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The shirt needs to be slimmed in through the body, and have the sleeves shortened. We did put it on a dance brief that kept it from blousing up and out of the waistband as the dancer moved.
The trousers were Lycra and were able to be made without a fly opening. They had enough stretch to be pulled-on without excess fabric eased into the waist.
The leg length needs to be shortened. Again. One thing to note about using this type of fabric for loose hanging trousers is that without tension on the fabric around the body, the weight of the fabric causes it to lengthen more than you think it will. Having cuffs on them adds to the weight too. It also gets narrower as it lengthens, so that is another thing to keep in mind. Remember to cut the rise shorter than you do for regular wool trousers. (These are notes to self!) Of course who knows when I will have to cut stretch 30's trousers next? Could be years from now.
Anyway, if these were tights, you have tension in both directions and that lengthwise stretch is controlled and minimized. Of course it is difficult to predict so the only option is to cut them out and fit them to see.
Hi Terri,
ReplyDeleteI like the ensemble a lot. And those pants...oh my goodness those pants!
Wonderful job.
-e.
Off topic, but thanks for the comment you left on my blog regarding boning a corset toile. :) I really enjoy your blog, and if I lived ANYWHERE near you I'd be fighting to get a job in your shop. I'm really interested in period menswear, and other than good books, resources for learning about it are few and far between.
ReplyDeleteThanks.
ReplyDeleteIt is too bad that menswear seems to be so neglected. Still trying to figure out why, and what else can be done to keep from losing the skills and knowledge base.
And unfortunately, it's not just in period costuming that menswear is neglected, it's in modern clothing too. I work in the apparel industry as a technical designer, and even with how little I know, I'm shocked at how much less most of my co-workers know about menswear & tailoring. But then, in fashion school we spent literally NO time working on menswear.
ReplyDeleteAll the real tailors I've met are immigrants to the US - I guess it just doesn't make economic sense to study it here. I'm interested in tailoring, but I know I couldn't make a living at it - at least without working 100 hour weeks.