I knew of these because of my grandmother.
She worked for Neiman Marcus and used to talk about these...had a few when I was a kid (which I had for my dolls, sadly though, I was like 8 and so they were played to death).
Stanley Marcus was very liberal and was the reason my grandmother because a tailor: he supported quality and workmanship and put her where she was best suited, then supported and sponsored her into the tailor union, which is why she was one of the first men's tailors in the US who was a female.
The whole point, which of course I can't get there without going off on tangents, is that I do these today. I grew up with seeing them, playing with them and being encouraged to do them when I got interested in fashion when I was a pre-teen. Now, I can draft patterns and get the fit, fabric and technique right (and also why I can hand sew as fast as most people sew on a machine).