Wednesday 20 August 2008

Dressmaking & Tailoring.......


I was having on of those moments, as you do, thinking about the words 'dressmaker', 'tailor','corset maker','costumier'etc., I do feel that these don't adequately describe what is sometimes involved in the production of a garment. A Victorian corsetier, in modern parlance, would probably be a 'textile stress engineer and constructor'- and I don't use the word 'engineer' lightly. Making various textiles and other materials work together, in the right way, in the right size, giving the right look, the right feel, giving the right impression and the right wear is engineering. - And precision engineering at that. The Tudor paned hose in the photo are a good example. Getting all the panes to hang in the correct place and manner isn't for the fainthearted. So, would 'Structural Textile Engineer' cover all the bases.. Well no, because that leaves out the design aspect..........
I was brought back to earth when Gini said "I'm just going upstairs to wrestle with a ten pound embroidered octopus......"