Fabric Shopping Take Two

I went back to Goldhawk Road today after asking the advice of my tutor who suggested to go for the heavier tweedy fabrics as the thinner, smoother fabrics tend to be for more modern suits. With a better idea of what to look for, I first headed to the shops which I remembered finding some nice fabrics in. In Fabric House I found a dark grey/black wool with a subtle herringbone fabric of quite a good weight.

Unfortunately, as I could have predicted, there was not enough fabric on the roll. I decided to have a look in the other shops to see if I could find anything similar, but nothing was quite the same, particularly with regards to the thickness. On return to Fabric House the shop owner was extremely helpful and said he would check his stock and let me know later that day if he could find any more.

I therefore went home once again without fabric, but I feel it is important to get the fabric choice right and to get something I am happy with and want to work with. Fortunately, the shop owner has found something he says is very similar and so I am going back tomorrow to see and hopefully buy it!

Although to some extent spending this much time fabric shopping has perhaps reduced the time that could be spent researching, as I have said above I think getting the right fabric is key.

Fabric Shopping...

Today I went fabric shopping in London, however had an unsuccessful day. I began in Goldhawk Road as this is where the cheaper fabrics tend to be. I had been advised by my tutor to get a 14oz wool and had looked at some samples at Uni to get an idea of the weight I would need. Below are photos of a few of those samples that I particularly liked.

 It was soon apparent that trying to find an appropriate fabric would be harder than I had anticipated. This was chiefly because no one knew the weights of the wools and many suggested that the thinner wools would be more suitable for a suit, as thicker wools tend to be used for coats. With little experience or knowledge of wools and suit fabrics, I found it extremely difficult to judge the weights by touch, with only the memory of the samples at Uni to go on. I was able to take a few pictures of wools in one of the shops as I was unable to get samples.

(I liked the purple checked fabric here even though I am looking for a plainer fabric)

The fabrics in Goldhalk Road generally ranged from £10-20.

Unsure of what to do, I headed to Berwick Street, more to see if I could get a better idea of the weight of fabric rather than to buy any, as fabrics are generally more expensive here. I did see some nice fabrics, however I hit the same problem as before and therefore continued to have trouble distinguishing the weights. I spoke to an very helpful shop assistant who advised me to choose something I wanted to work with or that would look right if I was unsure of what to get, and that you could always increase the thickness of the fabric by combining it with horse hair. I did get some samples and particularly like those from the Berwick Street Cloth Shop though these are too expensive (£45/m). I think I'd like to find something similar to the black herringbone as its fairly plain but has some detail.

 

I was disappointed that I did not get my fabric today, but I resolved on going home and doing some research on fabrics because I did not want to spend a large amount on fabric that might not be suitable. I think I should have done more research before going as I felt unprepared, but I did not know it would be so difficult. I have since come to the realisation that a 14oz wool might not have to be as thick as I think it should, as I think if the weave is tighter, it will produce a smoother and thinner feel and look.

Suit Images

 I have been meaning to put up more of my research over the past week than I have - this is mainly due to trying to get my costume for Battle for the winds completely finished, as well as focusing on pattern drafting and it being the end of term. I have decided on the image (or in fact a few images) that I want to use for reference and have checked them with my tutor.

Through my research I have found many jackets of the late Victorian age have small lapels. However, I did find a new style of lounge jacket with a bigger lapel, which I prefer and which I have decided to make. I found it difficult to find an image of a full suit of this style, and initially I only had the image below.

After looking in various Victorian photo books and at paintings I still had little luck but did find this image of Matthew Arnold, a poet and critic. Although the jacket is of the slightly different style, I like the trousers he is wearing and think it would be interesting to try and find a similar fabric. Despite the jacket not being quite the style I want to make, it is interesting to look at, particularly the edging around the cuffs and lapel.

I then came across this image on the internet that is the style I prefer and of a slightly later date (1913), which could explain why I was struggling to find images of it. When I showed these images to my tutor he agreed that I could make the trousers that Matthew Arnold is wearing and the newer style of jacket. However, I do like the turn up style of trousers seen in the image below.

Since then, I have found a few more images of similar suits, which I will also use for reference. I am going fabric shopping on Wednesday and so depending on what I find, will to some extent dictate the image I will most closely follow. I think it may be easier and look nicer to buy matching jacket and trouser fabric, particularly as I am under pressure as to what I will be able to make. As I only have 3 weeks after Easter, I don't want to make it more difficult for myself by choosing a decorative/patterned fabric.

Time plan

21	12.03.12	Mon	10:00 11:30 13.30	11.00 12:30 14.30	Briefing – learning agreements and time plans Tailoring Research Tailoring Briefing Start Blog
	13.03.12	Tues	09.30	12.30	Perceptions of Performance (POP) Briefing Work on BFTW
	14.03.12	Wed			POP research Battle for the Winds
	15.03.12	Thurs			Draft patterns
	16.03.12	Fri			POP research Tailoring research
	17.03.12	Sat			POP research Time Plan
	18.03.12	Sun			Tailoring research
22	19.03.12	Mon			Learning Agreement Blog Tailoring research
	20.03.12	Tues	09.30 16:30	12.30 19:00	POP lecture Draft patterns BFTW evening session
	21.03.12	Wed	09.30		Tailoring meeting/studio practice
	22.03.12	Thurs	9:30 11:30 16:30	12:00 19:00	Tailoring/studio practice HAND IN LEARNING AGREEMENT BFTW evening session Blog
	23.03.12	Fri			Assess what needs to be done over Easter, finish any tailoring that needs to be done before the holidays. POP research
	EASTER BREAK 26th March-9th April	Plan for Easter Holiday: Main focus will be POP essay as Tailoring making should chiefly be done at uni due to space etc. By focusing on the essay over Easter, this will allow me to focus on tailoring after the holidays. Nevertheless, I will continue to research aspects of tailoring over the holidays and source my fabric. (Keep Blog updated with progress)
	06.04.12	Fri			Deadline for POP question
23	10.04.12	Tues	10:30	13:30	POP lecture POP Tutorial
	11.04.12	Wed	9:30	10:30	Year group meeting
	12.04.12	Thurs	9:30	16:30	Tailoring meeting Tailoring/studio practice Cut out pieces
	13.04.12	Fri			Mark tack and start pockets
	14.04.12 15.04.12	Sat/ Sun			Work on pockets POP research
24	16.04.12	Mon			Continue with pockets Blog
	17.04.12	Tues	10:15	13:30	POP lecture Continue with pockets
	18.04.12	Wed			Continue with tailoring work
	19.04.12	Thurs	9:30	16:30	Tailoring meeting – Canvas and pad stitching
	20.04.12	Fri	8:00	17:00	Chichester Exhibition visit
	21.04.12 22.04.12	Sat/ Sun			Finish pad stitching and baste canvas to fronts Blog
25	23.04.12	Mon			Travel to London for Olympic Placement Training, work on POP in spare time/train Blog
	24.04.12	Tues			Travel back from London, work on POP – get essay plan done
	25.04.12	Wed	9:30	16:30	Tailoring – lapel pad stitching Blog
	26.04.12	Thurs	13:45	14:00	Continue with tailoring work Blog Review Tutorial
	27.04.12	Fri			Continue with tailoring work
	28.04.12	Sat			Travel home for Work Placement Work on POP/tailoring (workbook) over weekend
26	01.05.12	Tues			Work Placement
27	07.05.12				Work Placement
28	14.05.12				Work Placement
	15.05.12	Tues			HAND IN POP
29	21.05.12				Work Placement
	23.05.12				HAND IN SDP