Tailoring Project
I’ve wanted to learn how to make a suit for a long time, so in the spring of 2025 I decided to make myself one for my graduation from college. It was a three piece suit, all patterned from scratch using the instructions in Classic Tailoring Techniques: A Construction Guide for Men’s Wear, by Roberto Cabrera and Patricia Flaherty Meyes. It was also based on skills I learned during my 2024 summer internship at the Santa Fe Opera, where I worked primarily on men’s waistcoats.
Waistcoat
The waistcoat was the piece that came together the best. It has two welt pockets, one of which is pictured to the right.
Jacket Understructure
I chose to make my own canvas understructure for the suit coat; while I’m aware they can be purchased pre-made, I thought I would learn more by making it by hand. Despite the extra time it took to do all of the pad stitching, pictures to the left, I think it was a valuable thing to learn how to do, and taught me a lot about why all of that work is needed to make the suit sit and move correctly when worn.
Suit Jacket
The suit jacket featured a new kind of pocket to me — a double piped flap pocket — which was fun to learn how to make. Attaching the canvas to the jacket was also an interesting learning experience, and I’m very glad I had the book to walk me through how to do it correctly.
Final Fit
Over all, I’m fairly happy with the result. There are a number of places on the jacket especially where, if I were to make it again, I would alter the pattern – the collar gapes a little, and the sleeves are a little tight across the bicep; that second note is especially irritating, as that was something I had noticed and thought I had fixed in the muslin mockup phase of this project. While those aren’t problems that make the jacket unwearable for me personally, they aren’t things I would be happy with if I were making this for someone else at a professional area, and they are certainly notes for improvement in the future.
Acknowledgements
I’d like to thank Kiki Smith for being my advisor on this project. I would also like to thank Emily Dunn and Tilly Adams, both for all of their advice while making this, and for letting me use the costume shop.