After starting a group for locals who might be similarly interested in historical and vintage clothing, I realised that most of the resources I’d seen were for women.
I guess it makes sense – I wasn’t really exploring the creation of a 1890s Gentleman’s ensemble for myself!
But when I started trying to find resources for the gents in my group, I realised that it wasn’t something easily found!
Granted – in the age of algorithm-populated search results, the chances of finding something that deviates from my normal profile is greatly decreased – so perhaps there are loads of resources, but for someone like me, they just don’t show up. Who’s to say.
It is possible, however, that given the status quo of the day, more resources were provided through magazines and catalogues for women of the home to sew for themselves and their children. {Though again, why no patterns for them to sew for their husbands?}
Men worked. Those who were tailors would have apprenticed under other tailors. They were taught their trade hands-on, without the use of printed manuals or guides. But these are just my musings.
In any case, for any men who are looking for historical Victorian (or thereabouts) tailoring guides or patterns, hopefully this list of digitized freebies will get you started. Continue reading “Historical garment-making for gentlemen”