Your Wardrobe Unlock'd

Izabela walks us step by step through the creation of an 1785 riding habit, including gold embroidered buttons.

Jason gives detailed instructions on constructing the period trousers he showed us how to draft last month.

Izabela makes a banqueting suit for an English Civil War Nobleman... and next month, a sumptuous gown for his wife...

I'm back with a tailoring topic that some of you requested and I'm more than happy to supply: how to cut and sew a pair of gentlemen's trousers. 

Making sense of the vast array of shirts, breeches, trousers, waistcoats, jackets and coats, stocks, stockings, garters and cravats.

This month on the Letters, Questions and Answers page we have:

Two requests for men's clothing articles (and the answer) Regency pinafores as seen in Jane Austen films: did they really exist? A free, globally available wealth of Regency fashion plates in full color What does Dickens mean by a "comforter" in A Christmas Carol?

Who'd like a shelf full of free Victorian tailoring manuals? Yes, I knew that would prick up your ears! It's been a full year since Marion last shared a collection of dressmaking and sewing books. Inspired by Jason's series, she's been building another collection: mens' and womens' wear tailoring books from 1855-1886.

Looking for riding habit ideas? Searching for cutting instructions for a Norfolk jacket or a Newmarket skirt and jacket? We've got the answers here, in these complete digitised online copies of original Victorian books, ready for you to download and enjoy.

I hear, frequently, “My husband wants me to make him a tailored 1880's coat, uhm... perhaps one day!” or simply “Tailoring is hard, why try?” This seems to be the natural response for people when they hear the word “tailoring”.

So begins our fascinating new series on historical tailoring, starting with the complete basics and working through to advanced techniques to construct a late Victorian lounge (informal) jacket. As well as allowing you to stop avoiding your husband's requests for something for him to wear, the dressmaker can learn an enormous amount from the genteel rules and precise approach of the historical tailor, giving her a great deal of tips and techniques to take back into ladieswear!

This month, we feature the blog, EnglishCut as our website of the month. Hear a classically trained Savile Row tailor share some of the secrets and the everyday realities of this ancient profession, including a half hour video in which you can watch him sharpen his chalk and work with the fabric.