buttoned or stitched onto a three-piece round yoke, so the points frame the shoulders like petals. The kimono sleeves come in two lengths, with pointed lower edges buttoned or stitched to a separate lower section; the long version gathers into wristbands. Optional trimming tabs and a sash finish the dropped waist. It is an unprinted pattern in seven pieces, with perforations marking every line.

A Moment in Fashion History

This dress appears on page 57 of The Ladies' Home Journal for June 1923, in a feature on clothes for girls aged 4 to 14. The magazine noted that girls of eight to fourteen wanted frocks much like their mothers', and this design shows it: the same easy, dropped-waist shape women wore that year, brightened with a playful pointed yoke. The magazine suggested a calico print buttoned onto a yoke of plain white linen bound in black.

Illustration

The cover illustration has been digitally restored and enhanced by Judy Yates to highlight the original fashion artwork while preserving the character and artistry of this historic Ladies' Home Journal pattern envelope.

Connections

The flower-like zigzag yoke of this 1923 dress is a wonderful base for all kinds of nature costumes, from a blooming flower to a woodland fairy. Browse our ongoing exhibit offering a rare glimpse of how patterns were designed and marketed for the whole family, the Ladies Home Journal New Old Stock Collection, and our limited-time exhibit of masquerades, pageants and make-believe, Costumes for All Ages from All Eras, before it closes.