Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Classic Tailoring For Women's Wear, Michelle Mccarthy

Senior Honors Projects

A well-tailored jacket is considered to be a staple item in a working-woman’s wardrobe. Generally characterized as a garment with notched collar and lapels and a lining, these “tailored” garments are expected to fit appropriately and be constructed to a high level of quality. Classic tailoring, also known as bespoke tailoring in the UK, refers to the methods and techniques used to build a completely original and unique suit for your client.

For this project, each of my clients are members of my family: my younger cousin, myself, my mother, and my grandmother. Presenting four generations in my family, I …

Mirror Of Culture: The Study Of A Nineteenth-Century Sewing Diary, Elizabeth M. Dellabadia

Senior Honors Projects

Hidden inside the library of the American Textile History Museum in Lowell, Massachusetts is wonderful resource for the study of late nineteenth-century America. When Ann Eliza Cunningham was middle aged, she compiled a sewing diary that included scraps of material from dresses she wore or China trade fabrics brought home by her father. Ann Eliza not only included assorted swatches; but she associated the fabrics with different events in her life. She includes swatches from dresses she wore on her wedding day in 1856, for Thanksgiving, and for various family celebrations like birthday parties. Similar to the work of a …