Crotch depth (body rise)
Measured seated on a flat chair: from the waistline at the side down to the chair seat. It is the most important measurement in a trouser pattern.
The key to good trousers is the crotch depth (body rise): get it wrong and they won't sit well, however beautiful the cut.
Front shorter than back
The back crotch curve is longer and deeper than the front, because it covers the seat and needs room to sit and bend.
The crease is the grain
The pressed crease down the middle of the leg sits on the lengthwise grain. Cut the leg off-grain and it will twist after washing.
Jodhpurs
Riding trousers full at the thigh and tight from knee to ankle, named after the city of Jodhpur in India and adopted by British riders in the late 19th century.
Women's trousers
In 1851 Amelia Bloomer promoted full trousers under a short skirt. In the 1930s Marlene Dietrich was famous for wide trousers and menswear suits. In 1966 Yves Saint Laurent presented the Le Smoking tuxedo for women.
Jeans
In 1873 Jacob Davis and Levi Strauss patented reinforcing work trousers with copper rivets, and the story of jeans began.
Learn to draft trousers that fit
From crotch depth to the back curve, in Anna Stella's Manchester classes.
Sources
- Winifred Aldrich, Metric Pattern Cutting for Womenswear, Wiley-Blackwell.
- Helen Joseph-Armstrong, Patternmaking for Fashion Design, Pearson.
- Valerie Mendes & Amy de la Haye, 20th Century Fashion, Thames & Hudson.
- Fondation Pierre Bergé – Yves Saint Laurent: Le Smoking, 1966.