JOANNE Watkinson
IT’S ALL IN THE DETAILS
I wasn’t planning on opening this column with a bit of country music trivia, but did you know “They don’t make them like they used to” is the title of a Kenny Rogers song?
Kenny had a good point. I recently had a vintage jacket restored and the old saying sprung to mind.
The jacket was in a sorry state. Its label was from a notable tailor in London’s Savile Row but the lining was ripped away from the arm sockets, the shoulders were torn, and the cuffs had seen better days.
The fabric is beautiful, a dark navy blue silk with a small magenta diamond print.
As well as the fabric, the thing I noticed was how well the jacket hung for such a lightweight silk. As I gave the hem a little squeeze its secret was revealed.
A little trick used by tailors and seamstresses is to add small drapery weights, dotted along the inside of the hem, to help the garment maintain its shape.
The late Queen’s dresser was said to sew them into the hem of Her Majesty’s skirts to avoid any embarrassment should the wind blow while on official engagements.
And Elizabeth II was not the only one with this fashion trick up her sleeve. The iconic chain trim you see on Chanel jackets was originally positioned to add weight to the jacket in order for it to hang not sag.
I love learning these tricks of the trade. Sadly, so many of them are now resigned to bespoke or couture. Do we mere mortals no longer benefit from the wizardry of the modiste (dressmaker)? Was Kenny Rogers right? Do they no longer make them like they used to?
Sadly, I think clothes on the whole are no longer made with the same attention to detail as they once were. This could be down to a belief that they don’t need to last as long as they did before, and also expectation: perhaps people don’t expect as much from their clothes and therefore garments have come to meet those low levels of expectation.
I believe for every lazy retailer who thinks shoppers no longer care for detail, there is a designer who includes an incredible level of detail in their designs.
My latest favourite? A metal loop on the neck of a coat to thread your scarf through, as seen at Tibi. Some people still do make them like they used to. Kenny just wasn’t shopping in the right place.
Curve green luxe faux fur coat £79.99, wet-look leggings £16.99, Yours Clothing
Oversize faux-fur coat £99.99, split hem leggings £22.99, Mango. Sandals stylist’s own