Stored somewhere in my attic or basement, I have boxes of old Simplicity patterns. For you young’uns who think the only way to get clothing is to buy it readymade at a store, here is a history lesson: ...

In a Los Angeles department store, a salesgirl took from her purse a paper bearing the letters V, M, B and S. Beside each, she scribbled numbers, then mailed the sheet to Manhattan’s Simplicity ...