Lingerie Design: A Complete Course

This book sounded promising but I couldn't find the kind of review I wanted before purchasing it so I'm making it in case anyone else goes looking for it. First off, this is a very thorough, very solid base with attention to details without getting too complicated. If you're new to pattern drafting, it goes into enough detail to teach a beginning or be a reliable guide and reminder for an intermediate. It goes through a number of basic shapes of undergarments and foundation garments, giving construction tips, a swift historical overview for those who are interested in that, types of fabric you can use and how to use them. It tells you how to make a sloper/basic block for non-stretch AND stretch fabrics, how to lay the pieces of garments that could benefit from stretch so that they may use the stretch in the most optimal form. It also gives you a lot of different ways to decorate your creations but leaving the field open for you, giving you the basics on how to alter basic patterns you've drafted to give your decorations space. One of my favourites was the sections that dealt with lace, appliqués, how to make and securely attach appliqués made from lace fabric and lace inserts. It also gives you sizing charts and explains them in decent detail as well as online suppliers in the UK, US and even one in Australia. As someone who's studied the making of proper corsets/stays, I would advice to take heed. While, yes, this book DOES touch upon and gives the same amount of attention to proper corsets, there is A LOT more to know and learn about corsetry. If your main interest are corsets, I would recommend you to get another book instead or in addition to this one. This book gives a good base but it is for MODERN corsets that still remain true to their predecessors (proper boning, lacing, etc). It just isn't one of this book's main foci. TL;DR All in all, it's a great book, well worth the money. It'll suit beginners as well as those of you who've studied this art before or hold experience from other avenues and are looking for a refresher or to delve into lingerie making. Pros: Highlights and teaches most basic forms of lingerie Teaches drafting Teaches material knowledge Provides construction tips Provides sewing techniques Provides decoration methods Basic specification sheet for bras (basic info you give the manufacturer if you were to make your creations on a larger scale) Cons: Like any course, it's a start. An in-depth start but a start nonetheless. Only a specification sheet for bras Noteworthy: This is a book on modern lingerie. That means the 20th century onwards, ca 1930 at its earlier and onwards. It's a large, decently weighted, medium-soft cover book (that won't fit through 90% of all letterboxes attached to doors out there).

I’ve had a look at quite a few of the bra and lingerie construction books that have been printed over the past few years out of a need to find a pattern for myself that ticks boxes the ready made shop selection do not offer. (Mainly comfort, size, fabric and price). Some books suggest that they will show knowledge and give away patterns only to be laughably under-researched or tested in the ‘field’. Well, that is not the case here, in my opinion. This is a fabulous book, rich in detail, both printed word and historical photography. There are photos of iconic bras that set a style of design, illustrating a chapter or a just a pattern to make up using previously derived measurements and basics. The chapters seem to me to be laid out in a logical progression, (unless you prefer historical progress to start with boned full corsets) and I really feel that I have got my money’s worth in this book. I love reading it, never tire of the photos and deriving more toiles from another design suggestion. So far I have made 4 different types of bras and look at bras now as engineering bridges!

Just got my copy of the book! This is the book I was waiting for! It is even better than I expected - filled with detailed pattern drafting, construction and sewing techniques. It shows how to draft pattern slopers and how to manipulate them to change design. So excited to dive into serious lingerie making. This book will teach how to draft and craft all different types of lingerie garments(slips, panties, sleepwear, petticoats, different kinds of corset garments, girdles, and bras)! My only complaint - There are some bubbles trapped under the book cover, otherwise it would be absolutely perfect!

Really informative book with a good introduction. The book arrived quite damaged on all the edges, I can only assume from transit as it was only in a bubble wrap envelope. A bit of a shame for the price but overall it's a good book.

Good for any student doing fashion, fashion books are expensive on Waterstones the book is £40, so it is saving me as a student money I need for other equipment. The book is so detailed and helpful, the best contour fashion book I have found.

Just what I was looking for ! Book amazing, lots of technical details and explainations. Very detailed information. I am more than happy Will buy another copy for my friend Thank you, dear Pamela, for your amazing work on this book. It will be No.1 for many people.

My book just arrived,so pleased with the item,all you sewers out there its a must,so much detail,am going to be doing some lingerie out of this so excited to start

I have just gotten my copy. Excited to finally learn more about lingerie design, as a person already having a masters in fashion design but not feeling particularly strong in pattern cutting, this book seemed great. Until I started to draw my first sloper. The measurements shown there are not specific, especially for a person who is not experienced it should be way better explained. Later on in instruction there are required suddenly different measurements not mentioned in first table that should technically be a base for our pattern. And I’m not stuck at the step 13 where there suddenly shows up a ‘dart measurement’ which has not been mentioned before and I have no idea where to take it from so overall it feels like the description is not really specific. Even the pictures are not really a great representation of what description says ( for example description says half but on a picture it clearly is not a half) so I’m personally a bit confused. Especially with pattern cutting precision seems to be super important and I think it’s crucial to explain it properly. I also didn’t see a very specific description about how to later sew it, or what tools and fabrics to prepare to each garment- apart from really brief beginning talking about fabrics overall- I wish this was better thought-thorough and predictive the next step so the reader would know exactly what to prepare before begging to do something and not realise in the middle that we miss something apparently crucial. I hope the next chapters are better but so far- not good unfortunately