Garment cutting in the twentieth century

by Günther F. Hertzer

Collars.

(SEE DIA. [VII].)

All top collars should be cut bias and without a seam behind. All under collars should be put on rather loose, but not full, at the side of the neck. The principle of a standing collar must be well understood, for it is a permanent thing, and to be applied equally in the construction of all garments with collars, no matter if it is standing alone or if a turn-down piece is attached to it. It is true, a separate collar can be fitted to the neck in any shape, and may be so fitted that the forepart and collar meet in front, allowing the standing portion over the back to go down anywhere. But this is not the principle for a standing collar, for the reason that it cannot so be applied on a vest, or any other garment, with the standing collar cut on the forepart. The neck-band of a vest, or the standing collar of any garment, has a certain function to perform. Whenever a vest is on the angle of 135 deg., the neck-hand must lap over the back a certain distance, as shown in the diagrams. Whenever the neck is finished, said band is turned upward to the top of the neck, and in so doing it will form a spring near the shoulder seam to permit the neck to pass through; and it is just the same whether a turn-down piece or a turn-down collar is attached to it or not. If the neck-band is cut too low behind, it will form too much spring and the vest will be too wide at the side of the neck, and must be shrunk, which will never make a well-fitting job. If the band is cut too high at the back center, it will not have spring enough at the side, and the vest must be stretched, which, however, can be done better than if drawn in. But in either case, whether stretching or shrinking is required, I would advise the band being ripped open, the stiffening taken out, and re-shaped under the iron, which can easily be done. If a garment is worth altering at all, it is worth altering correctly.

A coat or vest of the present style, and likely to be for many years to come, is intended to reach up to the side of the neck where it (the neck) shoots nearly straight upward. The collar being an addition to the coat, it must be so constructed that it will turn aside and permit the neck to pass through. Now, the position of the standing part of a coat collar must be the same as on a vest, where the standing collar is not cut off, for it performs the same function. Take any good coat pattern that is furnished by a reliable firm and lay the parts out as in this book, and put the bottom of the standing part of the collar at the point indicated in the vest diagrams, and you will find that the front of the neck and front of the collar will not fit together, but lap over each other from 1 to 3 in. according to the size of the roll. The more it laps, the less roll it will produce, and if the collar and neck-hole were cut evenly in front, the collar would pull the lapel down to the bottom of the skirt. (See Dia. [VII].)

I must repeat, however, that it is almost impossible to give a positive distance for the lap of the coat lapel, or a positive shape of the collar. We must watch fashion, and see how high the standing collar is, how much the turn-down is behind, or how wide the front is to be. A competent coat-maker can take almost any piece of bias cloth and canvas and press it into shape to make a good collar, but experience proves that not all coat-makers will or can do it. A vest with the standing collar cut off must have the neck cut out at the side, and at the angle of 45 deg., at least from 4½ to 4¾; because the sewed-on standing collar must fill the place of the neck-band of a vest with the collar cut on. All vests with the standing collar cut on should have the top of the back cut as wide as the angle of 45 deg. at least, in order to bring the spring, created by the turning upward of the neck-band, to the side of the neck. If the top of the back is cut too narrow the spring will locate too far behind, and will be loose there, while at the side of the neck it may be too tight. All vests, with and without turn-down collars, should be cut alike at the neck. The turn-down part of the collar is simply a piece cut just like the neck of the vest, as shown in Dia. [IV].

Now, it should be observed that if Dia. [IV] is made without a turn-down collar the edge must be turned in, consequently it loses a seam at the side of the neck, which seam must be reduced on a vest with a turn-down collar, because the edge is not turned in, but covered over with the top collar, and the difference should be at least ⅜ of an inch—that is, for a turn-down collar the neck-band at the side of the neck should be reduced ⅜ of an inch, starting at the center of the back and running out to nothing anywhere in front. In all cases the bottom of the neck-band remains at 5 on the angle of 45 deg., as in Dia. [IV]. This manner of cutting a vest for a turn-down collar enables the cutter to curve the neck just as he pleases, as the turn-down piece will always follow the curve.

In this connection it would, no doubt, be proper to speak of the cutting of the top-collar and its dressing, or pressing in shape, before it is put on, in order to produce the curve of the flat top-collar.

To cut the top-collar, turn the underside upward in front and above the top button, and even with the fore-part as far up as possible. According to the prominence of the curve, the top of the under-collar will fall over toward the arm-hole and toward the shoulder seam, and in this shape the top-collar must be cut; and, by all means, should be on the bias, on the most hollow part of the curve. In making up, the inside part of the top-collar must be well stretched, and pressed over, and shaped to the curve of the under-collar, and for this reason must be cut bias. The collar and the whole facing can be dressed under the smoothing iron just as the curve of the vest requires it by turning and pressing the standing collar part under. It requires a few extra touches to shape the top collar, and some cloth may be wasted in order to get it bias, but this is the best manner in which to make a well curved collar on a low-cut vest.

If any one will look up the authority on the cutting of garments of from 30 to 40 years ago, and particularly the works of Genio C. Scott, he will find that at that time vests “without” collars were produced by sewing on a neck-band with a “V” attached to it in the same shape as I have shown the front of the standing collar part in Dia. [VII]. This “V” sewed in produced the spring at the side of the neck. That sometimes proved a difficult task for me while learning the trade in order to get in a nice “V,” and I suppose it would be a difficult task for some of our journeymen of to-day. But the world is progressing. To-day we accomplish it with a straight piece, and do it just as well, and perhaps better. All that is necessary for us to observe is, that the shoulder seam points to the side of the neck where the spring is required.

But, for the purpose of variety, I will propose another plan. Cut the vest as in Dia. [IV]. Leave off the neck-band and simply add ¾ of an inch to the top of the back and running out to nothing at about 3 inches below the shoulder seam. At the middle of the shoulder seam commence and put in a spring of about 1 in., giving half to the front and half to the back; then sew up, and you will find the same task accomplished.

If we turn the neck-band in Dia. [IV] upward until it meets with the top of the back, we shall find that a fold of about 1 inch will form on and above the shoulder seam, and all that is necessary is to imitate this by cutting a spring of ½ inch to both the back and front at the top of the shoulder seam or at point 5. It is somewhat of a question whether it would be advisable to cut vests in this manner, but they can be as far as the fit is concerned, more particularly those cut with a cloth back.

Now I must say a word about coat collars in particular. In visiting different tailor shops we find that the dressing of the under-collar is accomplished in many different ways, and for aught I know all may be right—if they suit the customer, or if the collar is on, as it is required by the coat. Coats which require a collar to be stretched nearly into a circle around the back are often cut too low or too wide at the neck. For such a round-shaped collar may be required to close well in at the neck, but it will never make an elegant job, and such coats usually indicate too much cloth in the shape of wrinkles below the collar, or on the top of the shoulders. A collar must not run with the slope of the shoulders, but must turn upward at the side of the neck to permit it to pass through. It must stand up, no matter if a turn-down part is cut on or if it stands alone, as on military or clergymen’s coats. A well fitting military or clergyman’s coat requires for its standing collar nothing but a straight piece of cloth, and sewed on straight. It will not be too loose at the top, nor will it “saw” the neck sore in half an hour.

Now, a coat collar, with a turn-down, represents a standing collar over the top of the back and side of the neck, as shown in Dia. [VII], and on that piece or wedge the turn-down part is added. This wedge, or the standing collar as shown in Dia. [VII], must retain its shape as on a vest, but as soon as the standing collar is stretched at the bottom the spring at the neck is destroyed, and a tight or flat collar is the result at the side of the neck. But to fit the standing collar and turn-down part together, so that the turn-down part is so much larger that it will go around the standing part without strain, the collar should be dressed as follows: Lay the whole under-collar flat on the table and turn and press the standing part up where it belongs, without stretching the outer edge of the turn-down part, and the collar is done. Whatever is trimmed off in front depends upon how far the lapel is to be drawn down. In this respect we all can learn something from an ordinary paper collar, which is a quite flat piece of paper—the break is not on a straight line, but on a curve of about half an inch at the center behind, and they all fit well. Many a cutter and many a journeyman would profit by studying the principle of a turn-down paper collar.

Of late years a great many overcoats, and especially ulsters, have been made with very wide collars, turning down about five inches or more. Such necks should be cut with the standing collar on the top of back and on the side of the forepart and running out to a point at or near the front sleeve base, and an extra spring of not less than one inch added to each shoulder seam, and evenly divided on back and on front. This addition furnishes the standing part of the collar, and the turn-down collar part is put on, just as it is put on to the vest, which will give form to the shape of the shoulder and not lie flat, as most of such collars are seen to-day.

See collar as it is to be pressed.