Own Name 130: 1930s Uncut Misses Tennis Dress Sz 32 Bust Vintage Sewing Pattern
Original 1933 Our Own Pattern No. 130 - Tennis Dress
Original 1933 Our Own Pattern No. 130, produced by the New York Pattern Company under its "Our Own" trade name. Though the envelope carries the generic name "Ladies' and Misses' Dress," the sleeveless cut, button-front placket, and racket-in-hand illustration make this unmistakably a Tennis Dress - the informal name period marketing gave dresses styled just like this one, even when the printed pattern name stayed generic. Size 14 (32" Bust, 35" Hip). Factory Folded and Unused.
Quick Facts
- Pattern Number: Our Own No. 130
- Year: 1933
- Garment: Ladies' and Misses' Dress (Tennis Dress)
- Size: 14 (32" Bust, 35" Hip)
- Condition: Factory Folded and Unused
- Glassine Envelope: Included, stamped Barron Bros. of Texas - a little worn
Design
This dress closes under the left arm and is cut from twelve pattern pieces. The waist has a deep open front filled with an inset vestee, buttoned down the center in a row of four, with a shallow yoke at the back. Long set-in sleeves gathered into deep cuffs are provided but may be omitted entirely, as shown in the sleeveless illustrated version. The four-piece circular skirt has inset pockets, a panel front, and a three-piece hip-yoke, attached to the waist under a removable belt. The illustration shows the model in the sleeveless version, tennis racket in hand - a design clearly meant to move with an active wearer on the court.
A Moment in Fashion History
By the early 1930s, tennis had become a fashionable pastime for women, and pattern companies quietly built its practical demands into otherwise ordinary-sounding dress patterns - a sleeveless cut for freedom of movement, a trim button front, a skirt with pockets to hold spare balls. Pattern 130's envelope calls it simply a "Ladies' and Misses' Dress," but its illustration leaves no doubt: this was sold and worn as a Tennis Dress, the term period marketing commonly used for dresses built and styled exactly like this one.
Connections
This pattern's envelope may call it a generic "Ladies' and Misses' Dress," but its sleeveless cut, button placket, and tennis racket in hand say otherwise - this is a Tennis Dress, through and through. Explore our ongoing exhibits showcasing New York Patterns and Own Name Patterns from the 1930s, In Name Only, and everyday sport and activewear across the decades, Sporty Looks for Active Gals.
