Fitting a jacket for a low shoulder and hollow back
A client comes to a tailor with measurements bust 96 cm, waist 82 cm, hip 100 cm, back length 39 cm and front length 43 cm. She has a left shoulder that is 1.5 cm lower than the right and a hollow upper back; the fabric pools at the centre back below the neck. She chooses a commercial jacket pattern labelled size 14, which is drafted for bust 96 cm, waist 76 cm and hip 102 cm, with 10 cm bust ease. The design is a semi-fitted, fully lined jacket with a two-piece sleeve and no shoulder pads. The client wants a close-fitting jacket with about 6 cm bust ease, but she does not want the armhole to bite or the back to collapse. The tailor has one fitting toile in medium calico and two weeks before the final fitting.
1. Select the starting pattern size and list the alterations in the order you would make them. Give amounts for the shoulder, back and waist.
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Start with size 14, because the bust and hip are the controlling measurements: bust 96 cm matches, and hip 100 cm is close to the pattern hip of 102 cm. Do not start from the waist alone, because that would distort the bust and armhole. First measure the pattern's finished bust circumference and confirm it is about 106 cm, giving 10 cm ease. The client wants 6 cm ease, so 4 cm must be removed in total at the bust, normally 1 cm at each side seam front and back, blended vertically and not taken from the armhole.
Alteration order matters: (1) mark and lower the left shoulder point by 1.5 cm, blending to the neck; treat left front and left back separately rather than lowering both shoulders. (2) For the hollow back, pin out about 1.2 cm at centre back below the neck in a crescent, tapering to nothing at the shoulder; transfer this into the back yoke or shoulder seam. (3) At the waist, the client is 82 cm against the pattern's 76 cm, so add 6 cm total - 1.5 cm at each side seam - blending smoothly to bust and hip. (4) True all seams, check that the front and back side seams match in length, and mark the new grainline. Make the toile before cutting the fashion fabric.
2. Explain how you would use a toile to verify the alterations and how you would distinguish a fitting fault caused by the pattern alteration from one caused by poor grainline.
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Make the toile in medium calico with the same seam allowances and mark centre front, centre back, bust, waist, hip and the original grainlines in a contrasting thread. Pin the toile closed and check that centre front and centre back hang vertically using a plumb line or a weighted tape. Check the left shoulder first: if the shoulder still drops, the 1.5 cm correction is insufficient; if it rides up, it is excessive. Check the hollow-back area: excess fabric should disappear without pulling the side seams forward.
To separate a pattern fault from a grainline fault, look at the direction of the drag lines and the behaviour of the vertical markings. A grainline fault usually makes the garment twist: the side seam swings forward or backward, the centre front no longer hangs vertically, and diagonal drag lines follow the grain rather than a single seam. A pattern alteration fault produces localized excess or tightness that stays in the same place even when the toile is recut with a verified grainline. If in doubt, recut one half of the toile on a fresh, straight grain and compare. Also check that the calico was not stretched during pressing, because stretched calico can imitate a grainline fault.
3. The client wants a close-fitting jacket with 6 cm bust ease. Explain how you would protect this design ease while making the alterations.
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Design ease is a decision, not a leftover. Before altering, measure the pattern's finished bust circumference at the underarm and compare it with the client's bust. If the pattern gives 10 cm ease and the client wants 6 cm, remove exactly 4 cm total, distributed at the side seams, and record the new finished measurement. Do not remove ease at the armhole or across the bust dart, because that will make the armhole bite and distort the bust shape.
After the shoulder and back alterations, re-measure the toile at the underarm, not at the waist or hem. Use a tape around the fullest part of the bust and check that the toile gives about 102 cm finished circumference. If the hollow-back alteration has accidentally reduced the back width, add the amount back at the side seam rather than reducing the front. Keep the two-piece sleeve unchanged until the body is correct, then check that the sleeve cap still matches the armhole. If the armhole has changed, adjust the sleeve cap rather than forcing it in with ease. Record the final ease on the pattern envelope so the client can order another jacket later.