Soldier Second Fitting

Actor Josh in Soldier's Costume

Actor Josh in Soldier's Costume 

This was my second fitting with my actor Josh and my first fitting in top fabric. Over-all I am pleased with how the fitting went. I did have a few things that would good and a few that were not. When Josh first got into the costume I made sure to ask him how everything felt. I was concerned that since the trousers come up so high on his waist that if the shirt was too long it would be uncomfortable. But he assured me that is was fine at the length it was. Aside from an over-all general feeling I also wanted to know how the lining worked in the trousers. When I asked Josh about this he said it was fine and didn't feel bunchy on the inside or anything like that which was a good thing to hear.
Trousers: I think the trousers were my biggest success in the fitting. The fabric looked really great and very authentic and the fit where it was taken in worked really well. I didn't have the braces buttons on so they were just pinned but this is helpful in giving me the correct placement for them. The height of the waist line fit well after it's alteration and the fly front looked neat. There weren't any big changes for the trousers except for adding belt-loops and finishing everything off neatly and precisely. I was cautioned that they would need a lot of breaking down and that might take time.
Puttees: I didn't have the puttee's fabric cut so we just used calico for the fitting. I cut in 3.5inch strips that were wrapped around to see how they would fit and hang. This also gave me a point on the trousers where about they should stop and I marked that with a safety pin to tack in later. Rose and the director liked the width of the calico puttees so I can go ahead and cut them that same width out of the top fabric.

Shirt with taken in Center Front. 

Shirt: The shirt was my least successful part of the fitting. Unfortunately it was some of the same issues that came up in the first fitting, that hadn't been completely resolved. The collar again was to large and really needed to be scaled down to almost half the size it was. The button stand was also a little too wide but in general the shirt was a little too baggy. This posed a big problem for me because of the button stand taking it in wasn't an easy fix. I was worried when we pinned in how much it should go in because I'm not sure how to fix it. This will be a challenge that might need some extra creativity. The other issue with the shirt were the sleeves. The director and our tutors didn't like the gathered sleeve, they felt that it was too pouffy and made him look too feminine. Despite my historical research they suggested that I take the gathering out and make it a fitted sleeve. This really shouldn't be too difficult because I can just fit it into the arm hole by opening up that side seam just a little. The cuffs, however, fit where I took them in for the last fitting which was good. I wasn't sure if they would be rolled up for most of the show, as they were in Rose's design, or if they were going to be rolled down at any point, in which case they would need a cuff button. He is now wearing a jacket for a little in the beginning so I will be adding a button and button hole to cuff of the shirt which is an easy alteration.

Evaluation: I feel that this second fitting was a success and I am happy with the Soldier's costume so far. The trousers I am particularly happy with and feel very rewarded with how I was able to use my research and create samples to successfully create them. I think there was a certain amount of risk in going from the calico toile trousers to the heavy wool because they are such different weights, but it was a very positive transition. I feel confident, at this point, in finishing my trousers within my time plan and finishing them well. I'm glad the calico puttees worked for this fitting but I felt during the fitting that maybe I should have more to show for them. I could have done some dying or breaking down samples for the fitting to show the designer and director. In the future I will be more careful to think of  everything before the fitting and to always bring samples. The shirt was a big disappointment for me. I really felt strong in my pattern choice and I was pleased with the techniques I had used. In the end it comes down to the design and if the changes fit the design better they will be worth the work. This second fitting was a big improvement to my first fitting and a positive step to completing my costume.