Really says something about the dire state of offerings for men interested in sewing their own clothes that even searching things like “interesting men’s clothing patterns” brings up articles with links to four or five whole websites that primarily offer admittedly nice but practically identical patterns for making button-ups and work pants and maybe a varsity/bomber jacket if you’re lucky.
(Branching out into historical costuming for everyday wear is like your one shot at variation, and even then, the ratio of men’s to women’s patterns on every website is frustrating to say the least.)
Patternmakers as a trans man I am begging you. Give me a little more to work with here.
Like it’s also hard if you’re buying your own clothes, don’t get me wrong, but there are at least more retailers that offer fun and quirky clothes for guys if you do a little digging.
And some of that comes down to print choice, where you obviously have significant leeway if you’re making your own clothes, too, but the erasure of men who sew by society writ large has wreaked absolute havoc on the selection of sewing tutorials and patterns aimed at men and people interested in wearing menswear. It is uniquely frustrating to be a man who wants to sew interesting things, not just wear them.
I wasn’t expecting this to take off, but since so many of you seem to have resonated (or at least sympathized) with this, I thought I’d offer some links to some of the fun patterns I have been eyeing lately
Twig and Tale on Etsy have a modest selection of slightly more unique men’s and unisex patterns, I’d really love to make their Pathfinder vest and Ridgeway shirt, among others
Merchant and Mills have a small selection as well, including their Billy gillet and unisex Landgate raincoat
Wardrobe by Me has mostly basics, but I do like their Ozark vest and utility jacket – and as a very small trans guy, I appreciate that their men’s patterns go down to a 2XS
Thread Theory is one of the places I absolutely have my eyes on for modern menswear – I’d particularly like to make their Gosling short-sleeved button-up, Jutland pants, and Belvedere waistcoat
Folkwear are absolutely inching into the desperately-needed much more unique zone – I have plans to make both their varsity jacket and vintage vests, and also have my eyes on their frontier shirts, sailor pants, shirts of Russia and Ukraine, and poet’s shirt
Black Snail Patterns does historical clothing patterns ranging from 1700 to 1910; I just nabbed their Victorian/Edwardian walking trousers and lounge jacket patterns the other day
Laughing Moon Mercantile also do historical patterns, likewise I am planning on making their Victorian shirts and neckwear (which has 15 different historical neckwear suggestions included) and Victorian notched collar vest
The Tudor Tailor do 16th century clothing, which might be a bit bold even even for historybounding for most people, but they do great work, and I highly recommend their bias-cut footed hose as well as their excellent books
(Last but not least, I would be remiss not to mention Norah Waugh’s The Cut of Men’s Clothes, which is a book and not a pattern retailer might be best for slightly more advanced sewers, but I did make a really excellent 1600s cassock using a pattern from it that has gotten a lot of compliments as everyday wear!)
Frustrating as the men’s sewing landscape is, there are still some fun things out there, and it’s worth the digging! I vote we all make weird clothes and start a fashion revolution.
Cosplay and LARP patterns are worth a look, though the ratio is still very skewed. You need a good eye for what patterns are plausible though, and how to adapt them for different fabrics. That’s another part of this problem - you have to be good with patterns to be able to make the stuff but how do you learn the 101 stuff if you have to jump right into pattern drafting?
#theres a guy called Mark Francis who was on the Great British Sewing Bee a few years bacl#and he does some really cool men’s patterns! (via @shutupeiffel)
I had a look at his shop and it’s honestly pretty delightful. Particular fan of the seventh doctor inspired trousers.
@vinceaddams this feels like a You Post
@changelingfangs
FreeSewing.Org has some fun patterns that are stupidly easy to customize to your own measurements, and modify in various ways, plus super detailed tutorials of how to sew each pattern. Great place if you’re just getting started.
