Classic Tailoring Techniques Short Course
Course description
Course overview
This exciting short course at London College of Fashion aims to guide students through a modern interpretation of classic tailoring techniques. During the course, students gain an insight into the fundamentals of well-crafted garments and build their understanding of traditional structuring and fabric manipulation techniques.
Through a combination of lectures, examples and practical exercises, students learn about balancing patterns, adjusting fit with working toiles, internal structuring, stitching techniques and fabric manipulation, amongst many other skills.
By the end of the course, students should be able to use fabric manipulation and pressing techniques to vastly improve the fit and function of garments.
Who this course is for
This course is aimed at anyone who wants to gain a more dynamic understanding of how to finely tailor and craft garments. This includes designers and those in the fashion/costume industries, pattern cutters/garment makers or anyone looking to achieve a higher level of clothing development, fit and finish.
While this course is open to all levels, it will be an advantage to have some prior experience in pattern cutting, draping and sewing, both by hand and machine.
Key information
Topics covered
- Analysis and interpretation of visual references/research
- Garment toiling and adjustment of fit, form and function
- Cutting and manipulating tailoring fabrics
- Studying the construction of tailored garments
- Problem-solving fit for individual shapes
Learning outcomes
- Be able to confidently cut and balance efficient toiles
- Have a better ability to achieve the desired fit and form of garments
- Be able to use fabric manipulation and pressing techniques to vastly improve fit and function of garments
- Know how to create effective internal structures for jackets, construct chest canvases, build shoulder and sleeve head shaping
- Construct details required for jackets and trousers including jet pockets/flaps, fly openings, waistbands and collars
- Better understand pattern placements and stripe matching of fabrics
- Digital badge and certificate of attendance.
Materials
Required materials:
- Scissors and pins
- Pattern making equipment
- Cutting mat (this can be as small as A3 but preferably bigger)
- Set square
- Large paper scissors
- Fabric scissors
- Tracing wheel
- Awl
- Tape measure
- Pattern drill
- Scotch invisible tape
- Tracing carbon paper
- One pressing ham, a pressing sleeve and one sleeve board of your own to work on
Optional extra materials:
- Pattern notchers
- Flexicurve
- French curves
- Rotary cutter
- Shoben tape
Tutor
Philip Mauger
With extensive experience in luxury fashion houses, Philip brings specialist knowledge and skill to the courses he conducts.
In 2005, during an MA in Womenswear at CSM, Philip began cutting for Vivienne Westwood's special clients, moving rapidly onto her specialist tailoring and Gold label show collections. Later moving to Lanvin in Paris to assist Alber Elbaz as a runway designer, Philip became responsible for some of the most identifiable silhouettes during its 2009-2011 collections. Philip followed this with further design and consultancy roles at McQueen, Paul Smith and Akris in Switzerland. Philip headed up Womenswear Design at Nicole Farhi during 2011-12 and became a Runway Womenswear Designer/Design Atelier Director at Burberry 2017-2020.
Throughout his fashion career, Philip has also worked extensively in film, developing/cutting costumes for productions ranging from Star Wars, James Bond and Into the Woods, to more recent Warner Bros/Marvel productions and series such as Captain Marvel and Loki. Philip currently develops costumes for contemporary and period productions.
Always involved in education, as a CSM alumni, Philip continues to tutor on the CSM short courses schedule. Philip has also tutored final years at Instituto Marangoni, conducted pattern cutting/folio design and design development classes at LCF and guest lectured at The Royal Collage for final year MA students.
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