Concept in Definition ABC

It is a noun that is used in feminine but is actually applicable to both genders. In its etymological sense, it refers to the person who is dedicated to fashion. The word fashion designates the tastes and preferences in clothing and comes from the French mode.

The trade of dressmaker has historically been practiced by women

Tailor, dressmaker and seamstress are words that allude to the same activity professional, the manufacture of clothing. While they are very similar terms, they are not exactly synonymous.

The tailor is normally dedicated to men's fashion, while the dressmaker focuses on women's. Despite this initial distinction, in both cases there are common tasks: taking body measurements, cutting fabric, or creating patterns.

As a general guideline, the dressmaker carries out her activity in a small workshop or in her own home and for her training It is necessary to take some type of course (in the dressmaking programs you learn to draw designs and the different techniques for working with garments).

The name seamstress also refers to the manufacture of clothing, but in its dimension less creative (the seamstress is limited to mending clothes or making finishes).

When the activity becomes art there is a change of name

The making of a garment is eminently handmade. However, when the artisan takes on a greater rank it becomes art. This is what happens with the great fashion designers, such as Coco Chanel, Valentino, Karl Legerfeld, John Galiano Giorgio Armani or Carolina Herrera. They are all geniuses of haute couture (the use of the adjective high reminds us that there is a "low" couture).

In haute couture workshops, great designers create ideas and these are embodied in sketches. From this moment on creativity initial begins the work of dressmakers and seamstresses. The end result of this process ends up on the fashion catwalks in Paris, Milan or New York. In these large windows the direction of the new trends.

From the historical point of view, the great revolution Fashion came in the 1950s with the pret à porter, which is French for "ready to wear." Thus, the garments produced began to be mass-produced with standard patterns. The standardization of clothing had a impact negative in the professional activities of dressmakers and seamstresses.

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