Innholdsfortegnelse for Summer 2025 i Threads Magazine

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If you are feeling the cinematic magic of the last year, having fallen under the spell of Wicked, you may be drawn to and off. Many costume designers found their muses in the powerful witches from the magical story. Wicked stars Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande made enchanting fashion statements with their couture-fueled press tour. Designer Naeem Khan dressed Erivo for her Academy Museum of Motion Pictures Gala perfor-mance, for instance. The designer’s summer 2025 collection was an homage to the magical duo. During New York Fashion Week, Khan’s runway showed glittering evening looks. There were dark, emerald, and black sculpted dresses with jet crystal beading inspired by the Elphaba character. I took the inspiration for this project from my favorite of the pastel Glinda looks from the fashion show.…

I had the pleasure of getting to know Claire Shaeffer over a 10-year period. Work and enjoyment became one with Claire, as we immersed ourselves in the cavernous depths of two of the world’s greatest museum collections of fashion—in Chicago and London. Like many of us, I came to know Claire Shaeffer’s work through her influential book Couture Sewing Techniques, which was first published in 1993. Her contribution to fashion can hardly be overestimated, as her publications are to the fashion historian and designer as the dictionary is to the literature scholar. After all, a deep understanding of garment construction is indispensable for the fashion designer and scholar. Her couture book had a big impact on my career, and when the book was revised in 2001, I was working at…

Loungewear left its mark on culture beginning with the quarantine days of 2020, ushering the entire world into an era when casual trends and home reclusion ruled. A comfort-over-fashion attitude took hold, and loungewear quickly became one of the hottest trends for retailers worldwide. When Anna Wintour from Vogue was photographed in April 2020 in her home office riding the loungewear wave, we should have known this fashion fervor wasn’t going away. The loungewear market grew, and A-list celebrities are still emerging from their SUVs in monochromatic, pajama-like sets. I’ll never forget actor Selena Gomez popping out of a limo in Santa Monica, California, in a navy silk pajama set and pumps. Pajamas in public? Not a problem. Many brands are flying high with track suits and T-shirts featuring soft,…

Koos van den Akker, a renowned Dutch-born American designer, is most familiar as the creator of artistic quilted coats of many colors. Though classically trained in Europe as a fashion designer, Koos developed his innovative aesthetic, and the techniques needed torealizeit, whenhe moved to New York in the late 1960s. Richly colored, multi-patterned jackets were the hallmark of his output. Thus this charming summer dress, made in 1977, is a pleasant surprise. The skirt is backed with white linen, and the appliqués include printed cotton, some quilted and some with a matelassé texture. Unexpectedly, there’s also a patch of cream-colored hand-knit fabric. The effect is light-hearted and effortless. Defining the edges of the circle-based motifs are striped bias strips. Learn how to apply these for your own version of a…

It’s rare, I’ve discovered, to meet a garment sewer who is not fervently creative. Each project takes us further into our special area of interest. Couture techniques, patternmaking and draping, vintage styles, visible mending, cutting-edge fashion—these are just few of the paths we happily travel on our individual sewing adventures. In this issue, our authors take us along with them on their various explorations. Fashion historian Timothy Long writes about his detective work with the late Claire B. Shaeffer (p. 36), and what he learned along the way. From The Great British Sewing Bee, Claire-Louise Hardie shares an efficient method for tracing a pattern from an existing garment, without taking it apart (p. 72). With practice, you can copy your favorite clothes, for your best bespoke wardrobe. Rae Cumbie, a…

I was introduced to a lesser-known plant-based fabric by my Filipina mother and her family. Called piña cloth, it is a lightweight woven textile made by hand from the fibers of pineapple leaves. This cellulosic fiber has unique properties that made it highly prized first in the Philippines and later abroad. Traditionally, it was used for women’s blouses and shawls, and the barong tagalog, a man’s formal shirt. BIOLOGY AND CULTURE The term “piña” has been used flexibly ever since pineapple leaf-based textiles were exported from the Philippines to Europe and the United States, especially in the 19th century. “Piña” technically refers to the pineapple plant from which the fibers are extracted; in fact, piña was sometimes called pineapple silk. “Piña” has historically described a range of fabrics made with pineapple…

LOOK FOR THESE ICONS ON THE PATTERN REVIEWS Includes sizes 24 and up Fast and easy Challenging techniques Downloadable pattern Printed pattern Projectable pattern Sporty Open-Back Dress KNOW ME 2084 (Simplicity.com) Skill level: The sewing level is considered moderate, mainly due to sewing with knits, the built-in bra detail, and the open back. Size range and fitting: Sized Misses’ 8 thru 26 for busts 31 ½ inches to 48 inches, waists 24 inches to 41 inches and hips 33 ½ inches to 50 inches. This fitted dress has minimal negative ease, suitable for the style. Fabrics: It is designed for knit fabrics, such as interlock, ITY, jersey, modal, and rib knits. For best results, choose a knit that isn’t too lightweight, as this can affect the drape and fit. Select a…

A key aspect of successful design is cohesion: Every element of a well-planned garment or ensemble should make sense within the whole. In 2024, Threads challenged the members of the Association of Sewing and Design Professionals (ASDP) to create a one-piece dress with an innovative collar or neckline feature, and a coordinating hem detail. Imagination and a sharp eye for editing were required to ensure that the resulting dresses included focal points to capture the viewer’s attention, as well as areas for the eye to rest. The winning entries range from a showstopping ball gown to a bright and youthful mod shift. At the ASDP’s annual conference in Portland, Oregon, the finalist garments were evaluated by expert judges: Mary Funt, the 2023 Best Overall winner; guest judges Tricia Crockett, a…

With the thousands of patterns—not to mention clothes—available for sale, why would you bother to duplicate an existing garment? Because you love it. It fits your body just the way you like. It has all the design details you prefer. As a sewist, you have the ability to make clothing that fulfills your needs and wants exactly: This frees you from the disappointments of ready-to-wear purchases. If you’re aiming to make a wardrobe that reliably works for you, you’ll want to duplicate clothes that have proven to be old friends, suiting your personal aesthetic and lifestyle. I’ll demonstrate one method for copying a garment, to get you started. My example garment is a darted camisole—a versatile and simple wardrobe staple. THREE WAYS TO CLONE The most obvious way to duplicate…

CLAIRE-LOUISE HARDIE (“Copycat Camisole,” p. 64) says, “Beautiful garments are often made from gorgeous fabrics. In fact, I’d say that it’s the fabric choices that determine whether or not I consider a garment beautiful. I’m very tactile and love the feel and drape of luxury fabrics. I adore working with silks, fine wools, and rayons. Using fabrics that press and sew up well is the gold seal for me in garment-making.” Claire-Louise has been a professional costumer for 30-plus years and has taught clothes-making for the last 15. TIMOTHY LONG (“Couture Detective Claire B. Shaeffer,” p. 36) says, “I love discovering the history and importance of garments, what makes them special, and how each stitch can be a window into who we are.” Timothy is a fashion historian, museum curator,…

Koos van den Akker (1939–2015), a Dutch-born designer who spent most of his decades-long career in Manhattan, maintained an exhilarating, playful inventiveness in all his work. He disliked the term “art to wear,” as he considered his garments practical, modern clothing, based in unfussy silhouettes and comfortable fabrics. His use of mixed-fabric collage set him apart from his contemporaries, and revealed his ability to transform his extensive library of fabrics into abstract textile paintings. The summer dress on p. 83 is a delightful example of his work. Along with his talent for bringing together disparate materials to make new fabrics, Koos evolved elegant strategies for covering the edges of his machine appliquéd designs. Stitched bias tape was his medium of choice, as it provides control over the visual emphasis he…

Hot weather dressing can present a quandary for those who wish to clothe themselves artfully. It is easy to create a montage with layers of opaque fabric that hide the necessary construction details, but how can artistic details be worked into a summery look? Taking a few cues from the special-occasion world, why not use sheer fabrics in various colors to create the designs that feel right for your preferred style of dressing? Floaty, voluminous yards of fabric have been used for years, but more shaping creates delicious details and dreamy designs that are perfect for today’s casual dress code. The design approach I am highlighting takes advantage of a range of lightweight, decorative fabrics, cut and collaged, and sandwiched between layers of sheer fabrics. The result delivers the texture…

When I tell people I’m a tailor and patternmaker for film and television, they assume that means designer—which is incorrect in my case. There are many other people and positions that support the costume designer, as costume and wardrobe are complex parts of the entertainment business. I’ve witnessed their work over the years, and have been impressed with their specialized skills and work ethic. I spoke with several to find out how they landed in their career paths. Their stories are varied, their jobs sometimes less glamorous than you might imagine, and their creativity knows few, if any, bounds. AT HOME IN THE COSTUME SHOP As a child in the 1970s and early ’80s, I had no idea that sewing-related careers in the entertainment industry existed. In high school, I…

Skirts, dresses, jackets, and coats are often lined, and a special treatment of the lining along the hemline gives extra movement and comfort when the wearer sits or bends their arm. A jump pleat—sometimes called an ease pleat—is a small fold in the lining fabric at the hemline or base of a sleeve. It unfolds when the wearer sits down or bends their arm, giving more length to accommodate the body’s bend. Then it falls back into place when the wearer stands up or straightens their arm. Without this extra ease, a lining can feel tight. There are instances when a lining goes to the edge of a garment or attaches to a facing. But that’s not how we generally treat a lining at the base of sleeves or at…

I’ve had my late mother’s pina-silk dress hanging, covered, in my closet for more than 25 years. I wish I could ask her more details about it. My mother was born and raised in Manila, Philippines, into a large family, including seven sisters. She played the piano from a young age and had been a concert pianist into her 20s. Whenever she needed a gown for a performance, her mom and sisters would oblige. They would draw the pattern out on newspaper, then sew the dress on the family sewing machine. Looking through family photos from the 1940s, ’50s, and ’60s, I see many dresses that I’m sure are piña-silk, which remains the standard formal fabric of the Philippines. After my mom married my dad and moved to the United…