~ 1’ (f: " £3: 2,: I n i ’ A STUDY or; me USE on -STA'NDARD DART AND SEAM VARIATIONS-A5 SOURCES or DESIGNJN DRE'SS' ' “rm; for the Degree) of M. A. Mic-mm sum COLLEGE _ Ngaire Margaraf Damigan 1954 This is to certify that the thesis entitled A Study of Standard Dart and Seam Variations 33 Sources of Design in Dress presented hg Ngaire Margaret Domigan has been accepted towards fulfillment of the requirements for M.A. Textiles,Clothing4& Related Art degree in Major professor Date JUlL 26L 1954 0-169 A STUDY OF THE USE OF STARDARD DART A”D SCAM VARIATIOKB AS SOURCES OF DESIGN IN DRESS. BY NGAIRE MARGARET DOMIGAN A THESIS SUBMITTED To THE SCHOOL or GRADUATE STUDIES OF MICHIGAN STATE COLLEGE or AGRICULTURE AND APPLIED SCIENCE IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT or THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE or MASTER OF ARTS DEPARTMENT or TEXTILES, CLOTHING AND RELATED ARTS. I 954 ACKNOHLEDGMENTS THE AUTHOR OIOHER TO EXRREss OINcERE THANKS TO MIOO MARION VHILLHOUBE, AOEOCIATE PROrEssOR Or TEXTILES, CLOTHINa ANO RELATEO ARTE, FOR HER INORIRATION ANO cONOTANT eUIOANcE THROUGHOUT THIO STUDY, ANO ALOO FOR HER VERY REAL HELP IN RRERARINE THE ACCONPANYINO CKETCHEO ANO OIAGRANOO FOR THEIR cONTINUAL INTEREsT ANO ENCOURAGEIENT, THANXO ARE ALOO OUE TO MIOO HAzEL STRAHAN, HEAO OF TEXTILES, CLOTHINc ANO RELATEO ARTO DEPARTIENT, ANO Mlss EIELVN NhNOrIELO, AOsOcIATE PROEEOOOR OF TEXTILES, CLOTHING ANO RELATEO ARTS. THE IRITER IO ORATEFUL FOR THE rINANcIAL AIO REcEIVEO As A TUITION OcHOLAROHIR ERON MIcHIcAN STATE COLLEoE, A FULORIOHT TRAVEL GRANE ANO U. S. GOVERNNENT GRANT UNOER THE SHITN-MUNOT ACT, ALL OF IHICN HAVE HAD! OTUOY IN THIS COUNTRY A POOSIOILITYO N.M.D. 31.52%6’76 IV. TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . REVIEW OF LITERATURE . . . . . . . . . METHODS AND PROCEDURES . . . . . . . . BLOUSE DESIGNING SEcTIoN I. BLOUSE FRONT DESIGNS STANOARO BLOUOE DEOIaNO A. DART VARIATIONO I. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. BO YOKEO O O O O O 2. THE DART TO THE WAIOTLINE THE DART To THE SHOULOER THE DART TO CENTRE FRONT THE DART To THE NEOHLINE MIscELLANEOUE . CONCLUOIONO . . SIIULATEO YOKEB TRUE YONES O O O C. THE FREHcH DART LINE . . . 2. MULTIOEAHIHO . . . . . . J‘CKETB O O O O D. CONcLUsIOHO . . . SEcTION II. BLOUSE BACK DESIGNS . CONCLUOION. O O O O O O . I . 5 . 7 .l3 l8 I8 3| SI 57 6'7 69 71. BI 85 92 V. SKIRT DESIGNING . . . . . j . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93 I A. STRAIGHT SHIRT VARIATIoNs . . . . . . . . . . . . 99 I B. GOREO SHIRT VARIATIONO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . l03 I. THE Tie-GORE SKIRT . . . . . . . . . . . . . I03 2. THE FOUR-GORE SKIRT . . . . . . . . . . . . . I08 3. THE SIX-GORE SKIRT . . . . . . . . . . . . . III 4. PRINCEss CUTE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . II5 C. CIRCULAR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . II? D. DRAPEO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Il9 CONcLUOIONO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . I2| VI. CONCLUSIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... . I23 VII. SKNNARY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . I25 LITERATURE CITED CHAPTER I INT?ODUCTICN THERE IS A TREND IN ALL PHASES OF MODERN DESIGN TOWARDS PLACING MORE IMPORTANCE ON FUNCTIONAL QUALITY THAN ON ANY OTHER CHARACTERIS- TIC. EEAUTY AND CHARM DEPEND UPON FORM AND QUALITY OF MATERIAL. THERE IS LITTLE EFFORT To DISGUISE THE METHOD OF CONSTRUCTION AND THIS LEADS To A DECIDED HONESTY OF DESIGN. SIMPLICITY OF LINE AND FORM TOGETHER wITH AN ELIMINATION OF DECORATIVE DETAIL UNRELATED TO STRUCTURE, HAS SHowN ITS INFLUENCE NOT ONLY IN ARCHITECTURE AND IN- TERIOR DESIGN, BUT IN CLOTHING AS wELL. EASICALLY, THE DRESS DESIGNER IS CONCERNED WITH THE PROBLEM OF MOULDING OR SHAPING FABRIC TO THE HUMAN FIGURE. TO Do THIS, IT IS OBVIOUS THAT STRUCTURAL SEAMS AND DARTS ARE NECESSARY, AND THAT SOME ORDERED PLAN HAS TO BE FOLLOWED To PRODUCE A GARMENT WHICH MAY FUNCTION SATISFACTORILY, AND WHICH MAY BE RELATED HARMONIOUSLY IN LINE, PROPORTION AND SILHCUETTE To THE wEARER. FASHION EMDHPSIS MAY CHANGE WITH CHANGING SEASONS, THE ACCENT SHIFTING FROM ONE PART OF THE FIGURE To ANOTHER, BUT THROUGHOUT THESE CHANGES THE IDEAL FIGURE PROPORTIONS ARE MINIFESTED IN THE TALL, SLENDER-HIPPED, LONG-LEGGED FASHION MODEL. TO APPROXIMATE THIS IDEAL BY SKILFUL ARRANGEMENT OF CON— STRUCTION LINES, BY ADAPTATION OF LINE TO COLOUR, To TEXTURE, AND TO THE FIGURE OF THE WEARER; THESE FACTORS ALL COMPLICATE THE PRO- BLEMS wHICH CHALLENGE THE DRESS DESIGNER. WITHOUT LOSING SIGHT OFTHE INTER- RELATIONSHIP OF THESE FACTORS, THE WRITER FOUND IT NECESSARY TO MIT HER STUDY To A COASIDERATIONcrcmnaN VARIATIONS OF STANDARD CUTS I A STANDARD FIGURE, AND INDEPENDENT OF THE INFLUENCE OF COLOUR. :XTURAL INFLUENCES HAVE AN EFFECT ON STRUCTURE, SO HAVE BEEN CONSIDERED A SECONDARY POINT IN THIS STUDY. A RECENT TREND IN COSTUME DESIGN HAS BEEN TowAROS BASIC SIMPLI- TY OF CUT,COUNTING ON THE USE OF ACCESSORIES FOR INTEREST AND ACCENT. IIS MAY BE A GOOD TREND IF THE TERM "SIMPLICITY" Is INTERPRETED AS THE E OF As FEW STRUCTURAL LINES As ARE NECESSARY TO PRODUCE PERFECT FIT THE FABRIC TO THE THREE DIMENSIONAL FORM, AS WELL AS THE DESIRED sIL- IUETTE EFFECT. "THE BEST DRESSING TODAY IS IN A SENSE LIKE MODERN ICHITECTURE: "STRIPPING AIAY OF ALL COMMON IMPEDIMENTA . . .PERMITS IE BUILDING ITSELF TO STAND OUT STARTLINGLY CLEAR, wITH CLEAR CUT OUT- NES". . THE COSTUME wHICH BEST BESPEAKS THE MODERN WOMAN HAS A RIPPING AwAY - AN ELIMINATION OF ALL NONESSENTIAL ELEMENTS OF GADGETS ID EXTRANEOUS TRIMMING - TILL THE COSTUME PRESENTS A CLEAR-CUT, STREAM- NED SIMPLICITY, FUSING NITH THE IEARER ANO ALLOWING HER To STAND OUT TAL ANO ALIVE. MAGGY ROUFF, ONE OF THE GREATEST OF FRENCH DESIGNERS, IMAPKED WHEN IN THIS COUNTRY THAT ELEGANCE DOES NOT SUGGEST LAVISHNESS FRIPPERIES, BUT SIMPLICITY. "IT HAS TO DO IITH NELL-CONSTRUCTEO LINES, IAUTIFUL MATERIALS, AND SUBTLY SLENDED COLORS, wITH ALL THOSE BASI8 5x- LLENCES IN A COSTUME THAT MAKE EXTRA DECORATION ABSURO ..." ANO NHEN EOEO, SOME TELLINGLY EFFECTIVE ORNAMENT,.NOT AT ONCE NOTICED BUT, NHEN I ITICED, NOT EASILY FORGOTTEN." HowEVER, WHEN "SIMPLICITY" IS INTERPRETED AS THE REPEATEO USE OF IORTON, GRACE M. THE ARTS OF COSTUME AND PERSONAL APPEARANCE Kw YORK: JOHN WILEY & SONS, INC. I943 P.43. THE SAME STRUCTURAL LINES RESULTING IN A COMMONPLACE ANO MONOTONOUS STYLE MHICH DEPENDS ON ADDED DECORATION FOR INDIVIDUALITY, AND WHEN ALL THIS IS USED AS A SUBSTITUTE FOR CREATIVE THOUGHT, THEN DRESS DESIGN IS IN DANGER OF LOSING ITS PLACE AMONG THE ARTS. THE CONSTRUCTION LINES IN A GARMENT, THE DARTS ANO SEAMS, SHOULD NOT ONLY FUNCTION To MOULD THE FABRIC TO THE FIGURE,BUT SHOULD BE DEC- ORATIVE AS WELL. BY SERVING THIS DUAL PURPOSE, DESIGNING REACHES ITS PEAK OF PERFECTION. THAT IS, BY CAREFUL PLACING, EVEN IN THE SIMPLEST OF BASIC DRESSES MHICH PLAY SUCH A KEY ROLE IN THE MODERN MARDROBE, THESE LINES CAN ADD To THE BEAUTY OF THE DESIGN BY BECOMING AN INTEGRAL PART OF THE DESIGN MOTIF. WHILE STILL PERFORMING THEIR FUNCTION OF FITTING THE FABRIC To THE FIGURE, THEY BECOME PART OF THE STRUCTURE ALSO, STANDING OUT NO LONGER SIMPLY AS OBVIOUS MEANS OF SHAPING, BUT LOSING THEMSELVES IN THE DESIGN THEME. WHENEVER THE THEME REPRESENTS A BECOMING TIE-IN OF LINES, NELL-PROPORTIONED SPACING OF AREAS, A SATISFYING IN- TEGRATED NORK OF ART IS FORMED. IN THIS STUDY, THE AIM HAS TO TRY To SHow THAT DESIGNS NHICH DEPEND FOR BEAUTY UPON CAREFUL THOUGHT AND PLANNING OF CONSTRUCTION LINES SO THAT THEY FORM THE MAIN DESIGN THEME AND PROVIDE FIT ANO COMFORT As WELL, ARE MORE SATISFYING FROM AN ARTISTIC VIEMPOINT THAN THOSE wHICH DEPEND UPON THE ADDITION OF ACCESSORIES FOR COMPLETENESS. INDEED, IT Is A FURTHER AIM TO SHOW THAT OVER-SIMPLIFICATION MAY NOT EVEN PRODUCE A TRULY FUNCTION- AL DESIGN, IF IT HAS MEANT THE ELIMINATION OF A SEAM LINE OR A DART DETAIL REALLY NECESSARY FOR GOOD FIT. ON THE OTHER HAND, IT IS DESIRED TO SHOW THAT AS DESIGNS IMPROVE IN DESIGN QUALITY, THERE I8 GENERALLY AN ACCOMPANYING IMPROVEMENT IN FUNCTION, BUILDING ON THE PREMISE THAT ALL DARTS AND SEAMS PLAY A DUAL ROLE OF PRODUCING FIT, AND FORMING DESIGN LINES. CFRPTER ll REVIEN OF LITERATURE VERY LITTLE SPECIFIC INFORMATION COULD BE FOUND REGARDING STANDARD DART AND SEAM VARIATIONS AS SOURCES OF DESIGN IN DRESS, OTHER THAN DRESS DESIGN,DRA 9 AND FLAT-PATTERN MAKING BY HILLHOUSE AND MANSFIELD. MANY BOOKS OF PATTERN- MAKING AND DRESS DESIGN ACKNOWLEDGE THE FACT THAT STRUCTURE IS OF PRIME IMPORTANCE IN RELATION TO DESIGN IN DRESS. IN HER BOOK THE ARTS OF COSTUME AND PERSONAL APPEARANCE, GRACE MORTON SAYS "ONE wHO BECOMES SENSITIVE TO GOOD STRUCTURE HAS GAINED THIS SUPERIOR TASTE EITHER THROUGH AssoOIATION AND COMPARISON OF FINE EXAMPLES, OR THROUGH A CONTINUING, GROWING EXPERIENCE OF CREATIVE EFFORT. FINE COMPOSTION 0F LINE AND SPACING RESULTS wHEN TOTAL AREAS ARE MADE UP OF PARTS WHICH HAVE IN THEMSELVES INDIVIDUALITY AND AT THE SAME TIME RELATIONSHIP TO THE MHDLE.“ FURTHER REFERENCE TO THE CONTRIBUTION OF STRUCTURAL DESIGN COMES FROM 7 ART IN HOME AND CLOTHING, BY TRILLING AND WILLIAMS, wHo SAY "TRUE BEAUTY LIES FIRST OF ALL IN FINE STRUCTURAL DESIGN, AND THE DRESS wHICH IS HELL CUT FROM A GOOD PATTERN NEEDS BUT SIMPLE DECORATION To ACCENT ITS FINE DESIGN... .. REAL BEAUTY MUST HAVE ITS FOUNDATION IN STRUCTURAL DESIGN." THE SAME IDEA IS EXPRESSED IN THE FDLLOMING QUOTATION FROM BERENICE CHAMBER'S COLOR AND I DESIGN IN APPAREL, WHEN,IN APPLYING NCDERN DESIGN PRINCIPLES TO DRESS, SHE l ‘ I SAYS "....ITS LEADERS BELIEVED, WITHaLOUIS SULLIVAN, THAT 'FORM FOLLOWS FUNc- TION' ". In L) MABEL ERWIN, IN THE REVISED EDITION OF PRACTICAL CRESS DESIGN? TOUCHES ON THE MECHANICS OF STANDARD DART AND SEAM VARIATIONS, BUT DEALS DITH THE QUESTION FROM THE STANDPOINT OF FLAT-PATTERN ALTERATION RATHER THAN AS A SOURCE OF DESIGN INSPIRATION. IT HAS THROUGH THE USE OF THE BOOK DRESS DESIGN, DRAPING AND FLAT- 4 PATTERN MAKING, BY HILLHOUSE AND MANSFIELD, AND BY CLASS-ROOM INSTRUCTION, THAT THIS STUDY WAS STIMULATED. CHAPTER 7 OF THIS BOOK DISCUSSES THE VARIETY OF DESIGN SOURCES AVAILABLE TO THE DRESS DESIGNER, AND CITES AS IMPORTANT AMONG THEM VARIATIONS OF DARTS AND SEAMS IN BASIC BLOUSES AND GORED SKIRTS. AS HELL AS GIVING SOME EXAMPLES OF DESIGNS BASED ON VARIATIONS OF STANDARD CUTS, THIS BOOK MAKES INVALUABLE SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER INVESTIGATION OF THIS MEDIUM AS A DESIGN SOURCE. THIS STUDY IS AN ATTEMPT TO FOLLOW UP THOSE SUGGESTIONS. CHAPTER III METHODS AND PROCEDURE I. SELECTION OF REPRESENTATIVE DESIGNS TO BE USED IN THE STUDY A. CLIPPED FROM FASHION MAGAZINES AND MODIFIED TO SUIT THE PURPOSE B. DESIGNED BY STUDENTS IN CLOTHING AND COSTUME DESIGN CLASSES AT MICHIGAN STATE COLLEGE. C. ORIGINAL SKETCHES BY THE AUTHOR. 2. ORGANIZATION OF THE ABOVE DESIGNS ACCORDING TO VARIATIONS OF STANDARD CUTS. BLOUSE DESIGNS. SECTION I. BLOUSE FRONT DEOISDS A. DART VARIATIONS I. To THE NAISTLINE 2. To THE SHOULDER 3. To CENTRE FRONT 4. To THE NECKLINE 5. MISCELLANEOUS ' B. YOKES I. SIMULATED 2. TRUE C. FRENCH DART LINE AND VARIATIONS I. MULTISEAMINS 2. JACKETS SECTION II. BLOUSE EACK DESIGNS C SKIRT DESIGNS VARIATIONS OF THE STANDARD A. STRAIGHT SKIRT E. GORED I. Two-GORE 2. FOUR-GORE 3. SIX-GORE 4. PRINCESS C. CIRCULAR D. DRAPED 3. 5. 6. PATTERN DESIGNING OF EACH SKETCH IN HALF—SIZE PAPER PATTERNS TO INVESTIGATE CUTTING PROBLEMS. THE HALF SIZE STANDARD PATTERN wAS MADE To FIT THE HALF-SIZE BAUMAN DRESS-FORM, SIZE l4. DEVELOPMENT OF MUSLIN PROOFS TO FIT THE HALF—SIZE I4 BAUMAN DREss- FORM A. USING THE FLAT-PATTERN BLOCKING METHOD 8. DRAPING DIRECTLY ON THE FORM IN CASES WHERE THE DESIGN DEFIED DEVELOPMENT BY FLAT-PATTERN DESIGNING ALONE. C. USING A COMBINATION OF A. AND S. DRANING OF THE TESTED AND IMPROVED PATTERNS FOR INCLUSION IN THE THESIS TO ONE-EIGHTH SCALE OR ONE-QUARTER SCALE WHERE GREATER DETAIL wAS NECESSARY. ANALYSIS OF EACH MUSLIN PROOF AND PATTERN DIAGRAM FOR; A. DESIGN QUALITY5USING THE STANDARD CUT FROM wHICH EACH WAS DEVELOPED AS A BASIS FOR COMPARISON: DESIGN QUALITY WAS JUDGED ACCORDING TO WELL ESTABLISHED DESIGN PRINCIPLES. B. INVESTIGATION OF FIT AND GRAIN PLACEMENT IN COMPARISON WITH STANDARD, AND IN COMPARISON WITH TWO OR MORE GRAIN PLACEMENTS USED IN THE EXPERIMENTAL MUSLINSO GOLDSTEIN, HARRIETTE AND VETTA; ART IN EVERDAY LIFE, NEw YORK MACMILLIN & CO. 3RD EDITION - IQED 2 MORTON, GRACE M. OP. CIT. 6.(CONT.) c. SUGGESTIONS OF NECESSARY FABRIC QUALIFICATIONS BASED ON THE DESIRED SILHOUETTE EFFECT OF EACH DESIGN. THE TEX+~ TW‘B WERE ESTIMATED THROUGH EXPERIENCE AND HANDLING OF THE FOLLOWING REPRESENTATIVE FABRICS: "HAND" FABRIC STIFF, CRISP TAFFETA, SHANTUNG, COTTON PIOUE, GLAZED COTTON SOFT, DRAPEY RAYON CREPE, LIGHT-VEIGHT IOOL, TISSUE FAILLE, SILK FIRM SURAH DRESS LINEN, wOOL FLANNEL, GABARDINE, SLIPPER SATIN 3. 0. CONSTRUCTION PROBLEMS WHERE THEY HAD A BEARING ON THE FORM OF THE DART VARIATION AND THE CHARACTER OF THE SILHOUETTE, SINCE THE SUCCESS OF A CUT DEPENDS ON THE ABILITY OF THE DESIGN TO BE FINISHED WITHOUT LOSING THE EFFECT. THESE LAST TWO CONSIDERATIONS WERE INCLUDED NOT AS MAIN POINTS IN THE INVESTIGATION, BUT TO CLARIFY FURTHER THE PROBLEMS OF FABRIC TEXTURE AND CONSTRUCTION DETAIL IN RELATION TO DESIGN. FABRIC TEXTURE AND FINISH ARE SO CLOSELY RELATED TO PATTERN DESIGNING, THAT THEY COULD NOT BE IGNORED. ALTHOUGH THE SELECTED SKETCHES WERE CLASSIFIED ACCORDING TO THOSE VARIATIONS 0F STANDARD CUTS WHICH FORMED THE MAIN DESIGN THEME IN EACH CASE, THEY HAVE BEEN CONSIDERED AND ILLUSTRATED AS A WHOLE DESIGN UNIT. IN THE SKIRT CHAPTER, MANY OF THE SAME SKIRT DESIGNS HAVE BEEN USED AGAIN. 3AUTHORITY FOR CONSTRUCTION DETAILS - MANSFIELD, EVELYN A., CLOTHING CONSTRUCTION, New YORK: HOUGHTON MIFFLIN COMPANY, 139) CF. STA ADARD BLCIJSE FRONT IO 7. A STUDY OF STANDARD CUTS, BEGINNING wITH THE FOUNDATION PATTERN. A PERFECTLY FITTED FOUNDATION PATTERN IS THE STARTING POINT FOR ALL FLAT-PATTERN DESIGNING. IN THIS STUDY, A FOUNDATION PATTERN wAS DRAPED IN MUSLIN ON A STANDARD BAUMAN’HALF-SIZE l4 DRESS-FORM. REDUCED TO ONE-QUARTER OR ONE—EIGHTH NORMAL SIZE AS REQUIRED, THIS SAME FOUNDATION VAS USED AS THE BASIS FOR THE SMALL PATTERN DIAGRAMS INCLUDED IN THIS STUDY. THE BLOUSE FRONT OF THE FOUNDATION PATTERN wAS FITTED To THE FORM wITH THE ExTRA FABRIC CONTROLLED BY TIO DARTS, ONE FROM THE BUST To THE SHOULDER AND THE OTHER FROM THE BUST To THE WAISTLINE. THE CROSSWISE GRAIN wAS HELD PARALLEL TO THE FLOOR AT THE BUSTLINE. THE SHOULDER DART RAN FROM BUST POINT To ENTER THE SHOULDER AT A POSITION NEAR CENTRE, wHICH IS BECOMING TO FIGURES GENERALLY, BUT VARIES SLIGHTLY VITH DIFFERENCES IN SHOULDER SLOPE, wIDTH AT BASE OF NECK,AND FASHION EMPHASIS. "FEELING FOR CONTOUR HILL HELP PLACE THE LINE TO EMPHASIZE THE SILHOUETTE DESIRED"4 THE DART TO THE WAISTLINE WAS PLACED TO SLOPE TOWARDS THE CENTRE FRONT AT THE WAISTLINE, IN A LINE DESIGNED TO NARROW DOWN THE APPARENT SIZE OF THE WAIST. WHEN THE DARTS HILLHOUSE, MARION S. MANSFIELD, EVELYN A., DRESS DESIGN. NEU YORK: HOUGHTON MIFFLIN COMPANY, I948. P.I9 CF CB STA ADA RD BLOUSE BACK STANDARD SKIRT STANDARD SKIRT FRONT EACK CB. . w_..-—-mT WERE PLACED PARALLEL To THE CENTRE FRONT, THE OAIST APPEARED TO THICKEN. AN ARBITRARY MEASUREMENT FOR ESTABLISHING THIS IN PLEASING PROPORTIONS IS TO SLOPE THE LINE TO A POINT FROM CENTRE FRONT ATTwO-FIFTHS OF HALF THE FRONT IAISTLINE MEASUREMENT. THIS POSITION FALLS FROM Two AND THREE QUAR- TERS TO THREE AND ONE HALF INCHES (2 3/4 - 3 [/2") FROM CENTRE FRoNT ON MOST FIGURES.5’6. FOR AN EXPERIENCED DESIGNER, HOWEVER, THIS POSITION IS ESTABLISHED ACCORDING TO THE EYE. THE BLOUSE BACK MAS FITTED wITH THE CROSSUISE GRAIN PARALLEL To THE FLOOR ACROSS THE SHOULDER BLADES, BUT RISING SLIGHTLY TowARDS THE UNDERARM. EASING OVER THE SHOULDER BLADES WAS CONTROLLED BY A SMALL DART AS DELL As SOME EASE ALONG THE SHOULDER SEAM. THE DARTING INTO THE WAISTLINE TAPER- ED TOWARDS CENTRE, AS IT DID IN THE BLOUSE FRONT. THE SKIRT TWO-GORE FOUNDATION PATTERN WAS DRAPED WITH THE CROSS- WISE GRAIN HELD LEVEL AT THE HIP WITH A SLIGHT DROP FOR OUTWARD SLOPE AT THE SIDE, AND THE STRAIGHT LENGTH-WISE GRAIN REMAINED PERPENDICULAR TO THE FLOOR AT CENTRE FRONT AND BACK. THE EXTRA FABRIC FROM HIP TO WAIST WAS DARTED WITH TWO SMALL DARTS AT THE HIP-BONE POSITION IN FRONT: A DEEP- ER DART IN THE BACK TAPERED TO MEET THE POSITION OF THE BLOUSE DART.8 5THIS PRINCIPLE IAS TAUGHT To THE AUTHOR BY M. RENE THEVENOT, COUTURIER, VICHY, FRANCE. 6HILLHOUSE, NMRION 5.3MANSFIELD, EVELYN A., OP—CIT. P.IO 7IBID, P. 219 -26. 8IBID, P 66 - 70. STA ADARD SLEEVE THE LONG SLEEVE PATTERN WAS A STANDARD HALF-SIZE I4, ONE PIECE SLEEVE, MITH ONE AND ONE-HALF INCHES (|fi") EASE OVER THE SHOULDER, Two INCHES (2") EASE IN GIRTH, EASE AT THE WRIST, AND wITH A HORIZONTAL 9 ELBOW DART . 9 IBID, P. II3’II7. BLOUSE DESIGNING -. CHAPTER IV SECTION I: BLOUSE FRONT DESIGIB STAPDARD ELOUSE FPCNT DESISAE THE NEXT STEP OF THE STUDY WAS TO MAKE A CLOSE EXAMINATION OF THE FOUNDATION PATTERN OF THE BLOUSE FRONT WITH THE DART APPEARING IN THE THREE POSITIONS CONSIDERED TO BE STANDARD; THAT IS, THE VERTICAL DART TO THE WAIST, THE DART TO THE SHOULDER, AND THE HORIZONTAL DART TO THE UNDERARM NEAR THE ARMSCYE. DIAGRAM I. BALANCE OF DARTING BETWEEN THE SHOULDER AND WAISTLINE. ADVANTAGES. I. IN THE FOUNDATION PATTERN,WITH THE CROSSWISE GRAIN HELD PARALLEL To THE FLOOR AT THE BUST BY THE USE OF A DART To THE SHOULDER COM- BINED WITH A DART TO THE WAISTLINE, THERE WAS A SMOOTH FIT AND A BALANCE OF FABRIC AROUND THE BUST,WITH NO STRAINING OF THE FABRIC AT THE SIDE FRONT OF THE FIGURE NEAR THE UNDERARM SEAM. 2. AT THE ARMHOLE, THE GRAIN FELL TOWARDS THE BIAS, MOULDING TO GIVE A CLOSE FIT AROUND THE ARMHOLE CURVE. WHEN DESIGNING FOR A FIGURE WITH A PRONOUNCED HOLLOW BELOW THE PROMINENT BONE IN THE SHOULDER, OR FOR THE FIGURE WITH A LARGE BUST MEASUREMENT AND COMPARATIVELY SMALL ARMHOLE, THIS BIAS PLACEMENT MOULDS THE FABRIC SATISFACTOR- ILY TO THE FIGURE. ° BECAUSE THE TOTAL EXCESS WAS DIVIDED BETWEEN TWO DART POSITIONS, NEITHER DART PROVED T00 LARGE TO TAPER TO A SMOOTH POINT. DIAGRAM 2 BquIInC Croasirmn DIAGRAM II. PLACEMENT OF DART FULNESS IN ONE POSITION - VERTICAL DART TO THE WAISTLINE. ADVANTAGE. IN THIS FORM, THE FOUNDATION PATTERN IS MORE EFFICIENT FOR USE AS A MASTER PATTERN DISADVANTAGES. I. 3. THE GRAIN AT BUST LEVEL DROPPED DOWN SHARPLY FROM BUST POINT TO THE SIDE SEAM, CAUSING A STRAINING OR TIGHTNESS OVER THE UPPER CURVE OF THE BUST AND THE CHEST AREA. THE DART WAS VERY DEEP FOR ITS LENGTH, AND SO HAD TO BE CARRIED ALL THE WAY TO BUST POINT. EVEN WITH CAREFUL STITCHING AND PRESSING OF THE DART, IT TENDED To "POKE" OUT AT THE BUST DUE TO THE STRAINING OF THE FABRIC AT THE SIDE OF THE BUST CURVE, AND CAUSED AN UNBECOMING POINTING OF THE FABRIC “OVER WHAT IS ESSENTIALLY A CURVED BUST SURFACE. THE GRAIN FELL QUITE STRAIGHT BESIDE THE UPPER PART OF THE ARM- HOLE LINE, GIVING LESS FLEXIBILITY TO THE FABRIC AND THEREFORE POORER MOULDING TO THE CURVE BETWEEN ARMHOLE AND BUST THAN IN THE PREVIOUS CUT. DIAGRAM 2A D IA GRAM 3 DIAGRAM ||A BREAKING UP THE ONE LARmzoART TO THE WAISTLINE INTO SEVERAL SMALLER DARTS DISTRIBUTED THE DARTING OVER A WIDER AREA,AND PROVED TO BE AN IMPROVEMENT ON THE ABOVE EXAMPLE. HERE, THE DARTS WERE SHALLOWER AND EASIER To STITCH AND PRESS, AS WELL As EASIER To SHAPE TO THE CURVE OF THE BUST, AVOIDING THE "POKE" WHICH OCCURRED WHEN ONE LARGE DART WAS USED. IT STILL LACKED THE FITTING ADVANTAGES OF HAVING GRAIN BALANCED AT BUST LEVEL’AS SHOWN IN DIAGRAM I. DIAGRAM III. DIVISION OF DART FULNESS BETWEEN WAISTLINE AND THE UNDERARM SEAN NEAR THE ARMSCYE. ADVANTAGES. I. THERE WAS NO TIGHTNESS OF THE FABRIC AT THE UNDERARM7BECAUSE THE DARTING WAS DISTRIBUTED BETWEEN TWO DIFFERENT PATTERN EDGES SO THAT THE GRAIN DID NOT DROP DOWN TOO SHARPLY AT THE SIDE. 2. THE HORIZONTAL DART IS INCONSPICUOUS AS IT IS PLACEDUNDER THE ARM, SO CAN BE USED FOR SUPPLEMENTARY FITTING PURPOSES WITHOUT CETRACTING FROM DESIGN LINES. DISADVANTAGES. I. AS IN DIAGRAM II, BECAUSE THE TOTAL DART FULNESS WAS CONTROLLED AT OR BELOW BUST LEVEL, THE SAME STRAINING RESULTED OVER THE CHEST AREA AND THE UPPER CURVE OF THE BUST. 2. THE HORIZONTAL DART CAUSED THE FABRIC TO "PUFF" AT THE SIDE OF THE FIGURE, WHICH HAPPENS IN ALL SMALL OR MEDIUM FIGURES,(WHERE THE -OUTER CURVE OF THE BUST IS SLIGHT) BECAUSE A HORIZONTAL DART CANNOT BE CARRIED To BUST POINT,FOR AESTHETIC REASONS. THE EFFECT WAS LESS OBVIOUS, HOWEVER, WHEN THE HORIZONTAL DARTING APPEARED AS SEVERAL SHALLOW DARTS WHICH TAPERED OUT MORE SMOOTHLY THAN ONE LARGE ONE, BUT THEY sTILL LEFT A GENERAL "PUFFINESS" AT THE SIDE OF THE BUST. FOR THE VERY FULL, MATURE FIGURE, SUCH A DART MAY BE USED To OBVIOUS ADVANTAGE, AS THE PROVISION OF FULNESS IN THIS POSITION IS HIGHLY DESIRABLE. IN SUBSEQUENT DISCUSSIONS OF THE BLOUSE FRONT, THE FACTORS LISTED ABOVE WILL BE TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT WHEN ANALYSIS OF FITTING PROBLEMS IN EACH VARIATION IS MADE. a) DESIGNA DESIGNS DESIGN C DEsmND BLOUSE FRONTS USING STANDARD DART POSITIONS THESE FOUR BLOUSE FRONTB TYPIFY COMNONLY USED CUTS (BOTH 1h COMMER- CIAL PATTERNS AND IN READY-MADE GARMENTs) WHERE CONSTRUCTION LINES ARE SIMPLY FUNCTIONALIWITH DART POSITIONS TAKEN DIRECTLY FROM THE FOUNDATION PATTERN. IN THE FIRST THREE EXAMPLES, THE GRAIN PLACEMENT WAS THE SAME7WITH THE LENGTHWISE GRAIN AT THE CENTRE FRONT AND DARTING CONTROLLED AT OR BELOW THE BUST LEVEL. IN ALL THREE, THIS RESULTED IN TIGHTNESS OVER THE UPPER CURVE OF THE BUST AND THE CHEST AREA. THIS WAS PARTICULARLY NOTICEABLE IN THE THIRD EXAMPLE, WHERE THE BODICE Is PLAIN, WITH NO FRONT OPENING LINE TO BREAK UP THE AREA. THE FOURTH EXAMPLE IS A S1ANDARD "SHIRT-WAIST“ WITH THE GRAIN BALANCED AT THE BUST BY A DART TO THE SHOULDER AND TWO DART-TUCKS AT THE WAISTLINE. HERE THE DARTS SERVED A PURELY FUNCTIONAL PURPOSE BETTER BY GIVING AN EASY, COMFORTABLE FIT, DESIRABLE IN THIS TYPE OF DRESS. THESE EXAMPLES ARE ALL ORDINARY AND HAVE BEEN COMMONLY USED IN WOMEN'S CLOTHING THROUGHOUT MANY PERIODS OF FASHION. THEY ARE ALL "SIMPLE", BUT ILLUSTRATE A TYPE OF SIMPLICITY WHICH IS UNIMAGIHATIVE, HAVING LESS THAN MAXIMUM FUNCTIONAL QUALITY, AS WELL AS LACK OF DESIGN INSPIRATION. THIS STUDY WILL ATTEMPT TO SHOW THAT As PROGRESSION FROM THE STANDARD TO THE MORE UNUSUAL TAKES PLACE, THE DESIGNS NOT ONLY BECOME LESS ORDINARY, BUT USUALLY THE DARTING CAN BE DISTRIBUTED BETTER AND SO PROVIDE BETTER FIT ALONG WITH MORE INTERESTING DECORATIVE DETAIL. I8 A. DART VARIATICFS I. VARIATIONS OF THE DART T0 TEE WAISTLINE. "A WAISTLINE DART... WILL EE FOUND IN MOST BLOUSES REGARDLESS OF OTHER DART LOCATIONS, IN ORDER TO FIT THE WAISTLINE MORE CLOSELY AND To RETAIN SOME EASE OVER THE LOWER CURVE OF THE BUST ..... IT Is GOOD PRACTICE To PLAY UP THIS DART POSITION AND TO MAKE IT THE CENTRE IO OF INTEREST OF THE COSTUME AS WELL AS A STANDARD LOCATION FOR FITTING." THE FOLLOWING SELECTED DESIGNS HAVE EVOLVED FROM VARIATIONS OF THE DART To THE WAISTLINE. THE FIRST FOUR DESIGNS UTILISE DIFFERENT DECORATIVE DETAILS To TRANSFER PART OF THE DART UP ABOVE THE BUST TO BALANCE THE GRAIN AROUND THE BUST. I. WHEREAS DESIGN I IS STILL APPARENTLY AN EXAMPLE OF A CUT USING ONLY ONE BASIC DART To THE WAIST, IT ILLUSTRATED THE MEANS WHEREBY PART OF THE DART WAS TRANSFERRED SUBTLY TO THE SHOULDER, AND ONLY THE POINT REMAINED TO BE EASED OUT INVISIBLY ALONG THE NECKLINE. (SEE DIAGRAM |.) WITH THE DARTING PLACED COMPLETELY BELOW THE BUST LEVEL, THERE APPEARED THE UNBECOMING TIGHTNESS OVER THE CHEST ANO UPPER CURVE OF THE BUST AS EXPLAINED IN STANDARD BLOUSE DIAGRAM 2, P. I4. ON TRANSFERRING PART OF THE DART TO THE SHOULDER, SO THAT IN FACT, THE EDGE OF THE NECKLINE FOLLOWED THE OUTSIDE EDGE OF THE DART, THE GRAIN LIFTED IN THE ARMHOLE AREA AT THE SIDE OF THE FIGURE. IO. IBID - P. 30!. DESIGN 2 DIAGRAM 2 DIAGIAI 2 I9 TNIs RESULTED IN BETTER BALANCE OF GRAIN AROUND THE BUST. THE POINT OF THE NEW DART HAD TO BE EASED OUT TO A FITTED FACING ALONG THE NECKLINE. ANALYSIS OF FIT AND GRAIN PLACEMENT. THIS BALANCING OF GRAIN AROUND THE BUST BY EASING, OR "INVISIBLE" DARTING IMPROVED THE FIT OF THE BODICE, TRANSFORMING IT INTO A SMOOTHLY MOULDED GARMENT. 2. THE DART TO THE WAISTLINE IN DESIGN 2, ALTHOUGH STILL IN THE STANDARD POSITION, HAS BECOME DECORATIVE AS WELL AS MORE FUNCTIONAL THAN IN STANDARD BLOUSE, DIAGRAM 2, P. I4.,AND 80 IS AN IMPROVEMENT IN DESIGN QUALITY. THERE IS HARMONY BETWEEN THE LINE OF THE SKIRT YOKE AND THE NECKLINE FOLD. ANALYSIS OF FIT AND GRAIN PLACEMENT. BALANCE OF GRAIN WAS ESTABLISHED BY THE TRANSFER OF PART OF THE DART TO THE LOWER EDGE OF THE NECKLINE TO GIVE A "STANDAWAY" FOLD. A SMALL AMOUNT OF THE MASTER DART WAS ALSO PLACED IN A HORIZONTAL DART TO THE SIDE SEAM. THE DIVISION OF THE DART BETWEEN THREE DIFFERENT EDCES RESULTED IN A SMOOTH FIT. INTEREST WAS CENTRED AT THE NECKLINE, WHERE THE DOUBLE FOLD GAVE AN ACCENT, YET AVOIDED THE MONOTONY 0F EXACT REPETITION. CONSTRUCTION PROBLEMS. TO ACHIEVE THE EFFECT OF THE DESIGN, EACH EDGE OF THE NECKLINE MUST BE EITHER FOLDED OR FACED BACK WITH A FITTED FACING AS FAR AS THE DART POINT, IN ORDER TO TACK IT DOWN WITHOUT SHOWING. THE INSET NECK EDGE SHOULD BE JOINED INVISIBLY To THE FACING OF THE "STANDAWAY." DESIGN 3. DIAJRAM 3 DIAGRAM 3 FABRIC QUALIFICATIONS S FABRIC FOR THIS DESIGN SHOULD BE SUFFICIENTLY CRISP TO PRODUCE A FIRM STANDAWAY FOLD, SUCH AS DRESS LINEN, COTTON PIQUE, GLAZED COTTON OR TAFFETA. 2;_ HERE, TOO, IN DESIGN 3 THE DART HAS BECOME AN INTEGRAL PART OF THE DESIGN. REPETITION OF THE BODICE YOKE LINE IN THE LINE OF THE SKIRT POCKETS IS A FEATURE OF THE DESIGN, AND THE STANDARD WAISTLINE DARTS ADD TO ITS BEAUTY BY UNIFYING THE DESIGN COMPONENTS. ALTHOUGH DESIGNS 2 AND 3 ARE VERY DIFFERENT IN APPEARANCE, THE SAME DEVICE HAS BEEN EMPLOYED; NAMELY, THE TRANSFER OF PART OF THE WAISTLINE DART TO 0 THE FREE NECKLINE AND YOKE EDGES. ANALYSIS OF FIT AND GRAIN PLACEMENT. BALANCE OF GRAIN WAS ACHIEVED AS IN THE PREVIOUS DESIGN, BUT HERE, INSTEAD OF A LOOSE STANDAWAY EDGE, THE YOKE EDGE WAS EASED DOWN TO THE FACING. ONCE A AIN, A SMOOTHER FIT RESULTED THAN IN STANDARD BLOUSE DESIGN 2 (P.I4% WHICH HAD ALL THE DARTING RETAINED AT THE WAISTLINE. CONSTRUCTION PROBLEMS. AS THE EDGES OF THE YOKE ARE NEARLY BIAS, THEY SHOULD BE RE- INFORCED WITH INTERFACING TO PREVENT STRETCHINGH AS WELL AS TO SUPPORT THE BUTTONS AND BUTTONHOLES. THE FRONT CLOSING IS COMPLICATED AS THE CENTRE BUTTON SHOULD BE FASTENED INDEPENDENTLY OF THE YOKE EDGE, BUTTON- ING ACROSS FIRST WITH A WORKED BUTTONHOLE ON THE UNDER EDGE, THEN THROUGH THE CORDED BUTTONHOLE OF THE YOKE, SO THAT THE BUTTON HOLDS TOGETHER IIMANSFIELD. EVELYN A., CLOTHING CONSTRUCTION. NEW YORK: HOUGHTON MIFFLIN COMPANY. I953. 9.226—T DIAGVAMI4I DESIGN 1» DESISN 4D —-I—_. __ “...—- 2| THREE LAYERS OF THE GARMENT. THE YOKE EDGE SHOULD BE EASED OUT BY I3 I2 SHRINKING AND PRESSING TO A FITTED FACING TO TAKE OUT THE SMALL AMOUNT OF DART TRANSFERRED UP TO THE YOKE EDGE. FABRIC QUALIFICATIONS. THIS DESIGN COULD BE INTERPRETED BEST IN WODLLEN FABRIC WHICH WOULD SHRINK AND MOULD TO THE FACING BETTER THAN OTHER FABRICS. LINEN WOULD BE ANOTHER POSSIBLE CHOICE. é:_ DESIGN 4 ILLUSTRATES A SIMILAR MODIFICATION OF THE STANDARD FROM THE POINT OF VIEW OF STRUCTURE. HERE THE FUNDAMENTAL DART To THE WAIST- LINE WAS FIRST RETAINED IN THE STANDARD POSITION,(AS DESCRIBED ON P.II) WHERE ITs LINES PROVED To BE IN CONFLICT WITH THE DIAGONAL LINES OF THE DESIGN. LEFT IN THE STANDARD POSITION, DESIGN 4A, THE DARTS TENDED TO THICKEN THE WAISTLINE AND SO DETRACT FROM THE QUALITY OF THE DESIGN. HOWEVER, WHEN THE WAISTLINE DARTS WERE PLACED TO FOLLOW THE DIRECTION OF THE DIAGONAL BUTTON LINES OF THE GARMENT DESIGN AS, THEY BECAME DECO- _RATIVEV AS WELL AS FUNCTIONAL. BY EMPHASISING THE TAPERED LINES TO THE WAIST, THEY MADE THE DIAGONAL LINES MORE FORCEFUL. ANALYSIS OF FIT AND GRAIN PLACEMENT. THE TIPPING OF THE DART TOWARDS CENTRE FRONT DID NOT AFFECT THE FIT. BALANCE OF GRAIN AROUND THE BUST WAS MADE POSSIBLE PARTLY BY EASING DART EXCESS ABOVE THE BUST TO A TIGHTER FITTED FACING ALONG THE NECKLINE, AND PARTLY BY TRANSFERRING PART OF THE MASTER DART INTO EASE AT THE UNDERCURVE OF THE ARMHOLE. h; l2IBID, p. 306 'BIBID, P. I8I-182 -———- 7 DIAGRAM 5A DESIGN 5 “I" L (was, ON ALL DIAGRAM 5B DESIGN 5 DIAGRAM 5A DIASRAM 5!. 22 CONSTRUCTION PROBLEMS. THE HANDLING HERE DEPENOS ON CLEAR UNDERSTANDING OF THE PATTERN SO I4 THAT EASING OF THE ARMHOLE UNDERCURVE TO THE SLEEVE, AS WELL AS EASING OF THE NECKLINE EDGE To A FITTED FACING, IS CARRIED OUT ACCURATELY. OTHER- WISE, THE PATTERN WOULD NOT FIT. F’ABRIC QUALIFICATIONS. DRESS LINEN WOULD BE HIGHLY SATISFACTORY, BECAUSE OF ITS MOULD- ITVG PROPERTIES. FIRM COTTON FABRIC IS PROBABLY NOT FLEXIBLE ENOUGH TO EASE. 5.. DESIGN 5 SHOWS A DIFFERENT KIND OF DEVELOPMENT FROM THE STANDARD \ “MAISTLINE DARE WITH THE OUTER EDGE OF THE DART SLASHED AND SPREAD TO ! NTRODUCE FULNESS. THE GATHERED EDGE WAS SPREAD UNTIL IT FOLLOWED THE ‘TRUE BIAS OF THE FABRIC, SO THAT SOFT FOLDS FORMED. TWO DIFFERENT GRAIN PLACEMENTS WERE TRIED IN THIS DESIGN To DE- TERMINE THE MORE SUCCESSFUL ONE. A.. IT WAS CUT WITH THE STRAIGHT LENGTHWISE GRAIN AT CENTRE FRONT, SO THAT THE GATHERED EDGE C-D BECAME APPROXIMATELY TRUE BIAS. B