I’ve now made four pairs of the Ralph Pink Coco trousers, and I think I’ve finally got them pretty right. My biggest issue with them was the back, so you’re going to see a few shots of my backview.
I wore my previous version to my patternmaking class at Workspace Fashion and Design School and I could tell immediately that Sarah did not approve. I posted about them here, but here are a couple of photos to remind you of what they looked like
The front view is pretty good, but the back has the usual wrinkles and drag lines that I associate with trousers. These trousers have now been disposed of.
Sarah and I laid my trouser block on top of the pattern and found that the fronts were almost identical, but the back had a couple of important differences. The pattern on the top in the photo below is the Coco Trouser and the one underneath is my trouser block.
What is obvious is the crotch curve is quite different. Sarah explained that because my waist to hip ratio is smaller than a standard pattern block (in other words, my waist is bigger and my hips are smaller), most patterns are too slanted at the centre back seam, which has the effect of creating drag lines further down. By adding fabric at the top of the back and then reducing it on the side seam, I eliminate this problem.
By the time I got round to taking this photo I had already shaved a bit off the hip to match that side of my trouser block pattern, but I thought the difference in the crotch curve was worth sharing.
Although I still look like I have a bit of a crease under my backside, I don’t think I could reduce the fabric any more as I wouldn’t be able to sit down.
I have also worn these trousers a few times, so I suspect that the fabric has bagged out a bit.
The only other thing I didn’t like about this pattern was the side zip. I always find that I get caught in the zip, and have to wrangle my top out of the way when I’m operating said zip. This was an easy fix – I simply moved it to the centre back and it’s so, so much better!
These are the best fitting pair of trousers I own, apart from the others made from my block.
I have decided that high waisted trousers only look good with cropped tops, so I teamed these with my red Miette cardigan, which proved perfect for the cooler spell that we had.
I have also worn them with my self drafted red tee shirt and a belt which I bought back in the 1980s. I included this last photo because it does show that lovely pocket detail.
Flushed with success, I have now applied my jeans block to my Jamie Jeans and they are a much better fit, but I am about to make another pair with a few extra tweaks.