The History behind the Double Wrap Blouse, in a Jiffy

The Double Wrap Blouse has definitely been the it blouse of the summer! I am so happy to know that people are as obsessed with it as I am. I think the simplicity of the design and the adjustability are what made it so popular. It's cute and form-fitting, while also being bloat friendly. Or maybe it was just a right-time-right-place sort of deal.

But I have a confession to make... I did not actually come up with the concept for this design.

And you're probably thinking, "yea, Carissa, I KNOW. I saw [insert creator here] post about this long before you ever did." Some people tell me of them or their mother wearing a version back in the 70's. And you're probably right. I have seen many other examples of this top around (especially now that the algorithms know I'm interested in them).

But guess what? They didn't invent this top either.

In fact, I don't think anyone alive today can claim to have "invented" this top, or the concept of it. Let's dive into the history of it, shall we?

I was inspired to make my top from this photo, which some sources claim is from a 1950s copy of Time Magazine, though other sources say Life Magazine. It made the rounds on Pinterest years ago and I've been wanting to make it ever since.

The concept is simple; it is a one-piece rectangle with ties on each end. You tie it in both the front and the back, which makes it super adjustable for changing bodies.

I've most often heard them called "Jiffy Tops" or "Jiffy Blouses". From what I can tell, this is because of Simplicity, the sewing pattern company. They used to have a line of patterns called “Jiffy” patterns. These were sewing patterns with only 1-3 pieces; so it was quick and easy to sew. (Jiffy is a term that means quickly or in a short amount of time, like I'll be back in a jiffy).

There were many other sewing patterns in this Jiffy collection – you can browse a few of the modern recreations even today on the Simplicity pattern page – so I don’t know why this specific top got to have the name. Other pattern companies made similar tops and even dresses at this time, but obviously did not use the Jiffy name. But even with that, variations of this pattern existed before the Simplicity Jiffy version.

Side note, I call my pattern the Double Wrap Blouse, because I think it describes it well, and because I don't want to run into any legal trouble with Simplicity 🙃

Here's some other variations of the top, as well as some examples that are even earlier than the 1950s!

Here's a version from the Jiffy collection (actually "Super Jiffy" so, even faster) from 1972, based on a 1930's version with butterfly sleeves. I've seen the 1930's version around before, but upon writing this post I can only now find one picture on the whole internet, and it leads to a post asking if anyone has seen where the picture is from.

The aforementioned 1930's version

Simplicity 5397, circa 1972

Here's a 1940's version I found from Vintage Patterns Wikia (a fantastic reference website for all things vintage patterns) also from Simplicity, but before their Jiffy line even existed. In this version, they call it a "poncho blouse." I love that this one has a ruffle version – I didn't even see this pattern until after I designed my ruffle version!

Simplicity 1867, circa 1946

This one is from about the same time, but a different pattern company, and is a bit more fitted with the darts and shaped sides.

Hollywood 1633, circa 1945

I haven't seen any other blog mention this one before in relation to the Jiffy Top, but here is an even older variation of the same concept: an Edwardian Era corset cover (which is a sort of camisole worn on top of a corset, underneath a blouse). I found the following picture from this blog which claims it to be from 1915, However The Boudoir Key Patterns digitized a version of this pattern and believes it to actually be from the turn of the century.

Butterick 6508, circa 1915

You could therefore even make an argument that this style of top is inspired by 18th century (and probably earlier) petticoats, which are made up of two panels of pleated fabric that ties in both the front and back.

So what am I saying here? I guess to sum it up, this top has been around for decades, and the concept of a super adjustable garment by means of double wrapping has been around for centuries. Just goes to show how timeless this design is, and how comfort and adjustability for changing bodies has never been just a trend. Food for thought the next time you see a Jiffy Top pop up on your social media feed!

If you find this interesting and would like to support me, you can buy my pattern here :)