Baggy vs Drape

Jun 14, 2024

I should retitle that Drape vs Baggy.  In so many of my classes, particularly my woven pant pattern class, I would have almost knock-down, drag-out discourse on the difference between Baggy and Drape and why drape was so incredibly chic and baggy was something that Karl Lagerfeld might say, "It shows you have given up!"  

Here's a little video from one of my new finds on Instagram @AskOkey - a tailor promoting a draped⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ suit rather than the skin-tight Italian rage in fashion with men's suits.  

He makes a very interesting comment:  "Baggy doesn't mean full."  And he's so right.  So many people confuse the two, thinking that anything that doesn't fit skin-tight is baggy and well, full must fit into the baggy category because it's not skin-tight!

To qualify the difference, no one would ever call the garment on the left baggy, and yet the garment on the right is baggy - really?

So, what qualifies as baggy and what qualifies as drape? Both are NOT skin-tight, so they are baggy (according to today's fashion mores).  

But let's examine this comparison closer to determine the line between baggy and well-draped pants.  

First, there is movement in this outfit.  You can tell when Amal walks there's a flow and sway to the fabric.  I like to call this the sashay factor where you sway around and actually enhance or even exaggerate your movements like some flow of water swishing from one side to another.  OK - I know that sounds a little poetic, but a good drape like this can truly be art in motion.

To the contrary, there is no movement here, there is simply drop and sag.  That is not a drape.  There is no intention here to have any elegant drape to the garment.  Not only that, but the blobbed garment doesn't move, and only masks what might be pretty neat hips and legs.

There is a purpose to the drape, whereas with the baggy, there is no purpose, other than too much fabric.    What's really sad, is that the whole concept of drape, like this:

If anyone in the world thinks that this lovely drape is just happenstance, or worse, automatically occurs, let me tell you it doesn't - ever.  This gorgeous drape didn't happen by accident.  It happened with a ton of planning.  Granted Bacal was a model and knew how to stand and how to look casual even though she very well may have been horribly uncomfortable, although I can't even imagine that in these pants.  But do not think this sort of drape is baggy either.  The attention and hang, pitch and shape was all very intentional and very planned.  

Here's this classic shot of a pants pattern fitting.  The view on the left is usually how we start. We think that if there's a wrinkle here or there, then we can take it up and it will disappear. Of course, we are left with a complete profile of our body after half a life of living, and it looks horrible.  

Now, let's shift our focus to the second shot. This one is cut with additional fabric, a technique that enhances the elegant drape. The fabric flows seamlessly from the fullest part of the body to the bottom, creating a single, graceful line. This is a prime example of a fantastic drape executed to perfection.  

Let this shot sink in for a minute. It clearly defines the difference between skin-tight and a great drape. And you can clearly see there is nothing baggy about these pants.  

This clearly makes the point....

Who has the smaller hips - well in truth they are both the same size, but one looks smaller.  And the real answer here is not what you would expect because the one that looks smaller, has more fabric in the design.  

The view on the left looks smaller because it's straighter.  Tucking in below an apex point (a point that sticks out from the body), always accentuates it.  

This is a pretty discouraging comment on the fashion of women's clothes, but I tried to find a drape and swish to a woman's dress (and if anything should have a swish and drape, it should be women's clothing), but I couldn't find anything.  Apparently, drape and swishing means that you are practically doing poll dancing, and not only would that put my hip out permanently, well but the worst would be visual pollution.  So that isn't going to happen.  In this lovely video above, the movement of the draped pants and the "skirt" of the jacket is classic and beautifully done.  

For as many years as women have been borrowing from men's styles to enhance our own, it seems that we can learn a lot from that little video above in that the contained fabric that causes a drape can make a garment really something spectacular.  

This is part of the reason I love this newer profile or silhouette, mostly using the Sailor Sue from StyleArc as the basis of the whole look. 

Still photos are one thing, but these pants move so elegantly in just the right places that it makes them unique and current instantly.  And yet, there's nothing baggy about these pants in the least bit.  They have a drape and hang to die for.  The stretch jacket is the same.  The RTW version of this stretch jacket would have it about two sizes too small and stretch within the limits of the seams to show every curve and ripple of one's body.  Whereas my version has a nice drape in the skirt and hangs from the shoulders as an above-waist garment should.  

This gets into another part of skin-tight clothing that can't be unseen!  The fact that often skin-tight reveals information that really not only do I not have any interest in seeing, but can be just as polluting as me in skin-tight clothing.  We've all seen enough versions of this that hang out at our local grocery store.  Skin tightness is simply TMI.  Whereas the true allure and ultimate sexiness is the hint at seeing something but not really seeing it at all - the slit in the skirt that might go too high, the dip in the neckline that might go too low, the rise of a sashaying skirt that might go too high.  

All of these are way sexier and don't degrade the wearer's reputation or persona by running around half-nude.  All three of these garments raised a huge fuss and were discussed years after their wearing.  

This comes down to balance and those seven points of a woman's body that Yves St. Laurent so brilliantly talked about...

There are seven accent points of a woman's body.  If she accents too few - covering everything up, she will look like an old bag lady.  If she accents too many, she will look like a tart.  If she shows 1 or 2, she will look stunning and sexy.

Those seven points are easy....

The point is that showing everything gets boring.  Teasing is way sexier.  To wear skin-tight clothing is boring.  To have the fabric drape so that it moves elegantly around your body is much more elegant, sexy, and, above all, professional.  It is far harder to create that drape than to stretch a fabric within the ripping point of the fabric.  I don't want to know that much about your body, and I don't care how many doctors have worked to give you the shape you think you like.  You like it fine.  But I don't need to know all your secrets and don't want them.  

I'm with the tailor who is working hard to educate the consumer on the beauty of draped clothing instead of that stuff that stretches too tight across your body.  I even like knits and stretch fabrics to drape in my clothing.  They often drape better than wovens.  

So don't be afraid to loosen up the ease and allow a little drape.  Using YSL's Seven Points of A Woman's Body can help you.  Keep one accented and another a mystery.  It's way more fun that way!  

The SewingArtistry Resource Library is designed to contain information to not only make your sewing better, but to aid in you fitting and flattering your shape, size and style.  Check it out. 

Look for future classes coming in 2024
The Core Pattern Shirt, (one of my favorites for woven core pattern that you can make into a myriad of different garments), 
Basic Knit Top (core pattern class for knit basic tops, shells, tees, dresses, and tunics)
 

The Path of a Fashion Trend

Tracking a fashion trend isn't all that hard after seeing a few of them.  Living from Mid-Century Modern through Twiggy...

The Style of the Very Wealthy

It's worth the time to look at these styles, particularly today as there is a group of that wants to look....

WOW!

This is the way fashion used to be -- pretty, flattering and I can't wait to make some of...

To view in browser along with past emails, click here.

We respect your email privacy.

Follow us!