[Lennaire]

Hi.

I'm new here, as you can tell and came across this forum while doing an image search for 18th Century men's clothing.

I am currently looking for information on good sources, written or online, on how to draft Regency men's patterns, specifically fall-front breeches and trousers, button front breeches and trousers and tail and frock coats.

There seems to be plenty of resources out there for women's clothing and very little for those of masculine persuasion and even less on the Regency period.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[I.Brackley]

Hello Lennaire,

Regretably these might not be quite the right fora for your needs (see here: http://www.cutterand...p?showtopic=803 )

Which is not to say there isn't very valuble information to be found around the margins.

This thread has a list of cutting guides - http://www.cutterand...php?showtopic=4

Two titles that would fit your requirements are L’Art du Tailleur by G. Compaing (1820) and TAILOR'S GUIDE - The Making and Repairing of Trousers, Vests, and Coats (1815) the latter can be ordered here. http://www.tailorsguide.com/ (Courtesy of C&T forum member Greger).

Lastly one might recomend The Cut of Men's Clothes 1600 - 1900 by Norah Waugh. Waugh's book does not intruct in drafting garments but is an invaluble resource for viewing the appearance of period patterns prior to making up. If you have any aptitude for re-sizing or adjusting patterns, Waugh may well provide a starting point.

Best of luck!

This post has been edited by I.Brackley: 11 March 2010 - 12:42 AM

[Nishijin]

L'art du tailleur is available for download on the Bibliothèque Nationale de France web library Gallica :
http://gallica.bnf.f...8/bpt6k5551429r

Though an interesting seminal work on applying geometry to cut garments, I am not sure it is so usefull to pratically cut cloths.

[greger]

The Tailors Guide book I push because it has some about how to hand sew. It is the only written instructions that I know of that explains some methods of hand sewing. Hand sewing seams properly and not just anyway makes a world of difference in quality. Hand sewing is a science. Knowing how to handle the cloth is very important for hand sewing and you really need to be taught it. I've never meet the person who had that book reprinted and sells it except one or two emails.

Another method or variation is to put the cloths on the knee and then put the wrist on top and push down to clamp the cloths between the knee and wrist and with the other hand pull the cloths taut and take a stitch or two, this prevents creep (creep is when one layer of cloths is taken up faster than the other, which is sometimes wanted, otherwise you end up with one layer short). Another method to prevent or use creep is explained in the book by using the thumb and fore finger. The stitches need to be dead straight if done correct, anything else means the person who did the hand sewing does not know how to hand sew.

[Sator]

I.Brackley, on 10 March 2010 - 09:13 PM, said:

Regretably these might not be quite the right fora for your needs (see here: http://www.cutterand...p?showtopic=803 )

I have allowed this thread to continue because I am not going to be draconian in enforcing that. Also, it's not that I am uninterested in subjects such as dressmaking, period costuming, or stage costume whether it be Elvis costumes or the making of Papageno costumes for a Mozart opera:



However, the forum needs a clear focus of interest and that is as a place to discuss modern tailoring. Once you get threads on costumes Google sees it and you get a whole lot of others joining in, which soon colours all the discussion and turns the place into a costume forum. You never see costume articles in published editions of The Tailor & Cutter or Rundschau, and I see no reason for it to be different here.

My 2c worth on the subject of this thread before I close it is that you should use the most modern cutting system possible to draft a sloper. Use the sloper as the basis to derive the style you wish to, using period fashion plates and portraits as your guide. I no more recommend using early 19th century drafting systems like the Rule of Thirds than I would recommend jumping off a cliff flapping the wings of a period flying contraption. All you get off period drafting systems is period technical problems. Many tailors in that era thought so to, and drafted by rock of eye (free hand).

[I.Brackley]

Sator, on 11 March 2010 - 09:55 AM, said:

My 2c worth on the subject of this thread before I close it is that you should use the most modern cutting system possible to draft a sloper. Use the sloper as the basis to derive the style you wish to, using period fashion plates and portraits as your guide.

Sage advice indeed. I neglected to mention this option in my innitial post. Just last week I used an early 20th century drafting system (Croonborg) to draft a pattern for a late 18th century jacket. For the most part, I just ommitted some seams and then added on the details (skirt pleats, stand-fall collar and thoes boomerang-shaped sleeves).

[theatrical tailor]

Mueller & Sohn have a historical drafting book, unfortunately it is only in German (unless, of course, you can read German). It is for the modern figure and has the period shapes you are looking for. You can use it combined with reference of other period drafts such as Norah Waugh.
this is their site for the book.


If you have drafting experience, you may be able to follow the pictures as that's pretty much what I do. If you would like to know more about it, feel free to pm me.