Patternmaking for menswear

321 Pages·2013·15.35 MB·English

by  Kershaw

PATTERNMAKING
FOR MENSWEAR

PATTERNMAKING
FOR
MENSWEAR
Gareth Kershaw
Laurence King Publishing
Published in 2013 by
Laurence King Publishing
361–373 City Road, London,
EC1V 1LR, United Kingdom
T [phone]
F [phone]
[email protected]
www.laurenceking.com
© text 2013 Gareth Kershaw
Published in 2013 by Laurence King Publishing
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced
or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical,
including photocopy, recording, or any information storage or
retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
A catalog record for this book is available from the British Library.
ISBN: 978 1 78067 016 4
Technical drawings: Elisha Camilleri
Fashion illustrations: Thom Davies
Design: Lizzie Ballantyne, Lizzie B Design
Senior editor: Peter Jones
Picture researcher: Julia Ruxton
Printed in China
CONTENTS

chapter three
introduction 7
patternMaKinG in
the Patterns: shirts
conteMporary Menswear 8
lonG-sleeVed collarless shirt 74
short-sleeVed polo shirt 80
hooded sweatshirt 88
chapter one
casual lonG-sleeVed shirt 104
luMBerjacK shirt 116
PreParation for
short-sleeVed safari shirt 126
PatternMaKinG
BiB shirt 138
tools and equipMent 18
studio practice 20
chapter four
MeasurinG the Male fiGure 24
taKinG MeasureMents 26
the Patterns: Pants
dress forMs 30
fit Models 31 hiGh-waisted pants 150
size charts 32 chinos 158
Basic sweatpants 168
chapter two tailored shorts 176
carGo pants 186
the PatternMaKinG jeans 196
Process
the deVelopMent of the desiGn 36
chapter fiVe
Basic upper Body sloper 40
Basic sleeVe sloper 42 the Patterns: outerwear
Basic pant sloper 45
creatinG a Master plan 48 anoraK 206
how to trace off a pattern 50 fitted deniM jacKet 220
GradinG 52 trench coat 232
principles of patternMaKinG 57 sinGle-Breasted jacKet 252
usinG technoloGy 68 douBle-Breasted jacKet 268
waxed jacKet 288
parKa 302
Glossary 316
index 318
further readinG
picture credits
acKnowledGMents 320

INTRODUCTION
contemporary menswear This book uses generic menswear garment styles to teach the
has evolved from a principles of pattern construction that will be encountered
staple of traditional throughout the fashion industry. Each pattern not only offers
silhouettes and styles. a selection of shapes and design hints but also explores
the development of the related techniques associated with its construction and
these styles has been development. Working your way through each section will build
directly influenced by your knowledge, allowing you to further explore and adapt
social, economic, and generic styles.
cultural requirements,
played out through Most designers / labels work toward a set of predetermined
the many roles men body measurements (the target consumer) or an industry-
have inherited: formal acquired size chart. These are used in conjunction with
clothing, workwear, a human fit model or a size-specific dress form or mannequin.
leisure-, and activewear. Chapter 1 discusses how to take measurements to create your
the boundaries of these own size chart or use the industry charts provided. It highlights
styles are less clearly defined than in previous decades as the importance of developing visual awareness of the landmark
trends move and change as quickly as seasons pass—from points used for taking measurements, which correlate to
fall/winter to spring/summer. again and again the cyclical the human body in relationship to fit. The chapter also
nature of the fashion industry throws up reinterpretations outlines studio practices related to sizing and technological
of classic silhouettes. advancements through computer-aided design (CAD) and
its applications.
Patternmaking as a craft is integral to the whole fashion
production process, linking the designer’s concepts—a two- The designs for a garment style can be developed quickly by
dimensional illustration—with the three-dimensional realization using the basic sloper, or block, template described at the
of shape-making, proportions, and silhouettes. Very few people beginning of Chapter 2. Tracing off the sloper and transferring
who study fashion end up specializing in pattern technology the design development onto it creates a master plan.
and many who practice it have come from other disciplines. The master plan serves as a blueprint for the development.
The holistic nature of the fashion industry increasingly requires This process uses only half of the pattern sloper, thus
practitioners to have a broad understanding and experience of eliminating possible duplication errors, which would result in
most, if not all, the stages involved in the creation of clothes. an unbalanced pattern—the human body is generally seen as
A designer or practitioner who can research and conceptualize equal in proportion but not symmetrical. Even if your design is
ideas, cut patterns and identify their target sizing, construct asymmetric, copying over the drafted shape to create the other
and technically finish a garment, develop, market, and sell side is a quick way to achieve the desired pattern style.
their product will be able to direct their team and product
to a satisfactory conclusion. A broad skills base is needed to Where possible the different pattern pieces are kept
succeed in today’s fashion industry. proportional to one another but occasionally to show detail
or to ensure that the text is readable this is not the case.
A modern interpretation of a classic icon,
Woolrich Woolen Mills’ “Balmac” trench coat.
The company’s use of original fabrics (Maxima
Poplin) from the Woolrich looms emphasizes the
functionality and detailed approach they take
to creating outerwear.
INTRODUCTION 7
PATTERNMAKING IN
CONTEMPORARY
MENSWEAR
Patternmaking for Menswear brings together a collection turbulent times: there was a societal shift from softer fabrics to
of patterns that have become established classics of clothes produced from harsher, woolen cloth with the garment
contemporary men’s fashion. By working on these garment shapes made more rigid with more robust qualities that would
silhouettes you will learn the basic principles needed for survive the rigors of battle and the outdoor life. By the start
patternmaking. using these styles as building blocks to of the eighteenth century, clothes began to reflect a more
explore ideas and your creative flare, you can interchange stable economic environment. The first garment of notoriety
techniques and processes to develop new interpretations to be adopted by the aristocracy of Europe was referred to as
and solutions to your designs. a cassock or coat: It was a simple garment cut above the knee
with two front panels and two back panels sewn to the waist
To appreciate how far the exploration of shaping fabric to with three-quarter sleeves. This style later included a collar and
the human body has come, one needs to look at its origins. vented pleats and was made from silk or satin with flamboyant
Contemporary patternmaking is intrinsically entwined with decorative details, creating a softer feminine silhouette. It was
the history of fashion. The first notions of patterns as we now the forerunner of the clothing shapes we see today.
know them appeared in the West in the fifteenth century as
men’s silhouettes began to be redefined by the demands of As the profession developed, M. de Garsault wrote the first
social organizations such as the military, royal courts, and serious manual to detail all the principles behind pattern
religious bodies. From these origins spring the two dominant construction and tailoring, L Art du Tailleur, published by
forms of male dress construction: the first is characterized by the Académie Royale des Sciences, for the encyclopedia
the technique of draping and the second developed from the Description des Arts et Métiers (Paris, 1769). Garsault
craft of shaping, currently known as tailoring. The latter, the describes the whole procedure of making the coat from start
most commonly used and popular technique, was to become to finish, beginning with the notion of measurement taking.
highly prized. Guilds of tailors championed the profession and He introduces the use of a thin strip of paper that was cut to
their craft was meticulously developed during the sixteenth to the required length to record the parameters of an individual
eighteenth centuries through numerous fitting sessions with client’s height and width, as well as detailing construction
an elite clientele in the ateliers of Western Europe. As with any processes with illustrated patterns that accompanied the text.
craft, the greatest teacher is the practice itself: copious hours Later, in 1796, an English manual was published: The Taylor’s
chalking, basting (loose stitching), pinning, and cutting the Complete Guide or a Comprehensive Analysis of Beauty and
patterns for clients of every conceivable size and shape would Elegance in Dress presented a new way to perceive the art, not
develop the knowledge needed to call oneself a master cutter. too dissimilar from the present format; instructions were given
on how to draw the coat with measurements made directly
More complex forms of men’s clothing evolved through cutting onto the material by following a series of illustrated diagrams.
and shaping as coat and doublet styles developed into structured These publications brought new audiences and extended the
jackets with opened sleeves, worn with breeches. These were dialogue between practitioners and their clientele.
first documented as simple illustrated patterns in one of the
earliest books on tailoring: Juan de Alcega’s Libro de Geometría
Práctica y Traça (Madrid, 1589). Three main periods followed Issey Miyake interprets the idea of layering
which shaped the evolution of men’s clothes through cut, fit, for men with a cape, Fall 2012 collection.
and construction, beginning with the civil wars of England and Designed from the Japanese premise of “KASANE”—
France in the seventeenth century. Clothes had to respond to simple functionality for everyday life.
8 PaTTeRNmakINg IN CONTemPORaRy meNsweaR
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