Tailoring for Women

I opened the Financial Times this weekend to a splash of advertisements for engagement and wedding rings, although for me none as elegant as this stunning example from Lucie Campbell in Bond Street.

Despite the Arctic conditions here in London, minds are turning to warmer thoughts and spring nuptials. I have  completed two weddings so far this year, with a third underway and still more around the corner.  As we were laying out each garment it occurred to me that there are some common issues that might be worth bearing in mind as you start the planning process.

So, here are ten thoughts, in no particular order,  that will help to reduce your stress levels and preserve the bank balance as the day draws near:

1. It is not necessary to purchase large quantities of expensive fabric.  Simply designed dresses can be transformed with hints of more exquisite fabrics such as beaded silks, embroidery, or devoré.
2. Choose cloth as early in the proceedings as possible, and also plan the fitting schedule well in advance.  Time flies, and if fabric stocks are limited your selected cloth could be snapped up.  Fortunately,  suppliers will often reserve lengths of fabric against a deposit whilst you decide on the design, and the pattern is cut.
3. Remember to include your intended jewellery in the discussion.  Bodices can be shaped to show a necklace off to better effect, brooches can be secured to protect the dress fabric, and a headress can be fashioned around an existing tiara.
4. Plan the undergarments with your designer.  They will be integral to the final design, so remember to bring them to your fittings.  I am pleased to be able to send my clients to Rigby & Peller.
5. Don’t leave your choice of shoes to the last minute.  You will need them at the final fittings for a perfect hemline.  Also, it can take weeks if they need to be dyed.  Make sure to wear them a few times before the day arrives, you may be grateful when it comes to the last waltz!
6. I have attended many a wedding where there have been accidents as a hem was caught on a heel or a garment gets unexpectedly snagged.  Make sure you have a small sewing kit to hand, including safety pins.
7. Don’t leave the men out of the planning.  Often ideas for co-ordinating their garments or accessories come too late in the day to be able to take effective action.  Waistcoats, bow ties, pocket squares, cravats, braces and buttonholes; all can lend a unifying feel to the bridal party.
8. Clients sometimes ask me to remodel or recondition vintage pieces, or perhaps refurbish a wedding dress worn by their mother.  This is achievable and often gives an added poignancy to an event, but be prepared for specialist alteration work which can be extensive.  Depending upon how the garment has been cared for this can prove a costly exercise particularly if special fabrics, beads, fastenings or trimmings need to be sourced and applied.
9. Think ahead and consider how any garments might be merged into your regular wardrobe after the wedding.  Shawls and jackets can be used as staple garments after the event, shoes can be re-coloured, and dresses can be re-cut or re-dyed.
10. Finally, don’t forget the last minute extras – garter, head dress, gloves, shawl or jacket, or a second outfit for the reception.

Good Luck!

Photo: thanks to Lucie Campbell, New Bond Street, London

My first tailoring lessons with my mother, who was herself an accomplished ‘stitcher’,  included trips to the local department store to look at the fashions of the day and in particular the way they were put together.  By way of education my Mom used to encourage me to ‘test’ the garments on the hangers, so I would tweak the zips and buttons, and tug at the hems and seams to test their strength (Do this with caution!).

I soon came to realise that properly hand-crafted garments had a durability and finish that was seldom to be found amongst the flimsier fashion items, and could be equally as chic as some of the finest designs.  It also gave me an insight into the fact that fashion has both an inside and an outside story, and it was seldom the case that the quality of the inside finish would match that of the outside.  I even remember reciting the mantra ‘make a garment as beautiful on the inside as it is on the outside’.

In the Independent and Mirror newspapers earlier this week reports showed that complaints to the Goverment’s consumer helpline, Consumer Direct, about ‘shoddy fashion’  had surged by 22% from last year; the fastest in any of its top top 10 complaints categories.  Complaints ranged from sequined dresses littering the floor to zips and buttons on bridal dresses falling apart on the wedding day.

The marked fall in prices (as much as 25%) has no doubt had something to do with this. The big problem with reducing prices is that once you have reached the break-even point there is nowhere else to go.  There has to be an accomodation in the production costs somewhere and it would seem to lie in the making process,  and once quality has been sacrificed it is difficult to recapture.  I wonder if anyone out there has carried out a comparative pricing of the sum total of monies spent on high street fashion against the layout for a bespoke item throughout its lifetime?  It would make for interesting study.

Meanwhile, fashion continues to excite and inspire on many fronts, however, the built in obsolescence inherent in many high street purchases has created a throw-away culture which, particularly during these pressing financial times, has to be considered profligate as we watch our land fill sites overflow.

Photo: thanks to juliar at Flickr.com

The life of a garment is determined by the wearer, and the more delicate (and expensive) the cloth the more care is required.  With most ‘off-the-peg’ garments cleaning instructions are included, however with bespoke and made-to-measure suits it is rare to find this information.  Make sure that you ask your tailor about the best way to care for your garment and bear in mind that if a number of fabrics have been used the most delicate will determine the care process.  More elaborate couture pieces that may have crystal or sequined accents will need specialist care which is best left to the experts.

Brushing: This will not only remove surface soiling but reinvigorate the fabric itself by recombining its fibres and encouraging air to pass through.  Brushing is often best done whilst you are wearing the garment.  There are also a range of proprietory  rollers with which you can remove lint, although some brushes also combine a lint removal pad.   In an emergency you can wrap your hand in sticky tape (sticky side out) and gently brush the affected area.

Pressing/ironing: Fabrics exposed to temperatures above those recommended on the care guidance instructions will change in character, so man-made or thermoplastic fibres have to be ironed at lower temperatures than non man-made fibres.  The use of steam will also lower their temperature tolerance.  Beware of applying too much hand pressure or steam, and use a linen press cloth to diffuse the heat.  Remember too that steam alone, without making contact with the garment, may suffice. With non-bespoke wear it is often the case that garments will be fused so use only a dry iron  in order not to release the bond of the adhesives.

Storage: Leave space between the garments and don’t pack them too tightly together, this gives them the opportunity to breath and freshen up.  And never store garments that are soiled.

Moths: We made mention of one particular defence agains moths in a previous post but this dealt more with eradicating the mature insect. It is in fact the lavae of the insect that cause the damage, so when you see them in flight the damage may already have been done.  One of the easiest ways to discourage them is to maintain good care practice, so for instance soiled wool or wool blends should be cleaned before storing.  You will find also that some drycleaners can apply a mothproof finish if garments are to be put in storage.  Wardrobes or closets should be sprayed periodically with repellent as an additional precaution, and if you use moth balls or crystals make sure that they don’t come into contact with the fabric as they may leave a residue.

Travel: Remove your jacket when seated and either lay it flat, or better still use a hanger.  Don’t be tempted to rely on the hanging loop on the collar.

Rotating: Try to give your suit time to recover and change your garment each day.  Even just two days in succession can be too much particularly for delicate fabrics.

If you carry out this regular process of maintainance you will find that the life of your garments will be extended considerably.   In fact, the other day I worked on a dinner jacket that was older than me, but let’s close the post there shall we?!

Photo: thanks to John Corby Ltd

When we take the decision to add a new tailored piece to our wardrobe, I wonder how many  people  consider the properties of the textile selected.  It seems to be more the case that we are driven by colour, pattern and style and neglect the nature of the chosen material and how it might perform.  This, along with the next set of posts, will be devoted to the properties, care and maintenance of  some of the main fabrics, and an exploration into  the fibres and weaves that determine their characteristics. We have been helped in this by Nicholas Guilbaud at Holland and Sherry, specialists in the high quality traditional fabrics used in bespoke tailoring.

First some basics.

Other than its initial impact, there are four main factors to consider when selecting a length of material.  The fibre, the nature of the fabric and its weave, the finish, and the mixture.

The fibre is the smallest perceivable element of a textile that is visible to the naked eye, and there are four main fibre shapes each with a unique cross-section.

• Flat-oval as found in types of cotton.

• Oval to round with overlapping scales such as medulla wool where its honeycomb-like core has minute air spaces

• Triangular with rounded edges as in silks or nylon

• Circular and uniform in diameter – fibres such as nylon, dacron or rayon.

The chemical composition of a fibre is determined by by either its natural or man-made origins. Natural fibres are either animal (wool, alpaca, camel, cashmere, mohair, vicuna, angora, silk), or vegetable (cotton, flax, linen, famie).  The image to the left shows wild silk fibres in magnification. Man-made fibres can be either cellulose based (viscose, rayon, cupramonium rayon, acetate) or non-cellulose ( Nylon, polyester, acrylic, olefin, spandex).  Fibres are spun into continuous threads called yarns which, according to the amount of twist, will influence its feel, absorbency, elasticity, lustre and strength.  Although there are are other factors that come into play, at base level the fibre from which a garment is made determines the way in which it should be cared for, hence the washing instructions on the label in mass produced clothes.

The next step up is to turn the yarns into fabric. There are two ways of doing this; weaving or knitting.  Most tailoring uses woven fabrics.  The weaving process relies on two simple elements, the warp and the weft; two sets of yarns running perpendicular to each other.  It It is the way in which these are combined, along with the tension within the yarn, that create all of the materials you see in a cloth merchants, from jaquards to tweeds.  When yarns are dyed individually, it is the weaving of them that give us tartans, stripes or plaids.  ‘Shot’ fabrics include a yarn that gives them an irridescence.

Here are examples of  three simple weaves: plain cotton, twill and satin.

There  are a number of different finishes used in the final preparation of the raw fabric.  The most obvious is the application of dye, although  as mentioned earlier the yarn can be dyed as a separate part of the process.  Colour is probably the most influential factor for a customer, and garment  manufacturers try to leave the process of dyeing as close to the final shipment of the fabric as possible.  Except for specially commissioned fabric runs, the pipeline between the fibre manufacture to the consumer can be as long as two years which can make it a highly speculative operation when placed alongside the dictats of the fashion industry.

So far we have looked at single content fabrics; silks, cottons, wools etc.  The final influencing factor however is the combination of fibres that might be used in a fabric, known also as mixture.  So for example, lining fabrics I have been working with recently  are a combination of viscose (95%) and lycra (5%).  This combines the robust, anti-static qualities of viscose with the stretch of lycra.

This should give you a basic outline of the basic elements of fabric design.  In the next post we will look at what you should expect from a fabric, how it performs.

Photo: thanks to Holland and Sherry, Olympusmicro and David Greenhalgh

In some ways this post is an extension of the last Briefing for Bespoke post (Line, shape, proportion), but this time with a slightly more light-hearted tone as befits the Christmas season.

Strange as it may seem I first came across the Tailor’s Rule of Thumb when talking with the artist Kristin Newton, who uses a selection of ‘body’ parts for estimating proportion when teaching her drawing course at the Right Brain Research Centre in Tokyo (hence the notes in Japanese). This is an example of the way in which the width of the eye is used as a preliminary means of mapping out the proportions of a face.

Before accurate measuring systems were in place the body was often used as a measuring system. For instance for the Egyptians a common cubit was the length of the forearm from the elbow to the tip of the middle finger, whereas a span for the Ancients was the largest distance between the points of two fingers measured on a man’s outstretched hand; around 22.9 centimetres, 9 inches or 1/4 yard. The measurement of an inch is gauged as the distance between the base of the thumbnail and the first joint, and from this connection, in French and Portuguese both the words for thumb and the unit of measure have a common derivation; respectively un pouce and polegada (from polegar – thumb).

With the Tailor’s Rule of Thumb however, the purpose is to establish comparative proportions so that by taking just one measurement, irrespective of one’s size, it should be theoretically possible to map out the basic elements of a body’s contours. Jonathan Swift has Gulliver refer to this during his stay in Lilliput (Gulliver’s Travels ):

“The Seamstresses took my measure as I lay on the ground, one standing at my neck, the other at my mid-leg, with a strong cord extended, that each held by the end whilst a third measured the length of the cord with a rule of an inch long. Then they measured my right Thumb, and desired no more; for by a mathematical Computation, that twice round the Thumb is once around the Wrist, and so on to the Neck and Waist, and by the help of my old Shirt, which I displayed on the Ground before them for a Pattern, they fitted me exactly.”

There is an anecdote in the tailoring community about a client who came in to buy some trousers, wrapped the waistband twice around his neck and left with them over his arm with the pronouncement that they  would be a perfect fit. An interesting snippet but one that perhaps needs a grain or two of salt. Much of the art of the tailoring process lies in the accurate measurement and the subsequent balancing of a pattern. A highly skilled job needing a critical eye, so perhaps this novel method should be left with the Lilliputians.

It might be fun however as we are in the midst of party season to find some alternative proportions that would work for everyone. Of course the true test would come once the post Christmas dieting has kicked in.

Let me know what you come up with! And of course… a Happy New Year to all.

Photo: thanks to Glasgow University, RBR (Tokyo)

You may have caught the compelling TV series “Madmen“.  The story of the how the advertising industry took fire on Madisson Avenue in the 60′s.  (30 years earlier the father of PR, Edward Bernays had started the ball rolling by helping the tobacco industry sell cigarettes to women with the somewhat questionable byline ‘A Torch for Liberty’!).  In one episode an eager young secretary was given this down to earth advice from one of her more seasoned colleagues with regards to dressing in the work place.”Go home, cut 2 holes in a paper bag, put it over your head, stand in front of a mirror and take a good look at your at yourself”.  A novel way indeed to assess your body line, but also one that is not too far off the mark.  The first step in deciding how to dress is to get an accurate understanding of your own unique body shape and how to accommodate its proportions.

I can sense that for some this may be something that requires a little courage, but to help you, here is a method that you might find more effective than the ‘paper bag’ solution.
You will need:

• a digital camera
• a printer
• a marker pen
• some tracing paper or similar

Over your usual foundation garments put on a leotord or some similar  body-hugging garment.  Using the self portrait setting on your camera,  take full length pictures of yourself from two aspects; the front and the side.   Print these out in full on A4 paper.  With the pen and  tracing paper copy the outline of your body, then mark in the top of your head, shoulder line, bustline, waistline, hip line, knees, elbows and wrists.

An alternative methoed for perhaps the more creatively inclined I learned from the artist Kristin Newton who has her students stand in front of a mirror looking at their reflected image through a sheet of perspex held a short distance from their face; it is important to view it with just one eye open in order not to distort the perspective.  Then trace around the outline of your body’s image in the mirror directly on to the perspex with a marker.

Before we go to the next stage however, let’s take a step back into antiquity and look at how  proportion was perceived by  the old Masters using the system known as the Golden Section, or the Golden Ratio.  This is a special mathematical relationship whereby a line, divided into two parts (a, b) has a relationship between the whole and its parts so that the ratio between the small section (b) to the larger section (a) is equal to the ratio between the larger section and the whole i.e. a:b = (a+b):a.

This image showing how the Golden Section was applied is from a study carried out at the Virginia Wesleyian College into Bottecelli’s Birth of Venus.

You can see how ‘perfection’ was perceived as a matter or proportion.  The reality is that few of us conform to this sylph-like ideal, however what we aspire to when selecting the style of a garment is to give the illusion of a well balanced proportion.

Now, using both tracings and photographs, take note of  the areas where the body mass is most emphasised.  Compare how the shape of the silhoutte changes between the bust, waist and hip.  Notice the degree of definition of the waist, small of the back, hips and bottom. The reason for using both tracings is that you may find, for example, from the front aspect you appear full and round, whereas from the side you may have a flatter silhouette.

The way in which we can start to balance out our proportions is by using two separate systems of analysis.  A Body Type template (you will need a pdf viewer to access this file) which associates one’s proportions with suggestions for silhouette, fabrics, details and patterns, and a set of supplementary modifications I have called Qualifiers which help with the vertical and horizontal rebalancing.

With statistics showing that most women wear 20% of their wardrobe 80% of the time,  perhaps with a little more knowledge in how to select for proportion, these statistics can be encouraged to change.  Fashion is one thing, the bodies we were graced with is another!

Initial Image: thanks to Guardian/BBC/AMC

Appearance comes in two forms; how we see ourselves, and how others see us.  And one impacts on the other.  One is more to do with self expression, the other with fitting in.  The important thing is not to mix the two up or the consequences, at an extreme level, can be severe.

We read how there are countries where wearing the wrong sort of clothes can have devastating results; in Iraq, Afghanistan and Northern India  women receive harsh punishments for openly wearing western clothes rather than the burqah or sari.   We don’t  have to journey as far as that to find  in our own backyard similar adverse reactions to styles of dress.  In Lancashire (UK) in 2007 a young couple dressed as ‘moshers’ or Goths were set upon by a group of teenagers and murdered because they stood out from the crowd.

The way in which we dress can provoke life influencing decisions from others and it is interesting to note that as we chart our way through one of the most challenging periods of financial uncertainty in modern times, this is having a corresponding effect on how people dress.  The pervasive ‘dress down’ styles which were becoming increasingly popular in City offices have, according to my clients who know such things, been supplanted by the more formal aspects of business wear in the interest of job preservation.

Paradoxically, this doesn’t just mean a visit to the ‘off the peg’ purveyors of business wear,  but a move towards something which allows for a closer reflection of personality and  tradition.  With job prospects under threat those first vital seconds, when appearance counts for more than words (Mehrabian. 1997), are becoming almost a new battleground for gaining an edge.  Remember the old cliché…”how do you dress in a recession…up!”, whilst at the same time fluctuations in the stock market apparently influence the height of hemlines.

Leveraging one’s appearance with regard to clothes has to take on board a number of different elements; colour, pattern, texture, style, detail, fit and proportion.  Of these, convention insists that colour, pattern, texture and style fit within fairly tight constraints.  This leaves detail, fit and proportion as the principal variables.

Detail by way of linings, button configurations, pockets, lapels, ventings, can all be used to create a sense of differentiation from others, but again these have to be subtle.  Perhaps the area which can create the most impact is with the fit and proportion.  ‘Fit’ refers to the way in which a garment follows the natural curves of the body, ‘proportion’ deals with the overall balance of a garment and can be influenced by all the other elements.  In some ways there is a sense of  Gestalt about the balance of all these different elements.

From the research that has been undertaken into the psychology of clothing, and my own observation of professional  women in all walks of life, from the concert platform to the boardroom, I would suggest three simple guiding principles.

1. Be aware of what is custom and practice in the environment in which you are going to be moving.

2. The right accessories, or subtle accents on a garment, can make an impact, and a little goes a long way.

3. Well cut garments suited to your proportions say much more about you than the latest fashion trend.

Let’s leave the final words with  Coco Chanel  “Dress sharply and they notice the dress. Dress impeccably and they notice the woman”

Photos: Thanks to Kimball Andrew Schmidt

Tailoring has a long and intriguing history, and over time it has developed its own unique methodologies and practices.  This post is the first of a series, Briefing for Bespoke, which will chart some of the things it might be helpful for you to know.  It will include topics such as the psychology of appearance, cut, proportion, use of colour, business versus fashion, culture and clothes, and many others.

As you may have seen in the  press recently (although from its imagery I don’t think that the Mail subscribes to the Hemline Theory of Economy, nor do I think it helped with furthering the cause of the serious business woman) companies such as Ernst & Young are taking the matter of how to dress qutie seriously, and in these financially challenging times one can understand only too well how important it is to leverage up any element that has been allowed to fall by the wayside.   Whilst  non-business needs are amply covered by the fashion houses and high streets, there remains a considerable dilemma for those in the business environment.  Anne Freden, chair of Ernst and Young’s women’s network, was quoted by a number of journalists when she expressed how women often found it difficult to know what clothes were acceptable at work.

I feel that the first step is to take a considered look at some of the practical advice that is around and give a measured distillation of what is available in a form that will suit both the needs and lifestlye of those of you that are in the frontline.  I think also that there is a place for some down to earth information about ways in which you can care for your garments, and what new materials or accessories are appearing that will make  life a little easier and enable you to dress with confidence.  This is the purpose of the posts, and I hope that you will feel able to supplement or perhaps challenge some of the comments that will be uploaded.

By way of a taster, I have included alongside this post a simple illustration of an original and highly practical way in which you might fold a tailored jacket ready for travel.

I will leave the last word with Anne Freden who undoubtedly sees the matter of dress as integral to their extensive programme of workshops designed to promote the E&Y women’s network and help women to maximise their potential as a part of the corporate identity policies of her organisation. “The firm doesn’t view this as something that is nice to have, but as an integral part of the business strategy.”

Photo: With CCL

There are a number of significant differences between the techniques needed to tailor a garment for a women and those for a man. That is not to say however that they are completely different entities.  There are indeed many areas of crossover and this is one such example.

John Reed, who demonstrates this ingenious and original method of folding a jacket, entered the trade some 65 years ago and was a City & Guilds medallion winner.  He is also one of the many personalities that helps define the character of the Savile Row community.

Original footage: Thanks to Naoki Kawamoto Design

Earlier this year you may have seen the retail guru Mary Portas visiting the boutique of the designer who specialises in larger-sized garments, Anna Scholtz.  Amongst all the furore over the last year or so about ‘Size 0′ models it was refreshing to hear someone in the fashion industry comment that “the curvy customer is, in fact, the average British woman”.  I realise that this can be a sensitive subject, but if you are a bespoke tailor it is an issue that you have to address face on.

When assessing a client with, to use the accepted euphemism, a fuller figure, it does present a different set of challenges for both maker and wearer, and I feel that the continuing trend for covering up rather than emphasizing assets takes away the opportunity for rejoicing in one’s own body shape.

Often I find it to be the case that insufficient time has been spent by a client in assessing their true anatomical structure, for example whether they are ‘big-boned’, or have a larger body mass.  As each of these has a different reaction to the act of standing or sitting it can have considerable implications for the way in which a garment is cut.

Three of my clients come to mind who are completely at home with their proportions, and all have, in their different ways, to lay themselves open to public scrutiny.

The world famous dramatic soprano Jane Eaglen first came to me when she had just broken on the operatic scene and I made a concert dress for her American debut at the Hollywood Bowl.  She not only had to have something with all the glamour of a first night,  but also it had to be something  against which she could push when her diaphragm was in full extension.  In some ways it had to become a part of her performance equipment.  An interesting combination of robustness and elegance for a woman who is  tall with a substantial figure and a personality to match.  We worked on emphasising this with an emerald raw silk gown which had beaded accents, and combined it with a long iridescent silk chiffon coat.

Clarissa  Dickson Wright wanted a garment for an occasion too; The Conservancy Ball.  But it also had to be one that would merge into her wardrobe in a practical way.  Her links to the countryside and the National Trust led the way to a  2-piece rifle-green, wool-crepe top  with a long 8-panelled skirt which broke into soft flutes at the hemline. Over this we made a sweeping shooting cape  from lightweight tweed with a fine leather trimming.  So…practicality with style.

One of the most interesting commisions recently was from Gieves and Hawkes who asked me to create a piece for the Lord Chamberlain of Tonga on the occasion of the coronation of the new monarch.  This garment had to make less of a statement because of the contrast  with the ceremonial garments.  In this instance it was midnight blue silk-satin with an Empire waistline and a long exagerated A-line skirt.  We were however given full permission to add any accents we thought appropriate, so to soften it we included a scalloped neckline and a hint of beading to match the sparkle of the occasion.

If I were to sum up the common elements from each of these projects I feel that there are three points to be made.

1. Don’t sentence yourself to wearing dark colours all the time, and have a sense of your own unique colour palate; more of this in future posts
2. Don’t squeeze into a smaller size, wear something that fits your build
3. Think vertically with detail, and accents that draw the eye forward and up e.g. longer lapels, a longer jacket opening with fewer buttons, detail around the shoulder areas

The exceptional soprano Jessye Norman is once reputed to have said, when being encouraged to enter a crowded elevator by turning sideways, “Honey, with me there ain’t no sideways”.  Frivolous comments aside,  let’s hear it for the women with fuller figures!

Photo: Public Domain