A dressmaker, also known as a seamstress, is a person who makes custom

clothing Clothing (also known as clothes, apparel, and attire) are items worn on the body. Typically, clothing is made of fabrics or textiles, but over time it has included garments made from animal skin and other thin sheets of materials and natura ...

for women, such as

dress A dress (also known as a frock or a gown) is a garment traditionally worn by women or girls consisting of a skirt with an attached bodice (or a matching bodice giving the effect of a one-piece garment). It consists of a top piece that co ...

es,

blouse A blouse (blau̇s, 'blau̇z, ) is a loose-fitting upper garment that was worn by workmen, peasants, artists, women, and children.The Concise Oxford English Dictionary It is typically gathered at the waist or hips (by tight hem, pleats, parter ...

s, and

evening gown An evening gown, evening dress or gown is a long dress usually worn at formal occasions. The drop ranges from ballerina (mid-calf to just above the ankles), tea (above the ankles), to full-length. Such gowns are typically worn with evening ...

s. Dressmakers were historically known as

mantua Mantua ( ; it, Mantova ; Lombard and la, Mantua) is a city and '' comune'' in Lombardy, Italy, and capital of the province of the same name. In 2016, Mantua was designated as the Italian Capital of Culture. In 2017, it was named as the Eur ...

-makers, and are also known as a modiste or fabrician.

Notable dressmakers

Cristóbal Balenciaga , birth_name = Cristóbal Balenciaga Eizaguirre , birth_date = , birth_place = Getaria, Spain , death_date = , death_place = Xàbia, Spain , resting_place = Getaria Cemetery , education = , label_name = Balenciaga , ...

Pierre Balmain Pierre Alexandre Claudius Balmain (; 18 May 1914 – 29 June 1982) was a French fashion designer and founder of leading post-war fashion house Balmain. Known for sophistication and elegance, he described the art of dressmaking as "the archite ...

Coco Chanel Gabrielle Bonheur "Coco" Chanel ( , ; 19 August 1883 – 10 January 1971) was a French fashion designer and businesswoman. The founder and namesake of the Chanel brand, she was credited in the post-World War I era with popularizing a sporty, c ...

Christian Dior Christian Ernest Dior (; 21 January 1905 – 24 October 1957) was a French fashion designer, best known as the founder of one of the world's top fashion houses, Christian Dior SE, which is now owned by parent company LVMH. His fashion houses ...

* David Emanuel *

Norman Hartnell Sir Norman Bishop Hartnell, KCVO (12 June 1901 – 8 June 1979) was a leading British fashion designer, best known for his work for the ladies of the royal family. Hartnell gained the Royal Warrant as Dressmaker to Queen Elizabeth in 1940, and ...

, royal dressmaker * Elizabeth Keckley, modiste and confidante to Mary Todd Lincoln *

Jean Muir Jean Elizabeth Muir ( ; 17 July 1928 – 28 May 1995) was a British fashion designer. Early life and career Jean Muir was born in London, the daughter of Cyril Muir, a draper's floor superintendent, and his wife, Phyllis Coy. Her father ...

, fashion designer *

Madame Palmyre Madame Palmyre also called Mademoiselle Palmyre (19th century), was a French fashion designer '' couturier''. Madame Palmyre was an established fashion designer during the July Monarchy. She enjoyed a successful career, and came to have an influen ...

, a favorite designer and dressmaker of the empress of France * Anna and Laura Tirocchi, Providence, Rhode Island *

Isabel Toledo Isabel Toledo (born Maria Isabel Izquierdo; April 9, 1960 – August 26, 2019) was a Cuban-American fashion designer based in New York City. She was widely recognized in the fashion industry for her attention to craftsmanship and the "sophisticate ...

Madeleine Vionnet Madeleine Vionnet (; June 22, 1876, Loiret, France – March 2, 1975) was a French fashion designer. Vionnet trained in London before returning to France to establish her first fashion house in Paris in 1912. Although it was forced to close in 1 ...

* Janet Walker, costumier and dress-making-bust inventor *

Charles Frederick Worth Charles Frederick Worth (13 October 1825 – 10 March 1895) was an English fashion designer who founded the House of Worth, one of the foremost fashion houses of the 19th and early 20th centuries. He is considered by many fashion historians to ...

Related terms

Jean Baptiste Jules Trayer Bretonische Schneiderinnen 1854

* 'Dressmaker' denotes clothing made in the

style Style is a manner of doing or presenting things and may refer to: * Architectural style, the features that make a building or structure historically identifiable * Design, the process of creating something * Fashion, a prevailing mode of clothing ...

of a dressmaker, frequently in the term 'dressmaker details' which includes ruffles, frills,

ribbon A ribbon or riband is a thin band of material, typically cloth but also plastic or sometimes metal, used primarily as decorative binding and tying. Cloth ribbons are made of natural materials such as silk, cotton, and jute and of synthetic mat ...

braid A braid (also referred to as a plait) is a complex structure or pattern formed by interlacing two or more strands of flexible material such as textile yarns, wire, or hair. The simplest and most common version is a flat, solid, three-strande ...

trim Trim or TRIM may refer to: Cutting * Cutting or trimming small pieces off something to remove them ** Book trimming, a stage of the publishing process ** Pruning, trimming as a form of pruning often used on trees Decoration * Trim (sewing), ...

. 'Dressmaker' in this sense is contrasted to '

tailor A tailor is a person who makes or alters clothing, particularly in men's clothing. The Oxford English Dictionary dates the term to the thirteenth century. History Although clothing construction goes back to prehistory, there is evidence of ...

ed' and has fallen out of use since the rise of

casual wear Casual wear (or casual attire or clothing) is a Western dress code that is relaxed, occasional, spontaneous and suited for everyday use. Casual wear became popular in the Western world following the counterculture of the 1960s. When emphasisi ...

in the mid-20th century. * Mantua-maker, in the 18th century a maker of mantuas, or in general a dressmaker. * Modiste, a maker of fashionable clothing and accessories, with the implication that the articles made reflect the current

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. Si ...

fashion Fashion is a form of self-expression and autonomy at a particular period and place and in a specific context, of clothing, footwear, lifestyle, accessories, makeup, hairstyle, and body posture. The term implies a look defined by the fash ...

s. *Fabrician, a person who is considered an expert in making modifications and alterations to fabrics and other articles of clothing. * Sewing professional is the most general term for those who make their living by sewing, teaching, writing about sewing, or retailing sewing supplies. A sewing professional may work out of the home, a studio, or retail shop, and may work part-time or full-time. This work may include any or all of the following sub-specialities: ** A custom clothier makes custom garments one at a time, to order, to meet an individual customer's needs and preferences. ** A custom dressmaker specializes in women's custom apparel, including day dresses, career wear, suits, evening or bridal wear, sportswear, or lingerie. ** A tailor/tailoress makes custom menswear-style jackets and the skirts or trousers that go with them, for men or women. ** An alterations specialist or alterationist adjusts the fit of completed garments, usually ready-to-wear, or restyles them. Note that while all tailors can do alterations, by no means can all alterationists do tailoring. ** Designers choose combinations of line, proportion, color, and texture for intended garments. They may have no sewing or patternmaking skills, and may only sketch or conceptualize garments. ** Patternmakers flat draft the shapes and sizes of the numerous pieces of a garment by hand using paper and measuring tools or by computer using CAD software, or by draping muslin on a dress form. ** A wardrobe consultant or fashion advisor recommends styles and colors for a client. ** A seamstress is a woman who sews, especially one who earns a living by sewing. Before the

Industrial Revolution The Industrial Revolution was the transition to new manufacturing processes in Great Britain, continental Europe, and the United States, that occurred during the period from around 1760 to about 1820–1840. This transition included going f ...

, a seamstress did hand sewing, especially under the

putting-out system The putting-out system is a means of subcontracting work. Historically, it was also known as the workshop system and the domestic system. In putting-out, work is contracted by a central agent to subcontractors who complete the project via remote w ...

. Older variants are seamster and sempstress. **A

costume designer A costume designer is a person who designs costumes for a film, stage production or television show. The role of the costume designer is to create the characters' outfits or costumes and balance the scenes with texture and colour, etc. The costume ...

is a person who designs costumes for a film, stage production or television show.

References

External links

{{Authority control Fashion occupations Sewing Tailors

Notable dressmakers

Related terms

See also

References

Further reading

External links