Thu 22 Oct, 2009
Style, baby. It had nothing to do with clothes so much as it had to do with fit, and cut, and look. I mean Chanel was into line…I mean she would work by tearing a suit apart, or a dress, by destroying it completely to get the line.
Imagine a world of black and white…not in an ideological sense, but a seamless illumination of the forms around you. There is a crisp, unbroken line from head to toe which defines the silhouette of your figure. Balancing this unbroken line is integral to achieving classic style.
Personally, I don’t have much patience with the idea of making clothes I know I’m never going to wear (like gigantic polyester blouses). However, if you cut your basic block correctly it may be the only one of your sewing projects that you don’t want to wear, because the garments you create will fit you perfectly. Once you have the master patterns ready, you’ll be able to design original clothing for yourself that no one else has. Drafting from scratch is not the only way to obtain a functional sewing pattern, but if you want to find your own “line” as CoCo Chanel called it or even your own line of clothes, then complacency will hold you back.
You cultivate that constantly. It takes years to really get it. I’m always preoccupied with line.
Eventually it becomes possible to learn how to cut an impeccable design right into the fabric without any paper at all, using a trained eye to determine the proportions. As an aspiring patternmaker I am in awe of the rare people who are working at that level. Frankly I am even impressed by anyone who has mastered this art to the point where they can consistently produce stylish patterns that fit. According to Kathleen Fasanella, a properly made pattern is easier and more efficiently sewn, as well as being the most important stage of the manufacturing process. On the other hand, learning how to sew well is the crux of your power to bring those fashions you dream of making into reality. It may be entertaining to watch designers on Project Runway tape clothes together, but would you actually buy that or wear it? I’m going to finish this page with one of my all-time favorite quotes…
These days everyone wants to have their own line of clothing. You shouldn’t want to call yourself a designer, you should want to be good.
- Unknown
I can’t remember who said this! If anyone does know please tell me so that I can attribute proper credit for the statement. That was around 2004, and I remember I was sitting in Fluid salon waiting for my hair stylist when I came across that last quote in a magazine. I was already studying pattern drafting but I never dreamed I would express these thoughts, so I didn’t write down the name of the gentleman who burned you should want to be good
onto my mind. There’s nothing wrong with calling yourself a designer, anymore than being a musician self-described as one, but the celebrity figureheads who market clothing lines often don’t have a clue how to draft a pattern. I found the statement above profoundly moving, and coming from a master tailor who worked for a European design house I also took it as a confirmation of the attitude I have always had toward my work.
Here are a couple of pattern drafting books that I’ve found helpful:
- The European Cut by Elizabeth Allemong
- The Subtraction Cutting Method by Julian Roberts
- Pattern Making For Fashion Design by Helen Joseph Armstrong