Tailoring Techniques

The Welt Pocket

The Jet Pocket

The Collar and Lapel

The Sleeve

Internal Structure

Vents

Buttons and Button Holes

Stitching techniques

Pattern Pieces

TBC..

A History of Tailoring

As noted by fashion editor Bruce Boyer:

'The knowledge and art of tailoring, of cutting and sewing cloth - the two basic aspects of constructing clothes from a pattern - developed slowly and gradually in Europe between the twelfth and fourteenth centuries. The Oxford English Dictionary's first reference to the word "tailor" gives the specific date of 1297; and certainty by that date tailoring guilds, as well as those of weavers, and cloth merchants were well established in Europe.'

Given the early origins of tailoring, it is inevitable that this traditional technique of garment construction is rich in historical reference that has developed throughout the centuries. So how and why has the tailored jacket remained relevant into the 21st Century? With so many technological advancements taking place since industrialisation in the late 1700's, is it not logical that the techniques of the past would be lost in history, replaced by modern, more efficient techniques in a world where technology has come to play such and important role in our lives? Of course there have been tremendous innovations in tailoring in the past century: sewing machines now do the work on straight seams better than could be done by hand; new fabric technologies are producing more comfortable cloths, but as Boyer notes:

'Tailoring is still, and likely to remain so, an art. It has not been brought down to the level of a science. The tailor still believes in making personalised clothing, statements of fashion for the individual, as he always has done.' 

The age old technique of tailoring is relevant today, as it was in the past. The explanation of which can only be realised through our understanding of tailoring and what it constitutes. Throughout this blog I will endeavour to answer this question. My initial thought is that the tailored jacket first and foremost needs to have evidence of the hand in its internal structure. I'll discuss this in my next post where I will be navigating the tailored jacket, to determine exactly what goes into making it.


Another early thought I just wanted to touch on is that while tailoring of the past was known to follow strict design rules and guidelines about fit and finish, the modern day tailored jacket comes in many different shapes and fabrications. Elsa Schiaparelli was an innovative designer who became famous for her surrealist designs in the 1930's. Many of her designs, including her 'circus jacket' and 'skeleton dress', challenged conventional ideas about fashion, paving the way for a lot more experimentation from designers that followed.

The circus jacket is really quirky and fun. The show pony print in pink and blue really captivates the imagination.



  

Balmain - Return of the Power Shoulder

In 2009 Balmain's head designer, Christophe Decarnin, led the way in bringing back the power shoulder of yesteryear with his tailored jackets featuring angular padded shoulders, slim sleeves and drawn in waists. 1980's excess was clearly a subconscious influence in his collection, which evokes a sense of nostalgia for women's power dressing of the 80's. There are also obvious influences from Yves Saint Laurent's tuxedo style Trouser Suits of the 70's. This throwback to a sense of frivolous exuberance and decadence throughout his collection was, at least in some part, in response to financial doom and gloom of the global economic crisis at the time.  

1990's

Yves Saint Laurent - Trouser Suit

The Trouser Suit became an integral part of a woman’s wardrobe during the 1970s. Saint Laurent designed many variations of the Trouser Suit, including the famous 'smoking collection', which featured a range of women's tuxedos. His tuxedo for women was the first of its kind to be recognised in both popular culture and in the fashion world. The suits were believed to empower women, giving them the chance to present themselves in a masculine style that was synonymous with influence and power . The suit introduced an androgynous, minimalist style for women that continues to be reinterpreted today in the popular women's pantsuit. 

Every YSL runway show since the introduction of the Trouser Suit has included a different version of his emblematic design. The tuxedo picture above featured at the special catwalk show organised to celebrate 40 years of YSL in 2002, the year he retired. 

Donna Karan - Seven Easy Pieces

Donna Karan is originally known for her uniform dressing in the eighties. Her Seven Easy Pieces, a landmark simple-dressing system that Karan debuted in 1985, offered modern women (strong ambitious women, with complicated home lives and real bodies) a streamlined formula to take them from the 'boardroom to the banquette'. Among the seven outfits was a tailored jacket with a powerful body-sculpted silhouette characterised by strong shoulders and defined waist.

She revisited this concept in her Fall 2009 collection, resulting in one of her most successful collections. The collection featured a powerful triangular silohuette with sculpted shoulders and a wrapped or belted waist. The red jacket pictured is my favourite of the collection. It features a stand with no collar, and powerful rounded shoulders that give the jacket a real russian military meets oriental aesthetic. The jacket had two welt pockets and a jet pocket and is belted with a thin black belt to add contrast and emphasise the waist. It is a real stunner. This jacket gives merit to the effectiveness of simple, clean, minimalistic design.

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