This shirt of my original design, is the latest made for a client who prefers a slim-cut shirt, or what is known to Tailors and Shirt-makers as a "Contour" shirt. This contour shirt is made from cotton poplin sateen shirting fabric that has a slight ombre effect. It features a banded angle-edge pocket, a cross-cut front button placket, and sleeves with wide cross-cut plackets and an inverted box pleat at the cuffs. Additionally, the cross-cut collar has been designed so that it "sets back" on the stand about 3/4" more than usual.
So...what is a "slim-cut" (contour) shirt? What it isn't is a precise set of steps and measurements that are set in stone. The specs of "slim-cut" (contour) will vary depending on the designer and who is doing the drafting. I start with with my regular shirt block with straight side seams, then I take out some of the fullness by curving the side seams. I raise the armscye point, then finish by correcting and smoothing the new curve. When the armscye point is raised, it makes the arm "hole" smaller, so a new sleeve with a smaller-circumference (slimmer cut!) needs to be drafted. I draft the sleeve with almost no ease. Yes you read that right...I draft the sleeve with no more than 1/2" of ease. It just isn't necessary. Too much ease makes for a messy flat-felled sewn finish. One other thing...I draft my Contour Shirt Back without a CB pleat.
I have not yet mentioned making slimmer/contoured changes to the shirt Front and Back at the shoulders (the yoke). That is because I already draft my regular shirt block with a natural shoulder slope and length. My standard shirt block is not loose on the upper chest/shoulder and the sleeve does not drop of the shoulder, so it needs no adjustments when I draft a contour shirt.
You may be wondering why I have not given you precise measurements, like "raise the armscye by 1/2", or "curve the side seams in by 3/4". I am not being secretive :) It is because I have no idea what the specs of your existing shirt pattern may be. You either need to copy a slim-cut shirt that you like, or make a muslin of the shirt pattern that you regularly use, and pinch out the fullness and experiment with raising the armscye point a little bit at a time. 
A good menswear drafting book helps...I highly recommend this one, it has been my go-to reference since the early 80's-- Fundamentals of Men's Fashion Design A Guide To Casual Clothes Edmund B Roberts and Gary Onishenko. Fairchild Publications. The only book reference number on my copy is: Standard Book Number-- 87005-5143So if you are interested in this book, a search at your favorite book-seller by Title and Author may be better than using the number.For more on sleeve cap ease, don't miss this fantastic post by renown clothing industry expert, Kathleen Fasanella.SEWING NOTES:
Collar and Cuffs interfaced with PRO-WOVEN Shirt-CRISP Interfacing from Fashion Sewing Supply Buttons are the 40-count Designer Shirt Button Set in color "Choco-Toffee" from Fashion Sewing Supply.
One of the biggest trends in street style photography is capturing great detail shots and accessories. The ladies I photograph all tell me that accessories have the power to transform an outfit from ordinary to extraordinary. These women have had time to amass wonderful adornments and can easily mix and match them with any outfit. What are your favorite accessories?
To my great surprise,I ran into Ruth just days before her 100th birthday. She had just gotten out of Pilates class on the Upper West Side, when I spotted her. She told me that she was getting ready to cruise off to Bermuda with her boyfriend in a few days. Ruth's motto is to celebrate everyday and to not look at the calendar. She likes simple and elegant clothes paired with great accessories. Ruth's best advice comes straight from an old Arden campaign which reads, " If you want to look this good when you are 40, start when you are 20." Check out the video below for more words of wisdom from this amazing 100 year old woman.
Sometimes our most cherished items are ones that we have held on to throughout the years. Many of the women I stop to photograph proudly announce how long they have had a certain dress or wonderful vintage accessory. I told this woman that I take street style photographs and she immediately smiled and told me that her dress was probably older than I was.
Last Spring I met designer Corey Lynn Calter and team, for lunch in the West Village, and an idea was born. They were inspired by the style and spirit of ladies, like Ilona Royce Smithkin(above), and thought it would be great fun to have them self style the CLC collection for a small shoot. We called up 91 year old artist and performer, Ilona Royce Smithkin, and she thought this sounded like a grand idea.
I saw this woman enjoying a cappuccino with a friend near Corso Como in Milan. I wanted to ask if I could take her photo, but decided to wait until she finished her conversation. A few minutes later, I turned around, and she had already left.Luck would have it that I ran into her a few hours later near Brera. I asked if I could take her picture and she explained in Italian that she doesn't speak English. I pointed to my camera and smiled--She understood, and I got a great shot.
