Undertaking the Making: LACMA Costume and Textiles Pattern Project

[stoo23]

The Pattern Project is an online resource produced by the Costume and Textiles department at LACMA which publishes free downloadable garment patterns of historic dress in the permanent collection. Each printable PDF includes a scaled pattern of an extant fashion object from the collection, a description with historic context and object-based observations, overall and detail images, and instructions for construction of the garment.

lacma.org Pattern Project Plans

The patterns were drawn in a process of reverse engineering where a three-dimensional costume object was "de-constructed" back to its original two-dimensional flat form. Not only can these patterns be used to better understand how historic silhouettes were created, but they also offer a glimpse into the constant evolution of dress.

The cut of a garment can speak volumes about its wearer, maker, place, and time. This resource is a means to make this information freely available to enthusiasts and scholars alike, while continuing the museum's mission for greater access and meaningful engagement to significant works of art in the collection.

LACMA's Pattern Project is drawn from fashions originally displayed in the exhibitions Fashioning Fashion:
European Dress in Detail, 1700–1915 (2010–2011) and Reigning Men: Fashion in Menswear, 1715–2015 (2016).

[Greger]

That is interesting.