History of dressmaking

The Oxford English Dictionary first recorded ‘dressmaker’ in 1803. Throughout the nineteenth
century and until the rise of ready-to-wear, most women who did not make their own clothes at
home employed a dressmaker, who copied or adapted the latest clothing ideas from Paris,
London or other fashion centres, based on printed illustrations called fashion plates.
A dressmaker is often professionally trained. Many learn in an apprentice role, under the
tutelage of an established dressmaker, while some learn in formal school settings. Still others
learn through years of trial and error. Dressmaking methods involve measurements, a trial
garment, called a “muslin” or “toile”, and several fittings.
Custom dressmakers also create clothing for clients with unique needs, such as performers,
artists, disabled or wheelchair-users, wearers of prosthetic devices, vintage or fashion-forward
aficionados, and historical re-enactors. They can also recreate, redesign, and reinvent existing
garments (such as updating a great-grandmother’s gown for modern day use). Some have very
specific specialties, such as embroidery, reweaving, and restoring garments. Some are designers
who can create a garment entirely “from scratch”, and some require a pattern or an existing
garment to use as a guide.