Butterick Patterns in Paris, 1916

Butterick in Paris, 1916

Avenue de l’Opera, Paris, showing Butterick shop on the right.

The July 1916 edition of the Woman’s Home Companion magazine featured this wonderful photograph of vintage Paris in an ad for Butterick patterns.

Butterick offered American women the chance to easily wear French fashion by purchasing their patterns. I love the photo; to me it is such a romantic scene and just how I envision the streets of Paris looking long ago. The ad reads,

“Paris, Fashion’s Capital, is the cradle of style for the entire world. Butterick goes to Paris for its style inspiration. Then it adapts, illustrates and sends those styles right back from New York to Paris again, where Butterick magazines and Butterick patterns sell in preference to all others.”

Butterick, Paris, 1916

Butterick’s shop in Paris

Butterick, Paris, 1916

Interior of the Butterick shop in Paris, 1916

“More patterns are sold from this Butterick shop than are sold of any kind of pattern in any other store in the world. They are Butterick patterns – the same identical patterns sold in America, except that they are printed in French and sell for twice the price in France that they do in the United States.”

What I wouldn’t give to walk down those streets and to have a chance to purchase some of those patterns! Often vintage Butterick patterns can still be found for sale today, but a visit to this lovely Parisian store to see them must have been quite a treat.

{ 3 comments… add one }

  • Nancy June 25, 2015, 3:47 pm

    Do you know if they had any Butterick shops in NYC? And where? I can’t find any info about them in NY–not even from Butterick/McCalls company.

  • VintageAdmin June 29, 2015, 2:31 am

    Sorry, Nancy, I’m not sure about that. I will try looking through some of my information though to see if I can find anything for you, and if I can, I’ll post another comment here for you!

  • Linda White January 14, 2016, 6:36 pm

    I’m looking for a dress pattern for a dress from 1916. Any idea where I can get one?

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