Tailoring for Women

I have a number of autumn/winter trousers in production at the moment.  As I was putting the final hand stitches into a blue birdseye wool pair it struck me how, in a small but symbolic way, this garment had contributed to the emancipation of women in the workplace.  Courrèges ‘in mid-sixties Europe was a major influence in transforming the combination of matching jacket and trousers into “acceptable formal wear for daytime professionals” (’A History of Fashion’   J. Anderson Black & Madge Garland).  His lead was followed  in the US  in the form of the ‘pantsuit‘;  an combination of  matching tunic and trousers.

I remember at the time how its rapid proliferation was both shocking and liberating.  Not only was its visual manifestation a force for change, but it introduced a new sense of practicality to the business wardrobe.  When I started my business in the 70’s it was, in part, a response to this sea change in the office dress code. Prior to this nothing but a skirt or dress was considered acceptable.

Trousers can be transformational; if they look great, so do you.  I would even go so far as to say that this basic garment’s influence can enhance the sense of well being for the wearer.  The technique of achieving this miracle is all in the ‘cut’; a dilemma that was addressed in the tailor’s bible,  J.P. Thornton’s ‘The sectional system of gentlemen’s garment cutting’, of which I have an ancient copy.

‘The difficulties of trouser cutting can be summed up as follows…..If a trouser is cut to fit a figure when the legs and body are in a straight, standing position how can it fit when the legs and body are in a crooked position, walking? How can the 2 cloth cylinders suitable for the straight legs fit when the wearer is seated?”

They are a deceptively tricky garment to cut well, particularly for the female figure with its more complex curves.  The final garment must be comfortable, look good from all angles, and have no visible sign of the internal architecture.  The wearer needs to be able to step into an car or board a plane without pinch, stress, or ‘ride up’.  Following long days seated in the boardroom the garment should fall naturally into place with the creases intact.

Nowadays the new wools and blends can cope with all seasons and changes in climate.  Long gone are the times when all that was available were heavy weight tweeds and pinstripes.  And to be just a little more seasonal, how about some breeks.  I handed over a pair yesterday all ready for the grouse moors, lined in pink!

Someone recently said to me, ” I’m sure you can see now that men’s and women’s tailoring will never sit side by side.”   Granted, this was not one of the most  forward-thinking of the Savile Row fraternity. (I am not sure that Armani would agree with him either!)  It seems ironic that these days, when the talk is of ‘breaking glass ceilings’, there should be such a lack of joined-up thinking.  I have to confess that this thought was in part stimulated by a book I was given by a friend recently; The Spitfire Women of World War II (Giles Whittell)

The women of the Air Transport Auxiliary may not have taken part in the Battle of Britain but, without their flying skills and courage in delivering the aircraft to the RAF bases for their male counterparts, the battle would never have got off the ground; they flew Lancasters and Wellingtons too.  There are believed to be about 15 of the women pilots left, all in their eighties and nineties.

To fulfil their posts, they needed to be in uniform and as you might imagine, all the tailors were men.

The book relates a charming account from one of the women pilots about a trip to a local tailor in order to be measured up, and the consternation caused amongst the erstwhile cutters when a group of them first walked into the shop.  “Whoever heard of such a thing!”.

Apparently the basic measures were accomplished without incident, but when it came to the bust measurement the approach of the tailor seemed somewhat unusual.  “He would take a few quick steps, throw the tape measure round the back, catch it in mid-air and, turning his head away as if he couldn’t bear to look, wait until the two ends met before giving a fleeting glance to the number of inches it recorded.”  The process was completed by the cutter whispering “the awful secret” in the “hairy ear” of his amanuensis.  What a performance!

The end result was that their long awaited uniforms arrived with trouser seats four inches lower than they should have been.

Thank goodness times have changed…or have they!?

Photo: thanks to HarperPerennial, The Daily Telegraph and the Daily Mail

I had something of a surprise last week.  An unexpected visit to my Spitalfields studio  from one of the members of the Japanese Imperial Household.  It also gave me the chance to show the latest treasures in stock.  A selection of superb silk and wool tweeds prepared specially for me by Nicolas Guibauld at Holland & Sherry.

Silk is a natural protein fibre spun by the silkworm as it makes its cocoon…which is perhaps why moths aren’t particularly interested in it!  In cross section, the fibres have a triangular shape with rounded corners which allow light to reflect at different angles, giving the fabric a natural lustre.  Its smoothness and softness of texture belies the fact that it is one of the strongest natural fibres, and it also takes dye extremely well.  I believe also that violinists wrap their instruments in silk cloths in order to equalise in part any changes in humidity.

Holland & Sherry’s Silk Essence range is woven in England with Super 100’s wool.  When silk is included in the weave the natural qualities of the wool are enhanced immeasurably giving the fabric a unique drape and luxurious feel.  What is more, when silk is woven into patterns - dogtooth, herringbone, birdseye or glenchecks - it becomes almost irridescent.

They also stock a range of cashique fabrics; a very special treat indeed.  It’s made from a blend of the highest quality mulberry silk with cashmere and super-fine wool.  Definitely for the connoisseur.

It is not only the properties of the fabric itself however that lend to it its mystique.  It first began to appear in the West almost 2000 years ago and the trade routes that were established for the transport of silk and other commodities from China, the Silk Road, gave rise to a rich reservoir of stories and legends.

Everyone seems to have a ’silk’ story.  What is yours?

I need your comments!  My request is prompted by a client who approached me to carry out some ‘alterations’ to a much beloved wardrobe which, because of the passage of time, required some adjustments.

Alterations, the dreaded ‘A-word’, for me has more to do with taking up trouser hems or moving buttons.  This is a million miles away from the extensive re-cutting and restyling that is needed when refashioning a garment.  In many ways it is more related to the conservation skills required for preserving great works of art and other articles of value.  I remember talking with a luthier about the intricacy of the work that goes into repairing violins, preserving the original materials, and in more intense cases, searching for slivers of wood to match the age, grain and texture of the original. So, which of the ‘R-words’ is most appropriate?

For one part of my career I worked alongside the costumiers at the Royal Opera House.  The ability to reshape and reform garments at the drop of a hat because of last minute production changes was an essential part of their skill.

Rather than a chore, I see this work as an opportunity to learn, and I am very much of the opinion that training in these skills should be integral to any tailoring programme. It takes in all of the elements crucial to the art of bespoke; cutting, balance, sculpture, proportion and finish. Recently I have been fortunate to welcome on board a new apprentice and so this restyling project has proved to be a real bonus.

I should add one caveat however, modern garment construction does not always allow the provision for such extensive reshaping as I have mentioned in earlier posts.

But over to you…

Instead of the ‘A-word’, what would be your preference?

We have written about the credit crunch in other posts, however this particular project we undertook recently with Malcolm Plews of the tailoring house Welsh and Jefferies was an opportunity for clothes to ‘bite back’. And it involved a fashion student; Katie Robinson.

From time to time we try to make space to work with up and coming students in the clothing industry. Their ideas can be really refreshing and it gives us the opportunity to keeping in touch with current trends.

Katie’s particular specialisation is textile design and this collection, ‘Boom and Bust’, is inspired by the traumas of the City over the last few months.

The print designs were created on a range of different fabrics and used a number of iconic motifs such as the gold chip on a credit card, and embossed coinage.

After the fabric came the construction; I worked on the women’s business suit, Malcolm the men’s, and the one and only Delroy Mitchell produced the shirts.  I wonder if it is the first time a graduation show has had such a back stage representation from Savile Row?

Here is the collection, beautifully captured by the photographer Vicoria Brocklebank.

If all goes well, the collection will be selected for an independent London show at the East Winter Garden in Canary Warf on the 12th of June.

Good luck Katie!

Autumn\Winter collections will soon start to appear in retailers’ windows with the usual re-emergence of checks and plaids.  Working with these types of fabric brings a unique set of challenges.  If they are handled well, the garment takes on an added sharpness.  If not, the result will offend the eye and the garment will fail to achieve its full potential.

Plaids can be printed or woven and come in two basic forms; balanced or unbalanced.  ‘Balanced’ plaids have a symmetrical repetition of the pattern’s stripes growing outwards from each side of a central point.  An ‘unbalanced’ plaid is assymetrical with just a repeating series of stripes.

When working with plaids you need to purchase more fabric than usual in order to accommodate the matching of pattern repeats.  This is particularly the case if the design has a large number of pieces.  A good rule of thumb is to allow for two additional repeats of the pattern.

Correct cutting of the pattern is crucial; it determines the way in which the pattern of the cloth will align precisely across the seams.  This is the mark of a top class garment.

First comes the matching of the sideseams of both jacket and trousers.  Next, the horizontal lines at the top of the sleeve front should match those on the body of the jacket.  And the centre seam on the back should not interupt the pattern, aligning perfectly with the collar.  For the lapels, the stripes should run parallel to their edges, and pocket flaps should not interupt the flow of the pattern.

It is also possible to create chevron seams where the patterns of each part meet at 90 degrees.

Single layer cutting ensures the right design in the correct place on the fabric, and pattern pieces need to mirror each other, creating symetrical shapes where one is the exact reverse of the other.   You also need take account of the direction of the nap of the cloth.

Kilts are a traditional plaid garment that bring their own set of problems.  The combination of the amount of cloth and the way in which it is pleated gives it a characteristic swing when walking, however the way in which this is created is highly specialised.  The aim is to conceal sufficient cloth within a pleat so that the folded edges align with the repeat of the pattern.  This means that the length of cloth has to be calculated individually, depending upon the width of the repeat.

Working with plaids is like trying to solve an enormous three dimensional puzzle.  Just like some of the interlocking wooden puzzles you see in toy shops, if you change one element, you have to consider how it affects all the others.  Sudoku for suits!

I think it was the blues singer Corey Harris who said,  “in order to know where you’re going, you have to know where you’ve been”.  Last week I spent some time re-visiting an old friend with a view to making a new one.

This knee length dress in wool crepe was commissioned last year.  It came from the first client via our TfW blog who wanted a simple elegant piece to make an impact during a special viewing at Christies; the international auctioneers of fine art.

As an inspiration she suggested looking at the French designer André Courrèges,  famous for producing immaculately tailored sporting clothes in the mid 60’s.  He became known as the socialites’ couturier, and his clients included the Begum Aga Khan, Princess Lee Radziwill, and the Duchess of Windsor.  His signature silhouette for a dress was an “A” shape that bypassed and concealed the waist.

This rich red dress is made from double wool crepe selected at Joel & Sons. The fabric has a deep texture that can be indented by topstitching, a technique similar to quilting that was favoured by Courrèges.

Wool crepe has a characteristic crinkled granular appearance produced both by the special type of yarn used, and the distinctive way in which it is woven.  It also dyes well in any range of deep jewel or soft pastel colours, with the texture of the fabric enhancing its hue.

This cloth has many attractive properties for a tailor or couturier.  From a design and construction perspective the relaxed weave allows a slight “give” in all directions, making it possible to shape and mold the cloth into sculptural lines that follow the contours of the body.  Newly developed stretch linings are compatable with an outer crepe layer to accommodate any movement.

For the wearer it creates a garment that is comforatable all year round.  It will also be durable, perfect for travel, easy to care for, and equally suitable for boardroom, day or evening wear.

There is a re-emerging trend for dresses as they seem to offer the ideal solution as an alternative to the more conventional skirt and jacket combination.  They are easy to accesorize and to wear with other separates.

Returning to our crimson friend above, in a short while it will return to the closet with a new companion to share the rail.

“Show me where you work; show me how you do it”.

I am thrilled by the way my clients want to collaborate in the design of their garments.  Their curiosity seems to be twofold: a desire to learn more about the practical details; cloth, techniques, tools.  Secondly, an intrigue with the more artistic side of things such as proportion, colour balance, placement of detail etc.

I have been thinking about some of the parallels with architecture.

A building is made from both rigid and flexible elements.  The final structure has to be strong enough to maintain its form, but possess a degree of flexibility as the climate, inside and out, affects the physics of the materials from which it is made.  So, the constituent components all influence each other.

Garments crafted in the art of bespoke are created in a similar way - with a unique layering of materials and methods of combining them.  The art lies in achieving a finished product that is soft on the body but at the same time accentuates the natural attributes of the materials used.

Some materials making up the inner architecture of a bespoke suit are:

• chest canvas - short, coarse fibres in the weave provide foundation and allow flexibility
• laptair - long, rigid fibres supporting the weft of a fabric help preserve its width.
• domette - soft, supple cloth secured over the coarser fibres of the laptair preventing their intrusion past the inner linings.
• silesia - a strong, densely woven fabric that adds a stable foundation in the fixing of other materials
• pocketings - robust enough to hold an array of objects yet retain its shape, and be comfortable on the skin

These materials are layered and secured with a matrix of different types of stitches, each backing the other up.

• basting cotton - soft thread for loose stitching such as padding and basting which can be easily removed
• poly-cotton blend - used for machining and some hand sewing
• silk - because of its lustre and strength it is used for the final topstitching and buttonholes
• polyester - strongest, the thickest grades are used for backstitching

“The sewing machine is used for almost all seams and darts, but 75% of all stitches in a bespoke made suit are still done by hand, to ensure the most accurate shaping of the fabric.  Today’s tailors continue to practice their art almost exactly as it was practiced a century ago.  Not because slower is necessarily better, but because these methods produce body and form, detail and durability which newer faster methods of tailoring are simply unable to equal.”
(Classic Tailoring Techniques.  Roberto Cabrera/Patricia Flaherty Meyers.)

With modern, mass produced clothing, many of these details are eliminated.  One example is the way in which many layers are secured by one line of machine stitching.  If this line breaks, then it all breaks.

We spend our lives wrapped up in our clothes - we might as well know something about them!

A respondent to a recent post asked the question;  is buying a bespoke garment considered  a good return on  investment considering the initial spend?  Putting aside for the moment matters such as fit, design and satisfaction of requirements, I thought it provided an interesting challenge.  So I decided to investigate something from my own experience; my favourite ‘hacking jacket‘.

I made this garment twenty years ago, just after I came to London.  The fabric is a 100% worsted wool special edition tartan that I picked up at Holland & Sherry in Mayfair.  I wanted a key piece for my wardrobe that would be flexible enough to wear with tailored trousers, or jeans and trainers; for more formal or informal gatherings.  I use it throughout the autumn, winter and spring, and probably a minimum of once each week.  Erring on the low side this has given it around 600 outings in its lifetime (20 years) and it still has a long way to go!    The reasons for the length of its lifespan lie with the fact that the nature of its construction means it can be altered, the quality of the fabric makes it durable but still elegant, and it can resist the trauma of visits to high street dry cleaners without falling apart.

The original cost would have been in the region of £750.00 which  means that so far it has cost £37.50 per annum, and of course this is diminishing.  How does this rate with what you would expect to pay in the high street?

Prices, as you might imagine, have changed since the late 80’s.  So I contrasted this with two of my passions; Mars bars and shotguns.  Pretty extreme!

In 1989 the price of a Mars bar was 26 pence, and a standard 12 bore Holland & Holland ” Royal ” Model shotgun £21,100.  When I went to the local newsagent today, a Mars bar cost me 65 pence.  I didn’t have sufficient loose change in my pocket to pick up a shotgun; they now retail at £55,250.

So putting all this together I would suggest that the current price of a hacking jacket, from around £1500, is pretty much in line with the current pricing structures, and a good return on investment.

Not only that… but you get what you want!

P.S.  I just had an evening with one of my closest colleagues on the ‘Row’.  John Reed (see ‘Folding a Jacket‘) reminded me about the fact that we are all different, and the beauty of bespoke is that it respects and responds to our differences.

Recently I participated in a number of conferences in and around the Square Mile (the traditional financial centre of London) and the things about which I am asked most frequently are to do with the process of making a bespoke suit; specifically what does it involve, and how can one best prepare for it. A bespoke suit is comprised of an intricate and subtle layering of fabrics which are so arranged to mold to your body over time.  Like a good wine, it takes on character as it matures.

So, bearing in mind that you want to get the most out of your investment…and I really do look at it in that light…here are some pointers.

Preparation beforehand: The what, where, when and why’s of your garment

• Venue.  Do you need to fit in with current custom and practice
• Use.  Is this purely for the office or will it have to fulfil other purposes
• Climate.  High humidity, or freezing air conditioning…or both
• Time.  All day, evening, working hours
• Event.  Is this for a special occasion
• Image.  What impression do you wish to create
• Wardrobe.  What do you have in your collection

Consultation: Initial questions

• * Design.  Do I have to stick to a classic style ( single-breasted, double-breasted, button 2, button 3, vents etc.) ?  What modifications can be made (style of cuff, width of lapel, contrasting stitching etc.) ? Can you work from an illustration?  How will it be ‘finished’ (edge stitching, handmade button-holes etc)?
• Process.  Where will the garment be produced?  Can I make changes to the design after the making process has started?
• Timetable.  How long will the whole process take? How many fittings will there be? Can you fit within my schedule? Can you deliver to me?
• Materials.  What choice of materials are available (main cloth, linings, trimmings etc.)?
• Costs.  What is the schedule of payments?  Are there likely to be any extras?
• Accessories.  What additional items might I need?

Following on: the first fitting

• At your first fitting you will have the opportunity to see the internal workings of the garment before the lining has been installed.  Things you will be asked to consider will include
• Balance, fit and shape
• Any revisions to the original design - as the process advances there is less opportunity for making major modifications

Second fitting:

Not always required, but an opportunity to check on any major changes as a result of the first fitting

Completion:

• Aftercare.  How should I best store my garment?  How should it be cleaned? How should it be packed for travel?
• Maintenance.  Can I come back for future alterations or ‘tune-ups’?

You can perhaps see from all this thought, time and attention that there is a good reason for calling it the ‘bespoke experience’.