Tailor
[5] In England, the Statute of Artificers, passed in 1563, included the profession of tailor[a] as one of the trades that could be entered only by serving a term of apprenticeship, typically seven years.
The apprentices, often beginning their training as young adolescents and indentured to the master by their parents (for a fee), performed menial tasks such as cleaning, managing the fires to heat the pressing-irons, running errands, and matching fabric and trims.
Apprentices were also taught the "tailor's posture", to sit cross-legged on a raised board or bench while they sewed.
By reputation, tailors were generally presumed to drink to excess and to have effeminate tendencies (likely because of the view of sewing as a woman's activity).
[7] Many tailors became virtually blind from the extensive hours of stitching by hand with only candelight to illumine the work.
Tasks grew more specialized; by the end of the century, one individual might focus solely on collars and sleeves.
The unrest eventually influenced Parliament to establish rules for wages, hours, and working conditions in the tailoring industry.
[8]: 241–8 The British census in 1851 identified 152,672 tailors, more than the entire railway industry at the time, and that number increased throughout the century.
[c] By then, living and working conditions of many tailors had deteriorated, but the trade was still the fourth largest of London professions.
Tailors who worked outside of workshops began to use their wives and family members in manufacturing garments, which increased their production to maximize their incomes.
When the Statute of Artificers was repealed in 1814, it abolished the apprenticeship requirement and so tailors could no longer control admission to the trade.
Over the years, additional areas were padded to provide an understructure that helped the garment lie neatly on the body.
By the late 18th century, publications that not only printed patterns but also gave directions for cutting and layout were widely available.
This is due to different climates and cultures in the world, causing "house style" cuts of the trade.
Since the United Kingdom has a cooler climate than (for example) the Mediterranean, the cut of the British is heavier, and bears a greater military influence.
This style of canvassing has 3 layers, a wool or camel-hair canvas for the body, a horsehair chest piece for the breast area, and a flannel domette for a more masculine pronounced bulk.
An Italian cut suit offers a flattering shape with soft tailoring, aiming for the most attractive appearance for the wearer.
Since Italy lies in southern Europe and has a warm climate, the Italian tailors developed a cut that was light and cooler to coincide with the conditions.
