What is haute couture sewing, and how is it different from industrial and home sewing?

Today we're going to be talking about haute couture sewing, and how it's different from other types of sewing, like industrial (i.e. professional sewing for mass production) and home sewing!
Links mentioned in the video:
Business of Fashion glossary: www.businessoffashion.com/edu...
Haute Couture cost: couturenotebook.com/haute-cou...
Flat-felled seam - photo by Kelly Hogaboom: en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Felle...
Sewing French Seams: wonderfil.co.uk/blogs/blog/se...
Chapters:
Intro 00:00
Defining terms 00:26:11
How sewing lines and darts get marked 03:22:17
Setting in sleeves 04:45:17
Seam finishes 05:52:07
If you want to learn more 07:55:03

[@mishkalarsoncreations]

I was trained by my grandmother, whose family were tailors and seamstresses for generations. She would climb out of her grave if I used a serger to didn’t finish seams by hand overcasting (preserver technique), cover them, or do a French seam. She always said that the bar,ent should look as beautiful on the inside as on the outside.

[@fepatton]

Great overview! Haute couture sounds very much like the way hand-tailored men's suits are made. I learned the techniques from an obscure book by a custom tailor, and successfully finished three jackets! But there is so much hand-sewing - basting layers together, pad stitching, setting of sleeves, etc. - that I joked that the only seams sewn on the machine were the 10 or so visible seams in the sides of the jacket and pants! I got _very_ good at a variety of hand stitches!

[@meerapatel3085]

😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊❤😊😅😂😊😂😅😊😊😅😅😂😊😅😂😊😊😅😂😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊❤😅😅😅😊😅😊😊❤

[@lilolmecj]

That is so uplifting that you were able to learn that from a book! I do not have nice hand sewing, but it doesn’t keep me from forging ahead. My husband’s aunt was a great seamstress, made her husband’s business suits when they were young and struggling. She later taught at the Fashion Institute in San Francisco, sadly I was too intimidated to try to learn much from her, even though she was a very nice lady. The foolishness of youth.😸

[@annmariegrant4037]

@fepatton I've gone through so much basting thread making a jacket via traditional tailor methods 🤣🤣🤣 Do you by chance remember the name of the book or the author?

[@catherinedilworth1363]

I have almost all of Claire B.Shaeffer’s books. They are an excellent source for knowing what techniques are used in the haute couture industry. I have both a home sewing machine and an industrial. Both are very useful. The zig zag stitch is a very useful stitch on the home machine. The industrial machine is fast and flawless. Today’s industrial machines are much quieter when they come equipped with a servo motor. I enjoyed your video and hope to see more.

[@user-mv9tt4st9k]

Maybe home sewers use haute couture techniques? Vintage sewing tutorials from the 1950s or so (and my Home Ec sewing teacher) taught that a garment should always be hand basted and fitted before being machine stitched--if a sewist was not confident in her [or his] ability, a test garment was recommended. It was suggested that raw edges be turned under when possible (there are a couple of methods for that) and stitched, either by hand or machine. The best vintage home sewing books are the ones that show hand finishes for seams, plackets, hems, or hand worked buttonholes. For a home sewer, being able to hand sew well is a must. Many also know how to grade or alter a commercial pattern beyond a lengthen/shorten line and change details, e.g., alter sleeves, and hand draft slopers for patterns. 😉

[@alexneuf7526]

Yes, great point, there is definitely a lot of overlap between the two. What is your favorite vintage sewing book? :D

[@susanmcmichesux9997]

That's how I learned

[@lilolmecj]

In spite of my best efforts my hand sewing is not pretty! I do hand baste where something does not lend itself to being properly done on the machine, such as tight areas around collars. I do very often sew first with a very long machine stitch if I have any question if it will not be perfect. But home sewing does allow us all the variety from slap it together to fine hand work. As I have gotten older and much of my sewing is for me, I do more complicated, or high end options because I have time. Back when I was sewing for my kids (all grown up now), I serged all edges, and did everything as quickly as I could while still doing it to look nice.

[@dawnelder9046]

Started sewing at age 8 and still sewing in my 60s. What I do really depends on the garment. Children's play clothing. Very industrial in method. They will outgrow it quickly. I always double sewed the crotch on pants and shorts though. Do it on adult clothing as well. Made myself a 4 piece suit once. Bound buttonholes, pockets, etc. A lot of time and work, expensive fabric, but it lasted years. At one time you saved a lot of money home sewing. Now it depends what it is. Made the flower girl dresses for my daughter's wedding. Worked out to 30 dollars each compared to the ones in the magazine selling for over 200. Four dresses.

[@bohemiansusan2897]

​@@dawnelder9046I find home sewing cheaper because I do high end sewing techniques. I buy better fabric and often line my garments. The end result are clothes that hold up well with weekly wear and laundering for ten years. Used to be if one paid more for their clothes, the better quality of garments. No so these days. I've seen way too many designer clothes made of polyester and flimsy thread these days.

[@bohemiansusan2897]

I do hybrid haute sewing. How I go about things depends upon the level of entertainment I am after. I don't do TV much and often do my projects in a more complicated manner because I don't have anything else to do. That is what I call it. Many ways to do haute sewing and still use a machine. I😊😅 have to save up a while for projects but I enjoy the design and creation process immensely. I do single needle tailoring, finished seams, line clothes and can hand stitch creating very tiny stitches that you have to look hard to find the stitches. Someone once didn't believe me about tiny stitches and they watched me do a simple whip stitch. They had a hard time finding the stitches.

[@claireshaeffer7616]

Hi Alex, Here's a little more info about setting sleeves. The sleeve is cut with less ease and a narrower seam allowance than a "home sewing" pattern would have. This allows the operator to set the sleeve without crimping. Generally, the seam allowance is only 1/2"; this small difference makes the sleeve much easier to set. The school I went to trained operators as well as designers so it was pointed out that this may be the most difficult operation in constructing the garment.

[@alexneuf7526]

Thanks, Claire! Great information. I wish that it was more common to train designers AND operators in fashion school. I was lucky to have a teacher for one class who had done both in her career, but it seems that this is rare.

[@annethevenot461]

Another truly great book on couture sewing is Roberta Carr’s “Couture, The Art of Fine Sewing”, from Palmer/Pletsch. Excellent instruction and inspirational photos of couture garments.

[@alexneuf7526]

Can't wait to check it out!

[@lindaliang3825]

As far as I know, even though one has earned a degree in a field doesn't guarantee that you'll land a job in the field. I am a musician and have to sew up outfits, costumes, etc. just to appear in public or to go onstage, so imagine that, I never went to fashion school to learn to design, but I can sew a straight line, sew by hand, etc...

[@claireshaeffer7616]

Alex, nicely done. I went to a trade technical school where I learned to make garments at all price points. Thanks for recommending Couture Sewing Techniques. Claire Shaeffer

[@alexneuf7526]

Thank you so much for watching my video, and for sharing your knowledge with the world through your books!

[@kbpfashion8592]

Claire, do luxury or couture seamstresses use starch or interfacing when sewing silk, satin, or other silky fabrics?

[@RachelRhiarti]

Having worked at a kiltmaker, which used a combination of haute and industrial methods depending on the budget range of kilt, people would probably be quite shocked to realise how many edges are actually left totally raw! If it wasn't visible, it wasn't getting any kind of finish. Partly a time thing, but also makes sense, given how likely it is a kilt will be ripped down and remade to fit a new owner or change of body shape...

[@TeaCupCracked]

The history of sewing and sewing techniques is really interesting to then compare to modern methods / different "category" practices like you did here. A funny comparison is that Victorians and Edwardians promoted many techniques for home sewing that we now see in couture sewing. But even though they would talk about these methods as being the "assumed standard" for home sewists, it's very evident from surviving garments that most people were still a little slap-dash / didn't necessarily practice what they preached. Their common tactic was to identify every aspect of the garment that would be invisible on the finished piece and to sort of just do whatever (drunk-driver machine wavy seams to initially connect panels together, uneven chunky hand stitches out of a strong thread) and then pay attention to apply the more couture methods as you get down to the outer construction and fiddly bits. Going further back, an even more amusing angle is to look at 18th century or earlier sewing methods, where there is a strong emphasis in home sewing to "winging it". There were tailors (flat pattern cutting) and mantua makers (later dressmakers; draping onto the body directly), but home sewers (housewives, single men) usually worked in sourcing chunks of similar weight linens and cottons, patching them into squares and rectangles and then sewing them together into shirts (which went to the knee and doubled as underwear) shifts (underdress; also the base/underwear layer), petticoats and aprons. It's kinda fun to try these 18th methods because it feels very anti-fashion, or anti-intuitive but for some people it becomes an easy way to think-out go through the construction process (perhaps because non-professionals were approaching it like how you at home make dinner in a different way then how a chef would make dinner).

[@lynn858]

Industrial sewing also uses jigs and templates so the pieces can be aligned to a mark on the machine bed, and start and stop lines which can be switched out for various sizes. This reduces the need for clips which are only marks - and don't help with assembly. If you're making multiples of anything at home, using tape on the bed of your machine, which shows where to align the seam, or stop marks, or an alignment angle... and creating marking templates out of card or similar, will be similarly helpful.

[@alexneuf7526]

Great point!

[@vanityshop5155]

I'm glad I took the time to watch this video. Insightful overview. And I learned something new with the no-thread industrial method of setting a sleeve. Going to try that one!

[@DonnaAskins]

Many thanks for this useful overview. I'm making some valences for a client right now which will have hems just above eye level, so obvious stitches are absolutely no-go. Felt kind of dumb about putting in 4 rows of basting stitches to get the hem she wants, but now that you have let me know about basting in h.c., I feel much better, so, many thanks

[@stephaniebates1504]

Fascinating history and super cool topic!

[@vickisims5988]

Very interesting. I am learning about garment sewing and was wondering about the differences. Thanks for sharing

[@castoputa]

Haute couture sewing is just literally what is best, regardless of what is most efficient. Great video!

[@michelles2299]

I was taught to sew at school and we basted, we had no raw edges in a seam French seam etc I realise now that's haute couture sewing I doubt they even have sewing classes now

[@floreedith4667]

Haute couture is only by hand as taught at the instute in france. Couture is partial machine and hand finished!!! Cest simple

[@Doctor_Al]

Well done and informative. Thank you.

[@ruthirwin8222]

I love that book

[@amandaking6554]

Grrrl! that lipstick is fire!

[@renjiai]

can you explain the industrial sleeve set a little more? after you gather it with no thread how does it stay together when you want to attach it to the sleeve hole?

[@alexneuf7526]

Basically, you're crumpling the fabric against the foot as you sew, so that it stays crumpled/gathered when you attach it to the sleeve hole. I don't think this would work for every single fabric, because some would just not hold the gathers well. I might make a specific video on this!

[@renjiai]

thanks

[@carlruss7003]

Great video thank you!! Do you know why haute couture bastes everything? like what is the actual benefit to basting a single layer of fabric vs using chalk?

[@andresalvaradoortega7469]

When you basting you can draw and see the right side of fabric and cut it without measure amount of fabric to sew

[@alexneuf7526]

I've never worked in an haute couture atelier so there may be other reasons that I don't know about, but some benefits include: you can see basting on both sides of the fabric, it is generally more precise, and you don't risk staining the fabric with chalk that doesn't come out. (Obviously the chalk is supposed to come out, but in haute couture they don't take any chances!)

[@DenBank1]

What makes luxury rtw from net a porter different or more special from high street clothes?

[@alexneuf7526]

Great question. It really depends on the brand. Generally, luxury brands use more expensive (and generally better quality) fabrics and trims/closures, as well as more complex construction techniques that make the garment more durable or increase its functionality and that cost more money to manufacture. Examples would be additional pockets, more durable seam finishes, complex inter-construction (e.g. horse hair canvas and interlining in suits, an internal corset and a stay in a gown), etc. But it really depends on the brand, as some luxury brands don't actually make garments that are all that good quality

[@newgabe09]

what is surging? Overlocking?

[@alexneuf7526]

Yes!

[@dayglodoggy]

Who was the youtuber you mentioned at the end, Luke or Luis?

[@alexneuf7526]

Loic Prigent :)

[@MariaCarvalho-bb6gz]

Eu queria muito ver esse livro parece ser muito bom mais não intendo nada de inglês que pena 😥

[@alexneuf7526]

😥

[@anamari2137]

Bem, ele possui muitas técnicas de costura a mão. Porém,só tem em inglês. Tem imagens ilustrativas também, mas a maioria só é possível entender com a explicação. Dá pra traduzir, só que dá bastante trabalho. Mas não é impossível.

[@victoriaconstantine-cort3091]

xXX👍👍👍

[@terrigelbaum8066]

That lipstick color against your very pale, flawles skin, looks beautiful .....very dramatic .

[@OLIxVIAN]

Not the "amazing when other people do it "😁

[@piccalillipit9211]

*THERE IS NO SUBSCRIBE BUTTON...???* maybe you want to get onto KZbin about this??? I want to sub and I cant

[@claireshaeffer7616]

It's at the top--next to Alex's name.

[@castoputa]

Also low key thread tracing is the best thing you can do for making a garment lol, it really works, you’ll regret a shitty garment longer than you will regret spending ten minutes with a big ass needle and some thread ❤