Technique · Construction
The hand-set sleeve
The one seam that most rewards a person doing it, because it is the one seam that has to be eased.
A sleeve head is cut larger than the armhole it fits into, and the excess has to be distributed, eased, around the curve so the sleeve hangs correctly with no puckers. A machine distributes it evenly; a hand can put more where the arm needs it and less where it does not.
Easing
The extra cloth is not a mistake. It is what allows the sleeve to turn forward, following the natural hang of an arm, without pulling at the shoulder. Where that extra goes decides how the sleeve hangs.
Sewn by hand, the maker can concentrate the ease at the front of the sleeve head where the arm rotates, and reduce it at the back. Sewn by machine at constant tension, it distributes evenly, which is neater and less correct.
Reading a sleeve
Stand in front of a mirror with your arms relaxed and look at the sleeve head. A well-set sleeve hangs cleanly with no diagonal pull towards the chest or the blade, and the sleeve itself follows the natural forward hang of the arm rather than dropping straight down.
Diagonal creases radiating from the shoulder seam mean the sleeve is set wrong, or the shoulder is. It is one of the more difficult alterations to correct after the fact, because the sleeve has to come out.
Pitch
The rotation of the sleeve in the armhole is called its pitch, and it is set to match how a particular customer's arm hangs. Most arms hang slightly forward and slightly rotated; a sleeve set straight will twist.
A bespoke tailor sets pitch at the fitting by eye. Ready-to-wear sets it to an average, which is why a jacket that fits everywhere else can still have a sleeve that looks subtly wrong.
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01
Technique Spalla camicia (the shirt shoulder)
A sleeve set into a jacket the way a sleeve is set into a shirt: inside out, with the fullness gathered.
02
Technique The roped shoulder
The sleeve head lifted slightly proud of the shoulder line: the opposite decision to the Neapolitan one.
03
Technique Pattern drafting
Turning a set of measurements and a look at a body into flat paper shapes. The part that decides everything.
04
Vêtement The suit
A suit is simply a jacket and trousers, sometimes with a waistcoat, made from the same cloth at once so they match exactly.
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Pitch (of a sleeve)
Terme de glossaire
The rotation of a sleeve within the armhole, set to match how the wearer's arm hangs. Most arms hang slightly forward; a sleeve set straight will twist.
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Armhole
Terme de glossaire
The opening a sleeve is set into. A high, small armhole allows more arm movement, not less, because the sleeve pivots without dragging the body of the coat. Harder to cut and less…
Crédits photographiques 5
- A sleeve being set into an armhole by hand: Original art · Il Sartoriale · Il Sartoriale · Il Sartoriale original art
- A shoulder with the sleeve head gathered like a shirt: Original art · Il Sartoriale · Il Sartoriale · Il Sartoriale original art
- A roped shoulder with a raised sleeve head: Original art · Il Sartoriale · Il Sartoriale · Il Sartoriale original art
- A paper pattern drawn on brown paper: Original art · Il Sartoriale · Il Sartoriale · Il Sartoriale original art
- A navy suit on a valet stand: Original art · Il Sartoriale · Il Sartoriale · Il Sartoriale original art