Developing the "Classic Fit" Shirt

[jruley]

But try yourself: what happens to the fabric when you move your right shoulder forward a little bit? Do the folds dissappear? Will they increase?

This pulling fold has always mystified me.  It's there in the photos, but it never appears in the mirror when I try on the shirt (and yes I know the image is reversed).  I can't seem to make it appear by moving my shoulders.  It must be something to do with how I stand for the camera.

(I do not want to repeat it again - but look at the neck hole).

lg
posaune

The reason I haven't clipped the neck hole is there is only 1/4" of seam allowance there in this draft.  With the tight collar suitable for wearing a necktie, the neckhole is going to have to ride over the collarbone, I can't make it bigger.

[peterle]

Well yes. tailors know this phenomenon as "mirror posture". That´s the reason why the customer must not face a mirror when fitting.
Probably the pics are more trustworthy.

Try to rotate the whole shoulder area, moving the right shoulder forward a little and the left backwards.

[jruley]

Things were looking good enough (I thought) to make another finished shirt.  Same kind of material (poly/cotton broadcloth) as last time.

I made the following changes:

- Took in the sides at waist line 1" on each side (total of 4" suppression)

- Added blade pleats (1" additional width each side of yoke seam)

- Used the sleeve draft with recommended crown height from the textbook

The result fits comfortably and does a good job hiding the scoliosis and dropped shoulder.   Some diagonal folds appear in the chest when it is tucked in, but I think some messiness is to be expected with nothing to hold the tail down.

[Henry Hall]

It actually does hide the imbalances!

[peterle]

You could try this:

[Greger]

Some tailors say the sides of the shirt are cut to long. The front and back are to be cut long, but not the sides. The sides are just long enough to stay tucked in, and comfortable.

[Schneiderfrei]

And BTW no folds from the back Right Shoulder on the latest photos

[jruley]

And BTW no folds from the back Right Shoulder on the latest photos

Did I really fix it?  Or do the blade pleats hide it ?

If peterle's latest theory is correct, I need to move the right shoulder backwards.  So the issue is still there, it's just not manifested because of the ease in this style of shirt.

Which is OK for now.  If I start playing with the shoulders, I'll probably need different right and left sleeve patterns. 

[Schneiderfrei]

Certsinly the ease helps, but I thought that the folds even point the other way in some of the shots.  Maybe it is another factor?

[jruley]

This is some fun with leftovers.  I didn't have enough of either color left to make a complete shirt, so I made a two-tone one.

Differences from the previous version:

- Straight cut sides and tail
- Convertible style collar
- Lower crowned sleeve (see post #10)
- Pocket on left breast

Comments/suggestions will be appreciated.

[Schneiderfrei]

I like the two tone effect.  Its fun.

[Greger]

Yes! A nice way to use left overs.

[jruley]

Here are a couple more shirts for (I hope) your viewing pleasure.

The first is a short sleeve in a cotton seersucker material.  I think the fold on the right front chest comes from not having an assistant and running back and forth to the camera:

[jruley]

The next shirt is a tan and blue plaid madras cotton.  I cut the yoke on the bias in hopes it would make the asymmetry a little less obvious.

[theresa in tucson]

J, your shirts look comfortable and you should get lots of wear out of them.  Now that you have a successful pattern you can vary it and make multiples.

Theresa in Tucson