BA4 Reflective Journal
Week 5
Final Design
As I had the final design already imagined in my head, and having referenced certain design aesthetics with my initial designs, I thought it was easier if i drew how I expected the final garment to look. This would also be helpful in my toiling and sourcing the quantity of fabric I would need for facings, linings, main fabrics and other components.
The final design...
Toiling
For this week, it was all about finishing off the last bits; i.e. the collar and cape.
To draft the collar, it was a routine procedure of slashing into a rectangle and spreading them each by 0.5 cm each time. I had to repeat the slashings a few times so that I could have the accomplished of a stand collar that could still roll, so to reflect the casual and relaxed attire of Sherlock Holmes.
The second draft of the collar was more wide spread and longer in width as well.
With the cape, it was all about the idea of treating it like a skirt, but to drape off the shoulders. Therefore, Roger (technician) and I drafted a cape pattern, by measuring out the neckline of all the bodice and sleeve pieces and then measured lines stemming from the neckline, rounding this all off into a oval shape. I feel this may be successful as, when draped over the shoulders, I think it will fall all at the right height. This was then pinned and cut out of calico, ready for next week.
As my final design had a cutaway look to the coat front, I cut away at the coat on the stand so I could cut it to the right length when on a body. This was then drafted onto the coat front pattern and was made longer to fit with the back correctly. I had now made all the final pieces to construct the final toile for the following week.
Norwich Shire Horse Study Centre
This is the part of the Castle Museum in Norwich where people can actually look at a specific period or genre of dress at an appointment. A few weeks earlier, I called up the study centre to book an appointment to see late 19th century and early 20th century menswear. Craig said it would really help to see some authentic fashion from that period so that I would have a better understanding of the clothes' structures and shapes.
Gater boots and Worker boots - normal footwear of the time. The gater boot has a different upper panel that was traditionally separate from the boot, but with this design they constructed them together. Its use was to prevent any dirt from getting on to the bottoms of trousers. The worker boots were just normal everyday wear amongst lower class men with their stoutly frame suited for labour work.
This was a typical example of a frock coat at the time, with its elegant and lengthened style. It usually has two button detail on back leading into pleated vent so to provide more room at the bottom of the garment and also creating a slight flare. The shoulder lines are set further back than a traditional jacket and the panels at the back are positioned to come into the centre back of the waist so to create a nipped in waist for a more fitted look.
This frock coat has a more modern styling to it, being shorter in length and being single breasted, with a slimmer velvet bias around the collars, coat edges and pockets, unlike the previous frock coats with their much simpler velvet lapels.
What made this jacket completely relevant to me is the cutaway style at the front of the jacket and the fact it flares out towards the bottom due to this design.
The waistcoat is similar in design with its pocket details and lining of buttons. As zips and other fastenings we have today were not available at the time, trousers were done up by buttoning the front of the trousers to the waistband
This cape coat was extraordinary to look at with all the detailing and how clever the structure and design was, by how you could wear it multiple ways due to the weather climate and how it hung differently when buttoned up differently as well.
Finally, the cape/ulster coat, the whole foundation of my final garment. However, by looking at this original, you can see that it is simpler and has a velvet collar instead of my stand up collar. I am taking the basis of the shape and cape as part of my final design, but to make it my own and more modern, I am including the tartan and leather.
Modern Tailoring
To benefit my designing and to compare how tailoring has changed and what is kept the same, I looked to modern tailoring featured in today's mens fashion magazines - e.g. Nylon, GQ Style.
With tailoring, the basics were all the set out in the same way, except that today's fashion is not always traditional. Therefore, by looking through, I found that certain tailor elements were sometimes emphasised in size - i.e. lapels, collars and necklines. Also, there are a lot more silhouettes created than their would have been in the late 19th century, by accentuating the male figure in certain areas and playing around with traditional patterns.
The original tailored jacket has influenced a lot of other clothing over the years. For instance, the tailored jacket can be seen in a lot of the designs of leather jackets - with the lapels and the way the collar rests on the neck and shoulders. Overall, fashion may have changed considerably in the way we see tailoring, but there will always be an element of tradition within each garment.
As I had the final design already imagined in my head, and having referenced certain design aesthetics with my initial designs, I thought it was easier if i drew how I expected the final garment to look. This would also be helpful in my toiling and sourcing the quantity of fabric I would need for facings, linings, main fabrics and other components.
The final design...
As you can see, I have included both tartans, the classic Stewart and my fathers ancestor's clan tartan - Campbell of Loudoun as the facing so as not to over compensate and just use it as a little design feature. After talking to my tutors, I thought it best if the cape was cut on the bias so that it would hang better off the shoulders, plus it creates a quirky design feature with the contrasting directions of the tartan. I also plan to include jett pockets with leather bias on the visible opening and the pocket lining as the Campbell of Loudoun tartan.
Toiling
For this week, it was all about finishing off the last bits; i.e. the collar and cape.
To draft the collar, it was a routine procedure of slashing into a rectangle and spreading them each by 0.5 cm each time. I had to repeat the slashings a few times so that I could have the accomplished of a stand collar that could still roll, so to reflect the casual and relaxed attire of Sherlock Holmes.
I added the deep v neckline on the coat fronts and curved it round slightly to merge into the collar.
The second draft of the collar was more wide spread and longer in width as well.
As my final design had a cutaway look to the coat front, I cut away at the coat on the stand so I could cut it to the right length when on a body. This was then drafted onto the coat front pattern and was made longer to fit with the back correctly. I had now made all the final pieces to construct the final toile for the following week.
Norwich Shire Horse Study Centre
This is the part of the Castle Museum in Norwich where people can actually look at a specific period or genre of dress at an appointment. A few weeks earlier, I called up the study centre to book an appointment to see late 19th century and early 20th century menswear. Craig said it would really help to see some authentic fashion from that period so that I would have a better understanding of the clothes' structures and shapes.
Gater boots and Worker boots - normal footwear of the time. The gater boot has a different upper panel that was traditionally separate from the boot, but with this design they constructed them together. Its use was to prevent any dirt from getting on to the bottoms of trousers. The worker boots were just normal everyday wear amongst lower class men with their stoutly frame suited for labour work.
The dressing gown, a staple garment in any man's wardrobe at the time, saw the first use of extravagant pattern and colours used at the time, despite it being in the privacy of the man's house. This dressing gown is made of a Norwich Shawl.
This patchwork dressing gown, even though the colouring and pattern, was way ahead of its time, it is still made in the same fashion of the late 19th century - like a front coat.
This was a typical example of a frock coat at the time, with its elegant and lengthened style. It usually has two button detail on back leading into pleated vent so to provide more room at the bottom of the garment and also creating a slight flare. The shoulder lines are set further back than a traditional jacket and the panels at the back are positioned to come into the centre back of the waist so to create a nipped in waist for a more fitted look.
This frock coat was made for a taller man, but the design is still the same.
This frock coat has a more modern styling to it, being shorter in length and being single breasted, with a slimmer velvet bias around the collars, coat edges and pockets, unlike the previous frock coats with their much simpler velvet lapels.
The waistcoat is similar in design with its pocket details and lining of buttons. As zips and other fastenings we have today were not available at the time, trousers were done up by buttoning the front of the trousers to the waistband
This cape coat was extraordinary to look at with all the detailing and how clever the structure and design was, by how you could wear it multiple ways due to the weather climate and how it hung differently when buttoned up differently as well.
Finally, the cape/ulster coat, the whole foundation of my final garment. However, by looking at this original, you can see that it is simpler and has a velvet collar instead of my stand up collar. I am taking the basis of the shape and cape as part of my final design, but to make it my own and more modern, I am including the tartan and leather.
Modern Tailoring
To benefit my designing and to compare how tailoring has changed and what is kept the same, I looked to modern tailoring featured in today's mens fashion magazines - e.g. Nylon, GQ Style.
With tailoring, the basics were all the set out in the same way, except that today's fashion is not always traditional. Therefore, by looking through, I found that certain tailor elements were sometimes emphasised in size - i.e. lapels, collars and necklines. Also, there are a lot more silhouettes created than their would have been in the late 19th century, by accentuating the male figure in certain areas and playing around with traditional patterns.
The original tailored jacket has influenced a lot of other clothing over the years. For instance, the tailored jacket can be seen in a lot of the designs of leather jackets - with the lapels and the way the collar rests on the neck and shoulders. Overall, fashion may have changed considerably in the way we see tailoring, but there will always be an element of tradition within each garment.
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