Making dresses for male proportions - it is easier than you may think

[robehickman]

A widely known problem is that finding dresses that fit male body proportions is hard, because the vast majority of dresses are made with woman's bodies in mind, and men and women (tend to be) quite different proportionally. While sewing clothing is somewhat of a lost skill today, basic 'dresses' are actually very easy to make, taking just a few hours with a bit of practice.

A good place to get started with this is medieval 'tunics' / 'kirtles', which are very simple, being constructed from a series of rectangles. Versions that aren't historically accurate can be made very easily using a t-shirt as a starting pattern, as demonstrated in the following video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eGKmCLbriGY

Tunics were originally (from what historic evidence we have) constructed using rectangles and triangles: two long rectangles forming the bodice and skirt, two smaller rectangles for the arms, two small 'gusset' rectangles inset under the arm to improve range of movement, and two triangular godets (AKA 'gores) inserted into the side-seams to make the skirt more full. This series discusses it

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VkgpGMc ... yIzAPBzcZh

And here is some guidance I've shared on what works proportionally with skirted garments for male bodies:

https://robehickman.com/skirt-silhouettes-men

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Moving on to more fitted garments, I'd recommend starting by watching the following video which discusses some general theory of the design of dresses, starting with the 'rectangles' approach noted above, and then moving on to how to make garments with a separate 'bodice; and 'skirt'.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGrWTW6buX8

Once you start making things to fit yourself, I'd strongly recommend developing a 'sloper' / 'fitted bodice block', which is a minimal and tight fitting torso covering garment, that can be used as a basis to modify into many other kinds of garment design.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DUtyPPn ... bT&index=2

Drafting sleeves is also pretty easy once you comprehend the concepts, and the following is the best explanation I know of this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9k7LBRdKzx0

And here's another one discussing sleeve drafting from measurements:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ow9oRn ... bT&index=4

One of the key aspects of sleeve fitting, as well as making a garment fit the torso without bagging / gaping, are darts which are a way of making a flat piece of fabric conform to a 3D shape:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JRO-GWfHyiM

[Pleats]

Another option is to convert a pair of men's jeans into a skirt. Easy to do. There are videos on YouTube showing that conversion. The first skirt I made was from an old pair of jeans. I was in high school at the time. Well before YouTube to show me how. Just had to figure it out myself. Hand sewn as I did not want chance messing up mom's sewing machine. The finish skirt came out OK. I would wear it hiking on trails. It was a mid-thigh mini skirt.

[Grok]

This sewing section includes a couple threads regarding converting jeans into a skirt.

[Seb]

Ive made two dresses, one has since been remade into a skirt. Ive got plans for more but I need time and materials.

Making a separate bodice from skirt the advantage is that we can follow any patterns of guides for making shirts etc for men and just add a skirt to it. Harder of you want something with Princess seams ofc but should still be easy enough.

Oh, and most of us dont have to go though the trouble of bust-adjustments either.

[robehickman]

Ive made two dresses, one has since been remade into a skirt. Ive got plans for more but I need time and materials.

Making a separate bodice from skirt the advantage is that we can follow any patterns of guides for making shirts etc for men and just add a skirt to it. Harder of you want something with Princess seams ofc but should still be easy enough.

Oh, and most of us dont have to go though the trouble of bust-adjustments either.

Hi Seb,

That's great. If you were to use a shirt as a base pattern with an attached skirt, would you cut it shorter for the bodice / skirt seam, and if so where do you think looks best for that seam to be proportionally?

The reason I mentioned darts was in relation to how set-in sleeves work. The sleeve head is gathered slightly which turns the 2D fabric into a 'dome' that will drape smoothly over the top of the arm. A dart does the same kind of thing, turning a flat piece of fabric into a cone allowing it to more closely fit a 3D shape. I agree that most men don't need bust darts (unless going for a very fitted result), but the same concept applies elsewhere.

Princess seams are really just bust darts manifested differently, the volume of the dart being removed from the seam. Similar things can be seen in some men's waistcoats and jackets - it's all just making narrower strips of fabric to better approximate a 3D form.

[Seb]

Hi Seb,

That's great. If you were to use a shirt as a base pattern with an attached skirt, would you cut it shorter for the bodice / skirt seam, and if so where do you think looks best for that seam to be proportionally?

I like to put it at my natural waist, I think it looks more balanced. Jeans waist would probably need some chest pocket or something else to adorn to not make the top look too plain imo. Not sure about high waists, they look great on women where they have something to emphasize, but on men it just looks like a small kids dress.

I added a 5cm strip on my last one, with belt loops to define a top and bottom better and I like the result of it.

[Uncle Al]

I like to put it at my natural waist, I think it looks more balanced.
<snip>
I added a 5cm strip on my last one, with belt loops to define a top
and bottom better and I like the result of it.

I totally agree with you Seb I wear my skirts at my natural waist.
That's where my navel (belly-button) is. Granted, over the years, my
belly-button has started to sag a bit My kilts are worn about 2 inches
above my natural waist as the belt will then be at my natural waist.

In reference the dress you made, that pattern has many, many possibilities
for exploring different fabrics, and colors, for the different parts/sections
of the dress. Light color on top, darker on bottom with black at the middle,
or ......... Let your imagination run a bit on the wild side

Uncle Al

[Grok]

Awhile back I was looking at on line tutorials. I recall one for making a girl's dress by sewing a skirt to the bottom of a blouse.

Found one for sewing a skirt to the bottom of a T-shirt.

[Seb]

In reference the dress you made, that pattern has many, many possibilities
for exploring different fabrics, and colors, for the different parts/sections
of the dress. Light color on top, darker on bottom with black at the middle,
or ......... Let your imagination run a bit on the wild side

Yes, and the skirt is a rectangle skirt so its easy to make it into more sections and use several colours, or have it replaced by a circle skirt for less bulk. This one is made out of cheap woven cotton fabric, essentially mockup material - but I quite like the material too, its just a pain that it wrinkles over nothing.

Awhile back I was looking at on line tutorials. I recall one for making a girl's dress by sewing a skirt to the bottom of a blouse.

This should also be quite an easy job. I've got a T-shirt that I'm planning on doing something similar with that has a busted hemline and holes in the armscythe - but a nice print that I want to keep.

Time time time. xD

[Grok]

I think shirt-dresses have a lot of potential for men, as shown by the link you posted Seb.

Using a variant ( T-shirt with sewn on skirt) as an example, I can see some advantages:

1. The complex parts of creating a bodice have already been done for you.

2. T-shirts are among the few items of male clothing that may have bright colors.

I can imagine a fairly simple skirt, such as a circle skirt, being used for a DIY project. If the skirt has some flair, I can see another advantage...

3. One could don the completed garment by pulling the whole thing on over your head. No need for zippers, buttons, suspenders (braces), belts, elastic....


And....

4. A DIY project could be one way to reuse an old T-shirt.

5. If the T-shirt is 100% cotton, it should be easy to find the same sort of material for the skirt.

(BTW, if the skirt is loose enough to be raised in front, there is an obvious option if your bladder is full).

[robehickman]

I assure you that creating an unfitted bodice is not difficult, but yes altering clothing can be an easy gateway. Circle skirts are among the easiest things to sew and a good place to start,

Note that most t-shirts are made from stretchy knit fabric, and I'd suggest using a similar knit for the skirt for visual consistency. Most wovens will wrinkle easily, knits don't.

Being able to put on a garment over the head just means that the waist needs to be wide enough to fit over the hips - for most men as long as there are a few inches of ease in the garment, this isn't a problem.

Making a sloper that fits is well worth the effort because the first time you wear it, it feels like wearing nothing, it immediately highlights all of the places where ill-fitting clothes were pulling.

[Grok]

robehickman, I have had the idea of finding designs that can be put together with meager sewing skills. (Little more than the bare minimum to sew a button back onto a shirt). One step up from the simplest option, a sarong. I would say that-in terms of complexity-you are aiming for one level above what I have been trying to do.

[robehickman]

robehickman, I have had the idea of finding designs that can be put together with meager sewing skills. (Little more than the bare minimum to sew a button back onto a shirt). One step up from the simplest option, a sarong. I would say that-in terms of complexity-you are aiming for one level above what I have been trying to do.

Hi Grok, nothing wrong with that and I hope that you're able to use that as a starting point. There's plenty of information online regarding sewing. If at all possible (and you don't already), I would recommend getting a sewing machine as it does speed things up considerably.

Hi Seb,

That's great. If you were to use a shirt as a base pattern with an attached skirt, would you cut it shorter for the bodice / skirt seam, and if so where do you think looks best for that seam to be proportionally?

I like to put it at my natural waist, I think it looks more balanced. Jeans waist would probably need some chest pocket or something else to adorn to not make the top look too plain imo. Not sure about high waists, they look great on women where they have something to emphasize, but on men it just looks like a small kids dress.

I added a 5cm strip on my last one, with belt loops to define a top and bottom better and I like the result of it.

The dress you made looks really good, and the way it has a strip at the waist makes it almost look like a separate skirt and top.

[Seb]

The dress you made looks really good, and the way it has a strip at the waist makes it almost look like a separate skirt and top.

Thanks, the material is just plain woven cotton, so its a hell to keep wrinkles free. But its very comfortable, I designed it as a prototype hiking dress, I think for the real thing(other than a change of fabric) the skirt will probably be a circle to ligheten it a bit and the pockets smaller, the size they are things in the pockets keep sliding in between my thighs on longer walks.

I had it out a few times on trail, and once bushwhacking/trailblazing when I was mapping out an alternative route around a big clear cut on my local trail.

Without a belt it certainly not mistaken for being two pieces, but with a belt it really does look like a shirt tucked in.

[robehickman]

The dress you made looks really good, and the way it has a strip at the waist makes it almost look like a separate skirt and top.

Thanks, the material is just plain woven cotton, so its a hell to keep wrinkles free. But its very comfortable, I designed it as a prototype hiking dress, I think for the real thing(other than a change of fabric) the skirt will probably be a circle to ligheten it a bit and the pockets smaller, the size they are things in the pockets keep sliding in between my thighs on longer walks.

I had it out a few times on trail, and once bushwhacking/trailblazing when I was mapping out an alternative route around a big clear cut on my local trail.

Without a belt it certainly not mistaken for being two pieces, but with a belt it really does look like a shirt tucked in.

Sounds good to me, what kind of fabric do you think would be a better fit? Have you made a lot of clothing besides these two dresses?