I recently got this question from a Patron:
I’d love to know about your process when planning projects and making design decisions within a gender expansive lens. So many resources are created within the binary, so how do you navigate the process of creating garments that feel affirming to you? And what approaches do you take to creating a silhouette that feels good to you? Maybe this sounds kinda simple, but I find it really interesting and is a process that I am also invested in!
Truth be told, this is far from a simple question, and in fact I think about how my personal style intersects with my desire for gender expansive clothing all the time.
First of all, I have to clarify I am fairly impermeable to external influences when it comes to style and especially fashion. I mostly self draft these days, and that allows me complete creative freedom as well as clothes which never were conceived with the binary in mind. Having said that, I still live in the world and not as a hermit on top of a mountain, and I also collaborate with several pattern companies so I still am exposed to less than expansive designs.
So, how do I tackle this?
To begin with, I make a distinction between the body and the aesthetic.
I am often asked if I’m going to alter my body in any way, be it by HRT or surgery. While I believe this is a very important and personal option for many trans folks, it is 1. rude to ask strangers so don’t and 2. not my choice as of now. On the contrary, I believe for myself that the body is the body, and there’s nothing more to it than just that. The body is, for me, a vessel for my personality and therefore exists in a way that transcends binaries. Yes, I am very obviously AFAB, and so? I refuse to let flesh trap me into a construct which doesn’t serve me. I therefore decided to adapt clothes to my body and not vice versa, which is, if you come to think of it, a quintessential component of sewing to begin with.
This brings us to the second part of my distinction: the aesthetic, for which I mean the style one chooses, their presentation if you will. Personally, I want to achieve a specific silhouette which some people may call masculine-of-center (though I personally resist such binary pigeonholing, as I discussed in my Love to Sew interview, because I find it in fact reactionary). I like sharp lines, gently oversized garments, and classic tailoring, which is what I sew most. I also like jumpsuits and open backs, so I sew those too.
Basically, I wear what I want.
Now, I don’t what to make it sound like I live in a post-gender paradise over here, quite the opposite. Because society still sees me as a woman – the assumption everyone makes when seeing boobs, it would seem – I have to tackle the issues society puts me through as a woman (which I am not) on top of the discrimination I get as a trans person. However, clothing is the one thing which is within my control, so I do exercise it. In addition, and more pertinently to the original question, most resources for sewing are geared towards a particular body-to-style complex, rather than targeting specific alteration for specific issues. I yet have to find a tutorial to achieve the perfect fitting jacket back without making the front also close fitting, for example. Don’t get me started with the fact that you can find 15 ways to make a bodice block, but zero on how to make the same block concealing breasts/minimizing emphasis on the breasts by bust shaping (btw all these issues could be solved with drape cut which is apparently unknown?!).
So, to answer the question, what I end up doing is a trial and error design process where I first sketch the idea, then flat pattern cut based on my measurements and the ease I want. This method, common in Japanese as well as Soviet pattern cutting, has you take tens of measurements and it makes sure garments are going to more or less fit off the bat. Of course, because measurements don’t take into account how the weight is distributed, I still need to alter here and there. This spares me the issue of having to dig in hundreds of sewing blog posts starting with “ladies”, not to mention the fact that most commercial patterns as well as fitting alteration books start from with assumptions that each sex is supposed to “look” and need alteration in a specific way. To clarify, with this I mean there’s an emphasis on AFAB people fitting in a certain way (emphasis on breasts, soft shoulder draft, hip hugging designs…) vs AMAB people fitting in a different way (sure shoulders, flat chests, monobutt…). This is, in my option, not only exclusionary but also not taking into account the variety of bodies people have regardless of their assigned sex.
Honestly, I wish more resources based on geometry and overall body shape rather than sex/expected body type related to said sex were available. The only way I can see I can fix this issue is by my own personal trial and error, reading as much as I can especially tailoring books and blogs, and listening to my inner voice when it comes to what I want and what makes me feel comfortable.
I realize I went on a bit of a tangent but hopefully I answered the question. Let me know your thoughts in the comments.
Cheers
E
Making&Candor 