Do you have one of those patterns that you like, but that you're not exactly in love with? The Belvedere Waistcoat is one of those patterns for me. It seems that no matter what I throw at it, all the care and attention to detail I can muster, the end result is still slightly disappointing. [...]
I love working with wool! All the wool I've worked with to date has been woven, so boiled wool is a new experience. It's actually a dense knit, and unlike a woven it doesn't ravel. Not a shred! Still, I pre-treat it as I would for any wool. My TNT method is the London Shrink. [...]
Yes, a new project has taken off... and once again it's because I must be looking at too much French couture fashion! First it was Kim Jones at Dior. Then I fell down the rabbit hole of Hermès. Now it's Givenchy, and the initial offering of their new designer Matthew Williams. You can see the [...]
As promised, I'm finally getting around to posting some of the construction details from my Stylemaker projects. I'll start with the waistcoat first. The instruction booklet for the Belvedere Waistcoat emphasizes the importance of interfacing the fronts. The goal is to have it sit smoothly over the chest without buckling. My longtime readers know that [...]
My last post was mostly about a big mistake that I made. But that's all in the rearview mirror now. It's full steam ahead on the Covid-19 blazer. This post will cover some simple tailoring techniques. Keep in mind that I'm not a professional. These are just some techniques that have worked for me, and [...]
It's finally finished! My interpretation of a Christian Dior toile jacket that's featured in Kim Jones' collection for Spring / Summer 2019. I've affectionately dubbed mine the "Too Poor for Dior" jacket. For the record, here's the original. I die! The matching is perfect. If you look closely you can just make out the pocket [...]
It's very unusual that I'm making something for the current season. I'm so slow that I never attempt it. It always seems that in winter I'm sewing for summer and vice versa. So I'm completely amazed that I have a new shirt and pair of pants that are Fall appropriate. First up....the red pants. These [...]
I've wanted a pair of red pants for years, but could never find the right fabric. Anyone who sews menswear will probably understand. It's SO hard to find the right weight and something without stretch. Stretch is the devil in my book. So you can imagine my delight in finding a non-stretch, heavy red moleskin [...]
Again, most of my bomber jacket progress was documented on Instagram. So this may be repetitive for many of you. I haven't been keeping up with the fashion trends lately, but for awhile bomber jackets seemed to be everywhere. I may be late to the party, but I'm making one! My inspiration actually came from [...]
As planned, I completed the welt pockets this morning. A couple cups of coffee and I was ready to go. I find it much easier to work on difficult things when I'm fresh. Here is the pocket all basted into place. I find the little extra time this takes is well worth it. With everything [...]
Mainelymenswear 