Tyler Phillips

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What Suits a Woman Best

My monograph is entitled: What Suits a Woman Best.  This thesis includes three built garments and was completed and presented on April 19, 2022.

The practical component of this monograph will include three garments, constructed from the skin out. Each garment will be a version of women’s suiting, and the monograph will cover a period of sixty years. The first piece is a walking suit from the 1890s, the second a suit from a sears catalogue from winter 1919-1920, and the final is a suit modeled after an Adrian suit from 1948. These three styles of dress were heavily influenced by traditionally masculine style, silhouette, and fabric; however, each suit utilizes these influences differently and is influenced by world around them, clothes do not exist in a vacuum.

The second portion of the research focuses on methods of drafting patterns. I used three specific methods of making these patterns to compare the process and the results. The first is a Sartor System block, a flat patterning block used to draft men’s suits, the second is a block developed by Mandy Berrington normally used for drafting women’s clothing. The final method I used is Clo3D. This program has been developed for use in the fashion industry but can be used in many ways to develop patterns in a timely fashion for the theater industry.

Project Link

tyler-phillips.com

Advisers/Committee

This image shows the process of drafting a historical pattern in Clo3D. I was able to import a waistcoat pattern draft from primary sources in 1894, and trace over the lines. Once that was done, I was able to size the pattern up to fit my model. This reflects the method usually done when referencing historical pattern drafts but is expedited by using clo3D.
This image shows the process of drafting a historical pattern in Clo3D. I was able to import a waistcoat pattern draft from primary sources in 1894, and trace over the lines. Once that was done, I was able to size the pattern up to fit my model. This reflects the method usually done when referencing historical pattern drafts but is expedited by using clo3D.
This image shows the final fitting for my 1919-1920 Sears catalogue suit. In the final fitting the suit is cut from the final fabric, white cotton basting marks where the trim will sit in the final garment, and various trim sizes are pinned to the coat to help make the choice of what fits best. The final collar shape is also hand basted to the coat, but not covered in the final fabric to allow for any final alterations.
This image shows the final fitting for my 1919-1920 Sears catalogue suit. In the final fitting the suit is cut from the final fabric, white cotton basting marks where the trim will sit in the final garment, and various trim sizes are pinned to the coat to help make the choice of what fits best. The final collar shape is also hand basted to the coat, but not covered in the final fabric to allow for any final alterations.
This third image shows the inside of my Gilbert Adrian inspired suit jacket from 1948. While the shape of this jacket is similar in shape to masculine styles from the time, it stands apart in the manipulation of grain and the stripe matching that is used to create a unique final garment. One interesting discovery is that by piecing these jackets together, rather than cutting the fronts and backs as a whole piece, much less fabric is used. An interesting fact when considering the fabric rations of wartime in the United States.
This third image shows the inside of my Gilbert Adrian inspired suit jacket from 1948. While the shape of this jacket is similar in shape to masculine styles from the time, it stands apart in the manipulation of grain and the stripe matching that is used to create a unique final garment. One interesting discovery is that by piecing these jackets together, rather than cutting the fronts and backs as a whole piece, much less fabric is used. An interesting fact when considering the fabric rations of wartime in the United States.