April 25, 2016

Recommended Reading

As you've seen, we've covered a pretty massive amount of information regarding Victorian trousers, including examples of trousers in entertainment and a thorough tutorial for making your own. 

That said, our tutorial is far from a comprehensive treatise on the subject! 

There are many other trousers-making methods, and there are (and have been) many other tailors and costumers with many other opinions on just about everything, from styles to standards, from techniques to tailoring, from historical authenticity to theatrical appropriateness, and all sorts of other stuff. 

There are far more advanced trousers-making techniques in practically every stage of the process, so if you enjoy making trousers and/or wish to expand your skills, we definitely advise you to check out some of the following materials! 



If you're interested in "period-tailoring" your trousers, there are several resources available to help you do so with historical accuracy - many of them free, because they've been digitally preserved and made available for public online viewing/download!

(They do tend to be difficult to read, though, and you should know that there's a lot of hand-sewing involved.)


One such reference is The Cutter's Practical Guide (by W.D.F. Vincent), part 3 of which is devoted to the subject of all things trousers, from their stylistic evolution over the centuries to the cutting and construction process.

http://historyoffashiondesign.com/part-3-the-cutters-practical-guide-to-the-cutting-making-all-kinds-of-trousers-breeches-knickers-to-which-is-added-chapters-dealing-with-the-cuttings/





Another vintage reference available for free viewing and download, entitled The Art of Garment Making (by Phillip Dellafera and/or A.A. Whife, depending on who you ask), can be found on the "Cutter and Tailor" forum, courtesy of user/administrator "Sator." 

Chapter two (pages 11-25) is the section relevant to trousers. 


(We'll be referencing specific threads and posts on the "Cutter and Tailor" forum a couple more times on this recommended reading list, but you should check out the forum itself, because it's full of great information and tips!)



The Brass and Mortar Uniform Depot & Tailoring Shop has not only preserved some historical tailoring materials, but they've also gone the extra mile and "remastered" them with clearer, new diagrams (as opposed to the often faded, scratchy, blurry, and/or confusing ones included with the original work). 

As they put it on their web site, "By remastering the original manuscripts, it's taking a further step beyond merely scanning a book; it's converting the format into one which is more natural and intuitive for the learning process. We're improving the reading experience, increasing the quality, and making the manuscripts searchable for particular keywords should the need arise." 

To date, they've provided two "remastered" historical reference materials in regard to period trousers.


The first is The Modern Tailor, Outfitter, and Clothier, Volume 1; chapter 20 (pages 179-186) is a vintage trousers-making tutorial by Phillip Dellafera. 

This relevant material is available in two places on the Brass and Mortar web site: 

1 - The PDF of the entire revised edition of the book

OR

2 - The PDF containing only chapter 8. 


Note that this is a different edition than the book of the same name available for purchase on Amazon!




Another "remastered" resource made available for free viewing and download by the Brass and Mortar Uniform Depot & Tailoring Shop is Practical Tailoring by J.E. Liberty; pages 19-25 of are specifically concerning the making of trousers. 








The original (?) version of this book is also available for free public viewing and/or download on the "Cutter and Tailor" forum, courtesy of user/moderator "Kerry."









Another handy reference specifically regarding advanced ironwork for trousers is available for free viewing and download on the "Cutter and Tailor" forum, again courtesy of user/administrator "Sator," who says it's from a 1950s-era Rundschau book, Zuschnitt XII edition (and provided German-to-English translations, to boot!). 




A specific thread on the "Cutter and Tailor" forum regarding the construction of trousers' side pockets may be of particular interest to you (especially if you turned off by our method!), as several different techniques have been discussed there, with reference materials.


Also in that forum thread is a free download link to Jane Rhinehart's book, How to Make Men's Clothes (see right). This is admittedly of questionable legality, but since the book is out of print and not commercially available, you'll obviously have to make your own decision here! (Pages 22-109 are about trousers, and pages 67-109 are specifically regarding their construction.)








We have two additional reading recommendations regarding period-accurate trousers-making.


The first is another trousers tutorial by Phillip Dellafera, found near the end of The Modern Tailor, Outfitter, and Clothier, Volume 3


Note that this is not the same vintage trousers tutorial "remastered" by the Brass and Mortar Uniform Depot & Tailoring Shop!




The other can be found in The Victorian Tailor: An Introduction to Period Tailoring by Jason MacLochlainn, throughout which he provides a fascinating perspective into historical Victorian-era tailoring. 







A blogger named Andrew has a blog entitled "Victorian Tailoring" which you may find interesting, as he constructed some trousers "old-school"-style using Jason MacLochlainn's instructions from the aforementioned The Victorian Tailor, photographically documenting his progress and providing other thoughts along the way. 



Another blog which may interested you is "A Tailor Made It" (run by a blogger named Terri); she's made several pairs of historical trousers over the years, posting progress photos and other thoughts. Although she appears to be more into theatrical costuming than period-accurate recreations, you may find her projects and thoughts interesting. 




Although not specifically regarding Victorian trousers, there are two additional books we'd highly recommend.


Perhaps most obviously is David Coffin's book, Making Trousers, which is a comparatively recent publication. 

Of particular note is his "less is more" mentality regarding the reduction and allocation of fabric bulk during the construction process, and a comparison between multiple pairs of trousers/pants from various fashion eras over the past century or so. 




The other is Classic Tailoring Techniques for Menswear (Second Edition) by Roberto Cabera (edited and updated by Denis Antoine). 

Although this amazing book is primarily regarding the tailoring of jackets, there is a detailed chapter on the making of trousers, as well as chapter on common fitting issues and solutions. 




And finally, Williams Clothiers has a brief but interesting post entitled, "How to Wear Trousers Properly and Avoid Gaposis," which includes a quick study of period trousers and some tips on getting achieving an ideal fit. 

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