I have a good friend's wedding coming up this summer and I'm kinda at a loss for what to wear. I'm thinking about putting together a cheep pantsuit, but I'm tall af and I'll have to try my hand at tailoring myself. I think I wanna go for a bit of a butch vibe, but I don't have much in the line of formal women's wear.
Is it possible to tailor a men's suit to be a women's cut?
Mardoniush [she/her] - 2mon
So, i've done a lot of historical costuming, and I've made men's 1680s, 1810s, and 1830s coats. Sometimes for myself, sometimes for others. I've not tried modern suiting but those are amongst the more difficult historical pieces.
It's possible but very difficult to tailor a men's suit into a feminine cut, since men's suiting is generally the hardest of the tailoring arts outside something like couture or 17th century court dress. One annoying issue is the cheaper the suit the more difficult to modify. And a men's suit is designed from the ground up to hang in a way that hides features, though the British school is a bit more contoured (each school of suit aims for a different shape, for instance the American school is traditionally draped and boxy.
That said, some things can be done, swapping the buttons to the feminine side, suppressing the darts more, taking out the chest and adding hidden gores so the lapels sit a bit better, and removing/replacing the shoulder padding to something softer. These are quite advanced things to do, some alterations tailors will refuse to attempt them.
11
luddybuddy [comrade/them] - 2mon
100% agreed - Having done a number of alterations (with varying success) on men's suiting, nearly everything in the jacket is difficult. Just shortening the sleeves can be major surgery because of how much padding, canvas, etc. is in there. Changing anything without a good understanding of how all of those layers work together can result in a sloppy outcome. As Mardoniush said, the nice ones are designed to be altered, but that alteration is of limited scope - adjusting a jacket for the same wearer as they gain or lose weight, for instance.
The trousers on the other hand, a joy to work with. The waistband is split so you can take it in (but probably not much out), there's often extra material for lengthening.
There are a few made-to-measure outfits who specialize in queer suiting; I bought one from bindle & keep, but that's going to run 1-2 amerikkan kilobucks. If you're somewhere else in the world you may have better luck.
7
cattish [she/her] - 2mon
Even button sides are gendered?
5
Mardoniush [she/her] - 2mon
Seems to have started with pelisses (high waisted jackets and overcoats) during the regency as a fashion as they were the first real functional buttons in womenswear outside of riding and travel attire and comprere fronts (which was generally buttoned like men's at the high end even as late as 1900, because they were made by tailors not dressmakers), and then got locked in as sewing machines aand standardisation came in in the 1840s and especially in the 1860s when both men and women often wore the Garibaldi blouse and they needed a way to distinguish inventory.
2
ConcreteHalloween [none/use name] - 2mon
Pull a Laxana Troi and just show up naked.
10
FromPieces @lemmygrad.ml - 2mon
I believe what you're looking for is absolutely possible (and I also strongly believe it's a killer look)
I'm afraid I don't have much specific advice I could personally give you, as I am neither a tailor nor a femme. You indicate you have tailoring experience yourself though, what kind of help are you looking for?
Cus your question, "is it possible to tailor a men's suit for a woman's cut", yes, it's absolutely possible for a woman to nail a men's suit and I'm not the only one who thinks it's a good look.
Just looking for various ideas and inspiration. And I barely know how to work my sewing machine, but I'm stubborn and tend to dive into things.
2
gnuthing [they/them] - 2mon
Honestly it would probably be easier to sew a new suit from scratch rather than alter an existing men's suit. The only way I might attempt that is to but a way too big men's suit and completely take it apart and recut a new pattern. This is a huge project, I would only attempt if you've sewn pants before
I'm non-binary and about 6', for formal events I wear men's slacks with a longer inseam and women's vest in a matching or coordinating color. And then a dress shirt, usually silk to give a little more towards femme vibe. Sometimes a tie or bowtie with a pattern in it. I've had a lot of luck buying this sort of clothing on ebay. I get really detailed measurements from the seller and compare against clothing I own of similar fabric (like same % spandex is important for fit). Some women's separates do come with longer inseam and higher rise so they'll fit tall people. And some men's pants look more femme if they're a slim fit with some spandex. I've also used men's suit jackets in short sizes, the waist moving up makes it look a little more femme and then I roll the sleeves a couple times to show the lining and I leave it unbuttoned
Book I recently borrowed when I was trying my hand at tailoring ^. I’m sure there are plenty of other resources, but that was one that helped me understand the different measurements used.
You might get lucky at a thrift store and find someone’s donations which really complement your figure and style. Otherwise I believe you’ll have an easier time, like you say, starting with a men’s suit and taking it in where desired. Could start with a jacket and pin the back until it sits how you’d like, then trim out any extra material that’s too bulky and stitching it in place.
tactical_trans_karen in traaaaaaannnnnnnnnns
Wedding fit ideas?
I have a good friend's wedding coming up this summer and I'm kinda at a loss for what to wear. I'm thinking about putting together a cheep pantsuit, but I'm tall af and I'll have to try my hand at tailoring myself. I think I wanna go for a bit of a butch vibe, but I don't have much in the line of formal women's wear. Is it possible to tailor a men's suit to be a women's cut?
So, i've done a lot of historical costuming, and I've made men's 1680s, 1810s, and 1830s coats. Sometimes for myself, sometimes for others. I've not tried modern suiting but those are amongst the more difficult historical pieces.
It's possible but very difficult to tailor a men's suit into a feminine cut, since men's suiting is generally the hardest of the tailoring arts outside something like couture or 17th century court dress. One annoying issue is the cheaper the suit the more difficult to modify. And a men's suit is designed from the ground up to hang in a way that hides features, though the British school is a bit more contoured (each school of suit aims for a different shape, for instance the American school is traditionally draped and boxy.
That said, some things can be done, swapping the buttons to the feminine side, suppressing the darts more, taking out the chest and adding hidden gores so the lapels sit a bit better, and removing/replacing the shoulder padding to something softer. These are quite advanced things to do, some alterations tailors will refuse to attempt them.
100% agreed - Having done a number of alterations (with varying success) on men's suiting, nearly everything in the jacket is difficult. Just shortening the sleeves can be major surgery because of how much padding, canvas, etc. is in there. Changing anything without a good understanding of how all of those layers work together can result in a sloppy outcome. As Mardoniush said, the nice ones are designed to be altered, but that alteration is of limited scope - adjusting a jacket for the same wearer as they gain or lose weight, for instance.
The trousers on the other hand, a joy to work with. The waistband is split so you can take it in (but probably not much out), there's often extra material for lengthening.
There are a few made-to-measure outfits who specialize in queer suiting; I bought one from bindle & keep, but that's going to run 1-2 amerikkan kilobucks. If you're somewhere else in the world you may have better luck.
Even button sides are gendered?
Seems to have started with pelisses (high waisted jackets and overcoats) during the regency as a fashion as they were the first real functional buttons in womenswear outside of riding and travel attire and comprere fronts (which was generally buttoned like men's at the high end even as late as 1900, because they were made by tailors not dressmakers), and then got locked in as sewing machines aand standardisation came in in the 1840s and especially in the 1860s when both men and women often wore the Garibaldi blouse and they needed a way to distinguish inventory.
Pull a Laxana Troi and just show up naked.
I believe what you're looking for is absolutely possible (and I also strongly believe it's a killer look)
I'm afraid I don't have much specific advice I could personally give you, as I am neither a tailor nor a femme. You indicate you have tailoring experience yourself though, what kind of help are you looking for?
Cus your question, "is it possible to tailor a men's suit for a woman's cut", yes, it's absolutely possible for a woman to nail a men's suit and I'm not the only one who thinks it's a good look.
(Not sure if this link will work to a reddit-hosted image of a man and woman in navy suits)
Just looking for various ideas and inspiration. And I barely know how to work my sewing machine, but I'm stubborn and tend to dive into things.
Honestly it would probably be easier to sew a new suit from scratch rather than alter an existing men's suit. The only way I might attempt that is to but a way too big men's suit and completely take it apart and recut a new pattern. This is a huge project, I would only attempt if you've sewn pants before
I'm non-binary and about 6', for formal events I wear men's slacks with a longer inseam and women's vest in a matching or coordinating color. And then a dress shirt, usually silk to give a little more towards femme vibe. Sometimes a tie or bowtie with a pattern in it. I've had a lot of luck buying this sort of clothing on ebay. I get really detailed measurements from the seller and compare against clothing I own of similar fabric (like same % spandex is important for fit). Some women's separates do come with longer inseam and higher rise so they'll fit tall people. And some men's pants look more femme if they're a slim fit with some spandex. I've also used men's suit jackets in short sizes, the waist moving up makes it look a little more femme and then I roll the sleeves a couple times to show the lining and I leave it unbuttoned
Book I recently borrowed when I was trying my hand at tailoring ^. I’m sure there are plenty of other resources, but that was one that helped me understand the different measurements used.
You might get lucky at a thrift store and find someone’s donations which really complement your figure and style. Otherwise I believe you’ll have an easier time, like you say, starting with a men’s suit and taking it in where desired. Could start with a jacket and pin the back until it sits how you’d like, then trim out any extra material that’s too bulky and stitching it in place.
https://mytailorkit.com/how-to-tailor-a-jacket/
This seemed like a useful link based on a quick scan
suit jacket and nike sweatpants
don't forget the shiesty and switched glizzy