Fit
Rise decides where trousers sit and the waistband cannot argue with it
The single measurement that determines how a pair of trousers hangs is one that almost nobody checks and no…
· 4 min read
Fit
Where a garment should sit, and what a tailor can and cannot change.
Fit
The shoulder seam is the one line a tailor would rather not move
Nearly everything else on a jacket is negotiable, but the shoulder is where the garment is assembled, and that is why it decides whether the thing fits.
Fit
Sleeve length is measured to a bone, not to the end of your hand
Both shirt and jacket sleeves are set against a fixed anatomical landmark, and once you know where it is…
· 4 min read
Fit
A high armhole looks uncomfortable and is the opposite
The small, tight-looking armhole in a well-cut jacket is what lets you raise your arm without lifting the…
· 4 min read
Fit
Seam allowance is the budget every alteration has to spend
A garment can only be let out as far as the cloth folded inside it allows, which is why the same alteration…
· 4 min read
Fit
Shoe size is a length, and most fitting problems are width
The number on the box describes one dimension of a three-dimensional object, which is why two pairs marked…
· 4 min read
Fit
The break in a trouser is decided by the leg opening
How much cloth folds above the shoe is a consequence of how wide the trouser is at the hem, which is why…
· 4 min read
Fit
Ease is the gap between your measurements and the garment's
Two garments cut for the same body can differ by a hand's width of cloth around the chest, and that surplus…
· 4 min read
Fit
A dart is how flat cloth is persuaded to become a body
Fabric comes off the loom flat and nobody is, so the wedges folded out of a pattern are what bridge the gap…
· 4 min read
Fit
A lining is a bearing surface, not a piece of luxury
The slippery fabric inside a jacket is doing mechanical work: it lets the garment slide over what is…
· 4 min read
Fit
A shirt collar sits on a band, and the band is what actually fits
The visible part of a collar is a flap sewn onto a narrow strip of cloth, and almost every complaint people…
· 4 min read
Fit
A cuff has to pass over your hand and then stay above it
The circumference of a sleeve end is set by two conflicting requirements, and understanding the conflict…
· 4 min read