The Oxford English Dictionary
first records dressmaker in 1803. Throughout the nineteenth century
and until the rise of ready-to-wear, most women who did not make
their own clothes at home employed a local dressmaker, who copied
or adapted the latest clothing ideas from Paris based on printed
illustrations called fashion plates.
Today, custom dressmakers fill a niche between haute couture and
ready-to-wear, and are often employed for one-of-a-kind special
occasion dresses, such as wedding gowns and prom dresses. |
