If tailors want to discuss this issue in full technical detail you have this thread to post in.What is an Extended Front Dart?
I thought I would specifically discuss the aesthetic aspects of the extended front dart. If you aren't sure what I am talking about take a good look at this Savile Row coat from the 1950s:
If you are still having trouble seeing what I am talking about, I have highlighted it in red:
That's an extended front dart. Modern coats nearly always have a front dart, but it usually stops at around pocket level. This way of darting a coat differs in that the front dart is cut through all the way to the hem.
Take a look through your closet and see if any of your coats have this. Most of you won't own anything like this. Those who do own a bespoke garment with this feature are probably thinking that they own something extraordinary exotic, featuring an esoteric bespoke cutting technique not found on ready made clothes.
Let's have a look at how exotic, and esoteric this really is. This is a very simplified explanation, and I really don't want to go into too much detail, as most people find this off putting.
Why Have a Dart at All?
Let's start with the purpose of darts. We'll start by drafting a simple wedge shaped dart onto a simplified "pattern" like this:
When you cut this wedge out and close it, it creates a bulge:
You can imagine how a dart like will give you a bulging or fullness in the chest. You can also imagine what the effect would be if you enlarged the dart:
Yes, you guessed it - you get a bigger bulging effect. This is what the extended front dart that goes all the way to the bottom does: it creates a bigger bulge in the chest.
Why Does the Front Dart Have to be Extended to the Bottom?
Some of you are probably wondering why you can't just put a dart shape in like this - only bigger/wider:
The simple answer is that it creates a bulge at the top and the bottom. If you make the dart too big, you get a funny bulge at the level of the pocket - not a pretty sight. One way of making the front dart bigger without causing these funny distortions is to cut through the front dart all the way down to the bottom. If you do things this way, you can make the front dart much bigger to get more chest effect while avoiding unwanted distortions.
A Little Trick with a Side Step
Now let's look at a clever trick! Instead of drawing the dart straight down I have done this:
See the way it does a horizontal side step. The width of the dart at the bottom remains the same as when the dart went straight down. When you close the dart, you get just as much chest effect out of it:
That was a neat trick wasn't it?
You might ask if tailors actually do that. The answer is a big YES!!! Look at this:
Can you see the extended front dart do a clever side step? No? How about this:
The "side step" goes straight through the pocket, so it is invisible. The dart can then continue down to the hem, but where it is nicely hidden underneath the sleeve rather than being an eyesore at the front of the coat. Pretty cool isn't it? If you check your wardrobe, you will find that most of your ready-made jackets are darted like this. It is the standard modern way of doing things.
The Aesthetics of the Extended Front Dart
Now that you know this, you have to ask yourself why you would have that front dart extending straight down the front like this:
You can also see that on a window pane check like this, you get a pattern matching distortion that draws even more attention to the presence of the dart there. In the next side by side shot, you see a coat cut with the front dart extended all the way to the bottom, and beside it a coat where the front dart does the nifty little side step so that it is hidden underneath the sleeve:
The main thing to note on the second example is that the large pattern (wide stripes) is not disturbed all the way down to the bottom of the front, where it can be seen:
Here is another coat where the extended front dart does a side step so that it is hidden under the arm. Can you see it?
In case you missed where the dart is extending down to the hem and causing a bit of pattern mismatching, here it is:
If you make the extended dart do that side step, the pattern mismatching gets hidden under the arm, where it is hard to spot.
If you are still wondering where the nifty side step of the extended front dart is hiding, it goes like this:
You just can't see it because it is cleverly hidden under the arm.
Seams Can be Decorative
Some of you are going to say: WOW! what a cool decoration that seam running straight down the front is. The more decorations the merrier. So why not go all the way and have lots and lots of these decorative seams:
This sort of fancy "panelling" with seams galore is sometimes found in ladies' tailoring. However, in men's tailoring it is more traditional to avoid having seams show. Of course, if you want to put in decorative seams for show that is your aesthetic choice, but as you can see, it is not necessary. That is why almost everyone does it the more modern way, to avoid having seams show. The older technique of extending the front dart straight down to the hem is considered outdated today. The only reason to have that is just to be different, old-fashioned and eccentric as an end in itself. The problem is: what's the point?
If a tailor can sell this to their clients as something really "unique" or "bespoke" then good luck to them. Still, some people may actually enjoy the effect when it is deliberately put in for style effect:
There is nothing wrong with that either. In this case, the presence of the seam has even been highlighted with strongly contrasting topstitching. You could have placed the patch pocket over the top of the seam to hide it, but instead the pocket is placed off to the side to make doubly sure that you can see the seam!
