Theatrical costuming in Boston area/NEast

[jude]

Hi everyone. Long time lurker here. I don't know if this is the right forum to ask this but if not feel free to tell me.

I am a recent college grad in the Boston area. I have been making historical garments for myself over the past 1-2 years and I've managed to teach myself a fair bit in terms of craft/construction skills. I did not get a chance to be that involved in theater during college but now after some thought, I am realizing that theatrical costuming is something I want to pursue. So I'm looking for a way to get started doing some costuming for theater during my free time, or to pick up skills/knowledge that would be useful there. I'm not all that picky with what I do, main thing is I'd like to learn what it's like to be in a costume shop with other people and to maybe make some connections.

I can carve out about 4-8 hours a week for this and I am wondering what would be the best use of this time -- to take a class? to knock on doors at some community theaters? I am leaning towards taking a class because there are a lot of universities in the area and I want the structure. But maybe there are options that I don't know of. I know there are some costumers in this forum -- do you have any advice on what I could try?

[manny]

Some classes in tailoring/costuming/draping would be great if you didn't take any during college. Your local college or university may have connections or internship recommendations for their students taking any of the related coursework. In college I was able to intern in a costume shop and was offered a full time position after finishing my fashion design and tailoring programs. As an intern I was only at the shop 8 hours a week so this may be something to think about. I'd suggest knocking on some doors and classes.

Many of my coworkers have either been sewing for a very long time, have a costume/fashion degree, or learned by being an apprentice at an early age.  Make sure to have a portfolio of your work ready, showing finished and in progress work. If and when you do get a call for an interview I'd highly recommend taking a couple pieces you have made, finished and non-finished, so they are able to see your work.

[jude]

Some classes in tailoring/costuming/draping would be great if you didn't take any during college. Your local college or university may have connections or internship recommendations for their students taking any of the related coursework. In college I was able to intern in a costume shop and was offered a full time position after finishing my fashion design and tailoring programs. As an intern I was only at the shop 8 hours a week so this may be something to think about. I'd suggest knocking on some doors and classes.

Many of my coworkers have either been sewing for a very long time, have a costume/fashion degree, or learned by being an apprentice at an early age.  Make sure to have a portfolio of your work ready, showing finished and in progress work. If and when you do get a call for an interview I'd highly recommend taking a couple pieces you have made, finished and non-finished, so they are able to see your work.

Thank you. My goal right now is to pick up some basics without getting in over my head so classes seem like a good place to start -- thankfully there are a few options in the area. If you don't mind me asking, what do you do in the industry and how did you get there?

[manny]

I work as a tailor at a costume shop for an opera house. My day to day consists primarily of making/construction along with alterations, fittings, and some pattern drafting.

As mentioned before, I was offered a job at the shop I interned for in college and I accepted as it was exactly what I was intending on doing. I graduated in 2018 and started working a few months later and have been there ever since.

Classes are great to gain a solid foundation though you will definitely learn more as a intern or on the job as the way of doing certain costume things will be different than those taught in a school setting. The college courses I feel prepared me for what I do are those of pattern drafting, tailoring, and draping.

[TTailor]

I replied to your enquirer on pattern review, and my job description is here
http://atailormadeit.blogspot.com/2013/09/the-costume-cutters-job-description-aka.html

Just for general information, my background is in fine art, painting and sculpture. I taught myself to sew pre internet days! Very little information, then started professionally at a small regional theatre when they needed help. I learned mostly on the job, and had some amount of apprenticeship training as well (but not nearly enough)
Most people nowadays, come out of fashion programs where they get at least a bit of patternmaking and sewing instruction.
Costuming tends to use a wide variety of techniques, from couture, manufacturing, and home sewing to "we just have to figure out how to achieve this" kind of sewing.

[Greger]

Recommend learning from an old tailor who could make anything. There are probably still a few around. Saville Row tailors are very good at what they do. But how many have training for other types of garments? Some tailors are not flexible. If they live in a city that has lots of tailors they can choose what they like to make and send customers to others tailors for other kinds of garments. Some tailors pick a location so that they will be making many types of garments.  One book I bought the tailor worked making a few types of garments and got bored. He turned to theater. One of my peers in 6th grade went to a tailor for a school coat. It would be closer to a sleeved waistcoat. But not that category, either. The tailors main stay is business suits, BT, WT, sports coats, overcoats, blazers, horse riding and ski clothes (this is back in the 60s. Ski clothinghas changed a lot since then). One time in line waiting for something a younger man (perhaps a teenager still) told about a tailor making a coat for him. The tailor was asking him what the coat represents. Armholes and sleeves are cut according to the coats purpose. This is special shaping. The rest of the coat is special shaping, too. I believe very few professors have this kind of knowledge. They will give generalities, but they don't the details. There are tailors who give details far beyond what others know. If you go back to 1478 your bought patterns would be about 4 inch size with two or three measurements. There is a technique for enlarging this to workable size. Then you have to grade it to the size you are making for. Next is changing that pattern (long-short back, rounded-flat chest, thick-thin shoulders, broad and narrow, too. Sloped shoulders, skinny  to pot belly, etc. This would be done on the cloth, because paper was rare. Finally get to cut with inlays. That's just the beginning of making the garments. Because the front pattern includes most of the back some of the fitting methods were different. And the list goes on. These old tailors who knew many types of garments are very interesting to listen to. Bits and pieces are very useful for clothes that haven't been invented yet.
When you are traveling visit "tailors". Some are not real tailors. But, when you come across real tailors, the better ones, they are a real treasure.

[jude]

Thanks to everyone who replied in this thread, I was glad to see so many interesting replies and you all gave me some great insight.

An update, I ended up taking a theatrical costuming class at a local university. The class was in men's tailoring 1800-present. I drafted/fitted and made a 1790s coat (bit on the early side but I really loved the style and was motivated to do it). I had a blast and it was really valuable to have in person instruction on fitting and different parts of the construction.

I got rather demotivated because I talked to people who were in that program -- masters for costume production -- and I got the impression that it's a really cutthroat field. I don't know about making a leap career-wise -- I didn't go to school for anything fashion or costume related and I have a full time job in an engineering field. So I am putting that part of things on the backburner for now.

But I am still keen to learn more and improve my skills. I will probably look into taking the other tailoring classes at the university just because it is a passion. Also, I know very little about draping and I was amazed seeing people do it -- whole other way of thinking about fabric and forms. Many things to learn.

[jude]

Recommend learning from an old tailor who could make anything. There are probably still a few around. Saville Row tailors are very good at what they do. But how many have training for other types of garments? Some tailors are not flexible. If they live in a city that has lots of tailors they can choose what they like to make and send customers to others tailors for other kinds of garments. Some tailors pick a location so that they will be making many types of garments.  One book I bought the tailor worked making a few types of garments and got bored. He turned to theater. One of my peers in 6th grade went to a tailor for a school coat. It would be closer to a sleeved waistcoat. But not that category, either. The tailors main stay is business suits, BT, WT, sports coats, overcoats, blazers, horse riding and ski clothes (this is back in the 60s. Ski clothinghas changed a lot since then). One time in line waiting for something a younger man (perhaps a teenager still) told about a tailor making a coat for him. The tailor was asking him what the coat represents. Armholes and sleeves are cut according to the coats purpose. This is special shaping. The rest of the coat is special shaping, too. I believe very few professors have this kind of knowledge. They will give generalities, but they don't the details. There are tailors who give details far beyond what others know. If you go back to 1478 your bought patterns would be about 4 inch size with two or three measurements. There is a technique for enlarging this to workable size. Then you have to grade it to the size you are making for. Next is changing that pattern (long-short back, rounded-flat chest, thick-thin shoulders, broad and narrow, too. Sloped shoulders, skinny  to pot belly, etc. This would be done on the cloth, because paper was rare. Finally get to cut with inlays. That's just the beginning of making the garments. Because the front pattern includes most of the back some of the fitting methods were different. And the list goes on. These old tailors who knew many types of garments are very interesting to listen to. Bits and pieces are very useful for clothes that haven't been invented yet.
When you are traveling visit "tailors". Some are not real tailors. But, when you come across real tailors, the better ones, they are a real treasure.

That's fascinating. I wonder where/how I would find these kinds of people to learn from. I have never been a "people person", not really good at conversations with strangers and can't conceive of finding a tailor somewhere when traveling and walking away with this level of info...

I've read the 4-inch pattern thing, cool to hear more about it. Wonder if it's similar to the "radial grading" method of enlarging patterns from books etc?

[Hendrick]

Classes are great also for socialising and discussing. To my opinion, find out where your passion lies; tailoring, at least to me, is a form of engineering and a mission all by itself. Although I love tailored clothes I must admit that I am not even a mediocre tailor. That is because my interest lies with more creative cutting, draping and womens' in general; the reason why I took classes in draping and dressmaking after finishing my training. My honest advise; make something! Find out if your passion is; with the strict, structured and formal or with the expressive and playfull, maybe both? Do you want to be the person who spends hours on end drafting a flat pattern or someone who rips a length of toile from a roll and drapes a piece that grows under your hands? 

[Greger]

Jude, this one person on the internet years ago stopped at tailors when traveling. Some told him and showed him little bits, and others wouldn't talk to him. Some real tailors do alterations. Many alterations tailors are not what I call real tailors. Since tailoring is an art, you take the information and use it as you wish.
Grandad explained something like radio grading. Its purpose is a bit different. The purpose of the pattern is so you can use it for a number of different patterns (these are drawn on the cloth) and a number of fitting problems (drawn on the cloth). It is a template for even overcoats or capes.
One pattern method produces a minimum pattern. For example, from neck to halfway across the shoulder. Why? Where do you want the armhole to begin? Perhaps the customer wants the sleeve crown to go over the shoulder by two inches. Maybe the next coat the customer wants the shoulder to extend two inches beyond the shoulder. Instead of making individual patterns you have one and draw the changes on the cloth.
Something about inlays. The tailor draws what he thinks the customer wants. At the fitting finds out that the customer has a different idea or changed their mind. This is not uncommon. Because of proper inlays the coat can be designed on the customer to customer satisfaction. Seam allowances and inlays are not the same.