Documentary Hands. About a tailor in Ireland in te 70's

[Der Zuschneider]

I watched the movie. I would never had thought, that they got a good result in the end with this sloppy tailoring. In the 70thies a suit was cheap, the tailoring was a speedy work. I wonder if the tailor still exists.

[Hendrick]

There is tailoring and then there is... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5XioCCdojn0

[pfaff260]

Thank you Hendrick!!

[TSjursen]

I watched the movie. I would never had thought, that they got a good result in the end with this sloppy tailoring. In the 70thies a suit was cheap, the tailoring was a speedy work. I wonder if the tailor still exists.

I disagree that it is sloppy, but I can see how it appears rather like they can't be bothered to take the time to do it "properly". The end result is as you say, good. Of course the flim is not exactly 4K and we don't see too many clips of the finished suit on the man, but to my judgement it is a very good fit. A stylish one too, pagoda shoulders, tastefully flared trousers and everything, which is a sure sign that they weren't stuck in the past even though the workshop looks like it's still 1920. The finishing is likely not top notch, but they're country tailors after all - it is a concession to time and cost, but one that does not compromise on quality and longevity.

The most fascinating thing about this video for me is that it shows how quickly it is possible to work, and gives a few tips on how to acheive the speed as well. Look at how they threadmark for example. It probably took him about five miuntes to do the whole jacket, if not less. Compared to some of the tailors I see on instagram that probably saves them a few hours of work in total. I see some use maybe 100 stitches or more to mark the crease of the trouser -- they even do it on a striped cloth. To be frank, all you need to define a straight line is two points. Maybe a third somewhere along the way so you have a reserve in case some of them fall out. But hundreds of tiny stitches along the same line, what are they for? (Instagram probably, or to torture the apprentices maybe.) There are other things in the video too, look at how he cuts the sleeve lining for example. No time is wasted on doing things that do not matter to the end result. I'll stop now before I start harping on about the 100 hour suit again

[Gerry]

I totally agree with TSjursen. The video shows the last vestige of the once commonplace, high-street tailor-shop; from a time when one could get a decent fitting suit, locally and for a reasonable price. Those shops were never meant to be Savile Row standard (I doubt the town had many millionaires); but they made an affordable, nice-looking suit.

One of the guys mentioned the number of shops there used to be in the locale. Tailor shops were more numerous prior to the 60s (the fashion explosion killed off many) and their prices were lower than today. Likewise wages - tailoring could be quite a poorly paid profession.

[Der Zuschneider]

I watched the movie. I would never had thought, that they got a good result in the end with this sloppy tailoring. In the 70thies a suit was cheap, the tailoring was a speedy work. I wonder if the tailor still exists.

I disagree that it is sloppy, but I can see how it appears rather like they can't be bothered to take the time to do it "properly". The end result is as you say, good. Of course the flim is not exactly 4K and we don't see too many clips of the finished suit on the man, but to my judgement it is a very good fit. A stylish one too, pagoda shoulders, tastefully flared trousers and everything, which is a sure sign that they weren't stuck in the past even though the workshop looks like it's still 1920. The finishing is likely not top notch, but they're country tailors after all - it is a concession to time and cost, but one that does not compromise on quality and longevity.

The most fascinating thing about this video for me is that it shows how quickly it is possible to work, and gives a few tips on how to acheive the speed as well. Look at how they threadmark for example. It probably took him about five miuntes to do the whole jacket, if not less. Compared to some of the tailors I see on instagram that probably saves them a few hours of work in total. I see some use maybe 100 stitches or more to mark the crease of the trouser -- they even do it on a striped cloth. To be frank, all you need to define a straight line is two points. Maybe a third somewhere along the way so you have a reserve in case some of them fall out. But hundreds of tiny stitches along the same line, what are they for? (Instagram probably, or to torture the apprentices maybe.) There are other things in the video too, look at how he cuts the sleeve lining for example. No time is wasted on doing things that do not matter to the end result. I'll stop now before I start harping on about the 100 hour suit again

Very good written. The tailor, I was working with in my youth, was also sloppy but with 3 fittings you can achieve remarkable results. He was fast and there was no money to make. The tailor was forced to be fast in order to survive. With 30 years experience you can tailor with any pattern and 3 fittings and still have good results. It is amazing!

[Hendrick]

Agreed, nothing wrong with efficiency as long as it doesn't hamper the result. Many of the youtube flics also tend to romanticize the craftsy aspect more than a little bit...

[Schneiderfrei]

I get DZ's points, it's a rough way to make a living, sadly. 

[Hendrick]

A "niche"approach?

https://nooshin.co.uk/business-wear-made-to-measure

[Steelmillal]

it's a rough way to make a living, sadly. 

Experienced couture, contemporaneously expressed. Short form: It's all about actual billable hours vs window dressing.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3YsJrZd-6kc

[Greger]

Interesting how they mixed in this and that. From old methods to newer methods. Newer as for the times. Have to remember those who only hand sewed had to be fast and not sloppy. One group of tailors had to sew 33 stitches per minute to pass the apprenticeship. Where they placed the stitches and how loose matters. Unlike Savil Row Tailors small time tailors had to make what the customer could pay and wanted. Cloth that is not off bias and fit matter the most. From that any style and fashion is added. The shirts in Hands were nicely made and fitted.

[Hendrick]

Must admit, I always enjoyed the inventiveness of commercial and "trendy" tailoring, as wel as the degree of imperfection that comes with that. The pressure for "up to date" combined with craftmanship is what sometimes best reflects a certain era... I remember having a drink with a guy from a huge european menswear company, who was complaining that young people were not spending on clothing like they used to. This was at a cafe near a metro station close to Paliais Royal in Paris. That very moment, a young guy came out of the metro. He was wearing a vintage seventies (Renoma or Michel Axel or so) window pane jacket with huge lapels and a nice slim fitted shirt, baggy chino's and Balenciaga sneakers. So I pointed the guy to my friend and explained that he probably spent more on his outfit than the price of their average suit, just differently...

[Gerry]

I was at the Museum of London today and this mock-up of a late Victorian/early Edwardian tailor's shop reminded me of this thread. A lot of the stuff seems to have been salvaged from a tailor called Walter Tarry. His business was still around in the '50s:

https://flic.kr/p/2nLKA2p

https://flic.kr/p/2nLHXY1

https://flic.kr/p/2nLKbv5

https://flic.kr/p/2nLL8do

https://flic.kr/p/2nLKbmC

https://flic.kr/p/2nLHXGQ

[Hendrick]

Time machines, best to travel alone...