Tailoring Project Final Result

This past quarter at UC my main class was tailoring. It was something that I knew going into it was going to be time consuming, but I truly had no idea just how much time it would take up. My roommate joked with me that this was the most time she has ever seen me spend on one project, but i wanted it to be perfect (I can be a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to my work most times).

Our assignment was to choose a time period from history and design a look based on that. I chose the 1940's. I loved the use of details and seaming that was present in garments, especially jackets and coats, during that time period. Colors of garments were more natural and muted to resemble the uniforms the soldiers were wearing during the war at that time, so I chose to stick with a neutral color palette of browns and rich creams and to use a pop of brighter color with a rich rust lining. There were also Sumptuary Laws in place during this time period due to the war and the shortages of goods and materials that resulted from it. Jackets specifically, were required to be no longer than 25 inches in length so I decided to use this restriction in my design as well as an extra challenge to myself. The final design I chose to create included a self-faced, wide leg pant to update the look and keep the overall silhouette sleek and tall, and a simple tank top with a contrast stripe down the center.  

The final jacket was made from a rich brown plaid wool. I had to match the plaid on every pattern piece in order for the look to be clean and cohesive. That process alone ended up taking 4 hours! I decided to place the plaid on the bias for the front and back yokes. The jacket also has princess seams on the front and back and a mandarin collar with an exposed zipper front closure. 

Final Tailoring Look Front, Side 

Final Tailoring Look Back, Full Look    

Designing and creating this look really fueled my desire to spend this next 3 month co-op for school designing my own fall/winter Ready to Wear line. I hope to include a few jackets and tailored pieces in this line as well as separates, dresses and some special knit accessories. The final line will have 10 looks when it is completed. There is still a lot to figure out so lets just consider this a teaser for a post in a few days with the final inspirations and details figured out! Off to sketch this wonderful collection I go! Check back soon for more updates!

xoxo Hillary C.