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A reprint of a 1903 tailors' manual with a small amount of supplemental material at the back, primarily period fashion illustrations.

Fashion designers are presented with a range of methods and concepts for pattern cutting are presented, the main body of these methods, both traditional and contemporary, is predominately based on a theoretical approximation of the body that is derived from horizontal and vertical measurements of the body in an upright position: the tailoring matrix. As a consequence, there is a lack of interactive and dynamic qualities in methods connected to this paradigm of garment construction, from both expressional and functional perspectives. This work proposes and explores an alternative paradigm for pattern cutting that includes a new theoretical approximation of the body as well as a more kinetic method for garment construction that, unlike the prevalent theory and its related methods, takes as its point of origin the interaction between the anisotropic fabric and the biomechanical structure of the body. As such, the research conducted here is basic research, aiming to identify fundamental principles for garment construction. Based on some key principles found in the works of Geneviève Sevin-Doering and in pre-tailoring methods for constructing garments, the proposed theory for – and method of – garment construction was developed through concrete experiments by cutting and draping fabrics on live models. Instead of a static matrix of a non-moving body, the result is a kinetic construction theory of the body that is comprised of balance directions and key biomechanical points, along with an alternative draping method for dressmaking. This methodology challenges the fundamental relationship between dress, garment construction, and the body, working from the body outward, as opposed to the methods that are based on the prevalent paradigm of the tailoring matrix, which work from the outside toward the body. This alternative theory for understanding the body and the proposed method of working allows for diverse expressions and enhanced functional possibilities in dress.

Containing 2,729 entries, Kevin L. Seligman’s bibliography concentrates on books, manuals, journals, and catalogs covering a wide range of sartorial approaches over nearly five hundred years. After a historical overview, Seligman approaches his subject chronologically, listing items by century through 1799, then by decade. In this section, he deals with works on flat patterning, draping, grading, and tailoring techniques as well as on such related topics as accessories, armor, civil costumes, clerical costumes, dressmakers’ systems, fur, gloves, leather, military uniforms, and undergarments. Seligman then devotes a section to those American and English journals published for the professional tailor and dressmaker. Here, too, he includes the related areas of fur and undergarments. A section devoted to journal articles features selected articles from costume- and noncostumerelated professional journals and periodicals. The author breaks these articles down into three categories: American, English, and other. Seligman then devotes separate sections to other related areas, providing alphabetical listings of books and professional journals for costume and dance, dolls, folk and national dress, footwear, millinery, and wigmaking and hair. A section devoted to commercial pattern companies, periodicals, and catalogs is followed by an appendix covering pattern companies, publishers, and publications. In addition to full bibliographic notation, Seligman provides a library call number and library location if that information is available. The majority of the listings are annotated. Each listing is coded for identification and cross-referencing. An author index, a title index, a subject index, and a chronological index will guide readers to the material they want. Seligman’s historical review of the development of publications on the sartorial arts, professional journals, and the commercial paper pattern industry puts the bibliographical material into context. An appendix provides a cross-reference guide for research on American and English pattern companies, publishers, and publications. Given the size and scope of the bibliography, there is no other reference work even remotely like it.

A Tailoring Guide to Pattern Drafting offers pattern drafting instructions for men’s most popular tailored garment styles from 1850 to 1900, used in theatres and film productions today. The book features a wide range of 19th-century garments, providing information and detailed instructions on the frock coat, morning coat, lounge jacket, smoking jacket, shirt, waistcoats, trousers and long-riding breeches. It includes a brief history of each garment, accompanied by colourful illustrations and easy-to-follow instruction to draft historical 19th-century silhouettes for modern performances. The book features: A brief history of each garment, accompanied by full-colour illustrations. Modern step-by-step instructions with clear diagrams to draft 19th-century menswear. Instructions incorporating both the imperial and metric systems. Recommendations on choosing the appropriate modern-day equivalent fabric. Recommendations on the quantity of the fabric. Recommendations on the button size to make the garment appear more authentic. A table of Dress Code Ethics for Gentlemen from 1850 to 1900. Descriptions and visual information on how to take accurate measurements. Photographs of costumes and images of the 19th-century Carte de Visite for visual support. A Tailoring Guide to Pattern Drafting is intended for anyone with a desire to learn or refine their costume-cutting skills for theatre and film production. The book is aimed at undergraduate and graduate students, tutors and both amateur and professional makers interested in the subject. To access the author’s YouTube channel, featuring 130 step-by-step lessons to make a 19th-century Morning Coat using classical tailoring techniques, visit www.routledge.com/9780367265335.