Have you ever spent an entire weekend dipping in and out of clothes stores on the high street, or virtually traipsing around the internet in search of the perfect pair of trousers?
Did you ever find a pair that fitted well?
You didn’t?
Well, neither have I, so you are not alone.
Over the years, I have selected so many pairs of trousers which looked absolutely fabulous either on the hanger or online, only to find they just don’t fit well at all. When worn, some have strange pockets of space over my hips which I swear I could stash a couple of baguettes, but the waist fits just fine for my size.
Other trousers seem to have a huge expanse of fabric from the hip area to the waist, leaving the waistband hovering somewhere around the top of my ribcage. Is my posterior and tummy supposed to fill that space?
Well, it doesn’t.
How big are they supposed to be to do that?
Yet still, I have experienced the opposite situation too where the waistband is so low, my bottom is left feeling a cool breeze upon it and getting more than it’s fair share of Vitamin D.
And then, there is the low riding scenario which is when the trouser crotch resides halfway down my inner thighs and ends up doing a strange straightjackety trouser thing. Not great if you’re trying to rock a streamlined sophisticated corporate style vibe. If I drop anything, I can’t squat to pick it up unless I hike my up my pants, drawing my trouser hems up to my calves in the hope they will reunite with my ankles at some point after I have retrieved the fallen object.
Not everybody knows that in the fashion and costume industry mass produced garments manufactured by vast factories work to body specifications which have been collated through statistical data.
They are harvested by organisations which have scrutinised the public through various means and filtered the array of measurements across the public spectrum into set measurements. Those measurements are meant to represent us all. Size sets representative of the ‘average’ person. Every fashion house and company then uses that set of average measurements to create their collections.
Having spent years working in the fashion and costume industry, I started out working in a fast fashion company where my job was to measure the fabric shrinkage before and after washing. That fabric was destined for distant factories to create mass produced garments which would ultimately end up in our shops. I met many a company model and made many calculations to ensure the correct fit at that time.
Fashion companies often have an ideal virtual or actual muse or model which are used as a visual representative of who their target market customer is and who they are focused upon to sell their collections. That would include; size, lifestyle, pay scale etc.
Now that works for many a person, when they go to any store to buy clothes they happen to like which suits their style, pay scale and body shape, but what happens if you happen to like a particular style and price bracket, but the size its just not quite right?
What if your waist or bust is smaller or bigger than the specifications of the size that is meant to fit you?
Then what?
What does that mean for you and I?
It means for people who are not an average size, they will either have to spend their lives paying a fortune getting paying for all their clothes to be altered or wear bespoke clothing.
Or just make their own clothes, which I fancy may well be fuelling the interest in people learning to sew.
Lets face it, after raising a family, looking after relatives, holding down jobs and maybe even battling ill health, who is exactly the same size as they were at 21?
I’m sure there are people out there who are, but it is certainly not I.
I suspect, I am not alone.
It is not to say that learning to pattern cut and make your own clothes is a cheap affair, oh no.
By the time a person has bought a commercial pattern or sourced a roll of pattern paper to make their own pattern, bought the fabric and thread to match as well as all the haberdashery to complete it ( not to mention having a reasonably behaved and working sewing machine unless you are going down the Globe Theatre route of much hand sewing) the cost will add up, however, you will never have to experience the embarrassment of arriving at a fancy event to find someone else wearing an identical outfit to you.
I have witnessed that occurrence a few times whilst working in opera houses and attending weddings. Imagine warring cats happening across each other. With arched backs, unsheathed claws and backpedaling of paws the only thing missing was the hissing ( at least not within my hearing…) of outraged felines.
With my larger than average waist and bust-line, I realised a long time ago if I wanted a well-fitting outfit, in this case a pair of trousers, I would have to draft it and make it myself or spend a lifetime wearing mens trousers which are actually very nice, but has too much fabric in the crotch area, if you catch my drift. And the thighs are not shapely. And as for the colours available, it’s hard to find them in my favourite colours of red, purple, lime green and orange.
Luckily, having parents who worked in the garment construction and costume industry, it did not take much for me to follow them down the same path as I learned pattern cutting and sewing techniques for men and women, but ultimately becoming a theatrical tailor. It has become my career for the past 30+ years and have constructed a vast array of garments for countless productions, collections and projects. I specialise in opera and ballet, having arrived there through working in fashion.
So, you are probably thinking, how does that help you?
I possess the skills to help you create bespoke clothes, which may help you in the quest for a better fitting garment.
Having enjoyed a long career in the business, I have also written two books.
My first book – ‘Simple Tailoring & Alterations’ is a comprehensive text book which covers every day alterations which the average person may require with regards to altering their garments, from how to shorten pair of trousers to reshaping the neckline of a dress.
My second book – ‘The Waistcoat Workbook’ is one which delves into the history of the garment through to its modern uses in the 21st century. It also contains step-by- step guides on how to draft a selection the garments from start to finish for men and women. It covers Victorian, Cosplay and Steampunk aspects too.
Following the successful launch of my latest book, whilst attending a number events I have had numerous enquiries from the sewing community with regards to whether I could share some of my knowledge with them to enhance their skills.
With this in mind I have been conducting workshops at the Knit Stitch Shows in recent years to enable and empower others to achieve their goal of creating stylish and well fitting clothes for themselves or for others to enjoy. This will be done by the continuation the workshops I currently teach at the events in London – Measurement Taking for Men & Women and the Pocket Making Masterclass.
I will be working on a number of stand-alone projects, the first of which is the Basic Trouser Pattern Draft. Other things will follow, but first things first.
I must fulfil my promise to those wonderful ladies and to thank them for their support by working on the trouser draft which they requested.
This project is is one that will reduce the chances of ending up with baggy hip pouches, low hanging crotches and high tide waistbands.
And the beauty of the exercise is that with the set of measurements you will be encouraged to take – the draft instructions should work for most people.
So stick around, you may pick up a tip or two.
It’s going to be fun!
