Yup: Corelle. The company knows a rockin’ retro opportunity when it sees one, and recently introduced a new pattern — True Blue — based on its popular 1972 design Old Town Blue. To come up with the new design — carefully researched among several other options — Corelle reversed the original Old Town Pattern (positive became negative), tweaked the scale, and chose a fresh new color. We love the entire project! Yay for 1972! Props to reader Laura, who tipped us to this reissue.
The story of Corelle Old Time Blue
We reached out to Corelle’s PR department and connected with Lindsay Rigg, who supplied the vintage advertisements of Old Town Blue as well as the following info:
We are really excited about this pattern and how we were able to take a classic Corelle pattern, Old Town Blue, revitalize it, contemporize it and bring it back to the market in a big way. I reached out to my design team in Corning, New York, to gain their perspective on how they approached the project and brought True Blue to life. Below is their response:
We started the initial development of True Blue in the summer of 2012. At this point we were exploring a potential vintage inspired collection across multiple patterns. Retro/vintage was a very strong trend we were seeing at the time. We also noted the popularity of vintage Corelle online.
We focused on five Corelle patterns from the 1970s — Butterfly Gold, Macrame, Old Town Blue, Spring Blossom Green and Woodland Brown. The goal was to create something that kept some aspects of the original pattern but also gave the pattern a fresh new spin.
The question became, what is it about the old patterns that is most attractive or recognizable, and what would translate best in today’s market. Is it the colors or the motifs? And how far can you stretch the old pattern before it becomes unrecognizable?
Four designs made it to the finals in Product Development
We experimented with a lot of different variations. Some were very close to the original pattern, some really pushed the envelope.
Ultimately we ended up with the layout that is now True Blue—this keeps the artwork the same as the original Old Town Blue on the bread and butter plate, but has new layouts with larger, reversed out elements on the dinner and lunch plates. At the time there were still two color options—a cobalt blue that was very close to the original Old Town Blue color, and a new aqua.
We also had a version of this layout for Spring Blossom Green and Butterfly Gold, both staying close to the original colors of those patterns ….
Next, it was up to the consumers to tell us which version they preferred. We put all four options in consumer research in early 2013. True Blue scored well and was thus chosen for launch.
Any more vintage-inspired reissues coming?
We asked whether any of the other patterns developed — the Spring Blossom Green and Butterfly Gold — might be coming to market next. Corelle told us:
At this time we are not moving forward with any additional vintage inspired patterns. A larger collection was created but our consumer research really showed that True Blue was the clear winner.
Corelle Corner — the personal blog of a Corelle collector and enthusiast — has a lot of great information about Old Town Blue and all of Corelle’s historic patterns — it’s an impressive site! Corelle Corner says that Old Town Blue was designed by artist Cynthia Gerow in 1972. Its inspiration was the very old Meissen blue onion pattern.
Where to buy Corelle True Blue — and Old Town Blue is still made, too
- Shop Corelle True Blue at World Kitchen or it’s on Amazon (affiliate link)
- Old Town Blue also is still available — Get it on Amazon (affiliate link)
- And note, because of Old Town Blue’s popularity — and its durability — it’s easy to find original vintage Old Town Blue pieces on eBay.
Debby says
We are trying to find replacements for my mom’s Corelle set but we don’t know the pattern name. It is from about 2000 and has a sand background with a southwestern print. Does anyone know the pattern name or a way for me to find the name?
Mary Elizabeth says
Search on ebay.com for Corelle Mirage and see if that is it. If not, you can search generically for Corelle southwest and see if you can find a photo of what your mom has.
eddy says
I have never had a complete set of matched dishes, over the years I had a few pieces of Corelle and always liked them-light and strong. So fast forward to today and at 56 y.o. I buy two sets of Corelle True Blue on clearance! This goes great in my 70’s Kitchen and I can buy vintage or new pieces complement the set! Life is GOOD!
pam kueber says
Congrats!
Allison says
The Old Town Blue pattern was brand new in those long-ago days when I was a new bride, and it was my first set of everyday china.
It didn’t survive the hands of 4 little boys, and I think it got replaced over time with that dreadful clunky earth-tone “grocery store premium” stuff (I guess I’m too old or I remember it too well to love 70s and 80s stuff).
Interesting that they’re updating it- is this like making new movies out of old TV shows?
Heather says
Why can’t Correlle dishes be made in solid colors, other than white?
pam kueber says
I don’t know the answer to this, Heather…
Bremda says
I am glad the have done the retro styes, but what I really want are the retro cups, the short small cups.
Nicole says
I successfully broke three Corelle pieces: two from my mom’s original Snowflake Blue pattern set and one from my own Cafe Blue set. After scouring every second-hand shop in my area, eBay, and Craigslist unsuccessfully to find replacements, I found a company online, Replacements.com, that had stock to replace the pieces I broke. It is a little pricey for just one piece, but it’s a good option if you’ve tried everywhere else.
Diane in CO says
I think they’re on the right track with that gorgeous new shade of blue. The Sunday NY Times yesterday, in the Sunday Styles section, featured all the coats on the streets of NYC in that cutting-edge shade of blue. Love it!
Mary Elizabeth says
In the photo here, it looks more navy, but maybe you see something else on your screen. Color is so tricky on these posts.
pam kueber says
that’s a joke re: the dress that broke the internet. Right?
Mary Elizabeth says
Yes, it could be Old Town Blue in some lights and Butterfly Gold in others. (You know me too well.)
James says
My mom still uses that Butterfly Gold. Has a gazillion pieces.
Everything old is new again.
Eliza says
I LOVE my Corelle so much! I have two vintage sets and one modern set and bought my Mom a vintage set. As with so many things these days, it seemed new and disturbing information was coming out about microwaving or eating off of dishes made from plastic, melamine, or dishware with glazes that contained lead that could leach into food. So I did my research. Corelle is [EDITED — Editor’s note: Readers, please consult with Corelle directly about what their products are made of.] Growing up as a kid I didn’t like Corelle dishes. I thought they felt cheap because they weren’t heavy like fancy plates. Now I understand that they are superior to those heavy plates in so many ways! All Corelle dishes (other than the mugs or random specialty pieces) are still made in USA! The bakeware I can’t speak for – I’m not sure where that is made. I bought my sets on ebay for far less that new and they will last and last. They ARE my fancy dishes as far as I am concerned and I recommend them to everyone just starting out or when they need to replace dish sets.
Amy says
I just got a set of Corelle “Visions” glass – gold) cookware to add to my only 2 pots – from the early ’90’s. You can’t get them any more. Love them. I didn’t realize they look SLIGHTLY retro, and so love them more.