Couture Detective: Claire B. Shaeffer
Remembering the days of sleuthing with an author, teacher, and fine garment investigator
I had the pleasure of getting to know Claire Shaeffer over a 10-year period. Work and enjoyment became one with Claire, as we immersed ourselves in the cavernous depths of two of the world’s greatest museum collections of fashion—in Chicago and London.
Like many of us, I came to know Claire Shaeffer’s work through her influential book Couture Sewing Techniques, which was first published in 1993. Her contribution to fashion can hardly be overestimated, as her publications are to the fashion historian and designer as the dictionary is to the literature scholar. After all, a deep understanding of garment construction is indispensable for
the fashion designer and scholar.
Her couture book had a big impact on my career, and when the book was revised in 2001, I was working at the Chicago History Museum and curating exhibitions with its 50,000-piece fashion collection. Claire was a source of inspiration on how to investigate construction and pattern drafting for my work as a fashion curator and historian. Far too often, only the finished product is celebrated in fashion. From runways to the glossy pages of the fashion press, little attention is given to what makes a garment special: Claire’s perspective was different.
Claire Brightwell ShaefferDecember 2, 1939 — January 11, 2025The well-respected couture expert and educator passed away at home in Palm Springs, California. She was 85. Her encyclopedic knowledge of couture garment construction stemmed from her passion for studying garments in museum collections and high-end designer workrooms. She authored more than 25 books. Plus, she shared her expertise through teaching and lectures, YouTube videos, a pattern line for Vogue, and many articles and instructional videos for Threads. She is survived by her sons Charlie III and James, and their families. Charlie remembers how impressed his late father, Charlie W. Shaeffer, Jr., was by his mother’s success on YouTube. Of course, the distinguished cardiologist was proud of his wife’s books, but he took immeasurable joy in her use of the online medium, especially when she reached her goal of 1,000 followers, Charlie recalls. At last count, Claire had 7,400 followers. “She was very passionate about what she did,” Charlie says. Though she talked about slowing down after her husband’s death in 2023, she never retired. Charlie notes that the day before she passed, she had posted a list of the sewing-related projects she was planning to address in 2025. “She was always doing something from a sewing perspective” and, oftentimes, she pursued a sewing challenge simply to see if she could accomplish it. That may have been the case years ago when she made three light blue leisure suit jackets for her husband and the two boys. There were also swimsuits and other garments, and Charlie recalls wearing out a favorite pink-and-burgundy striped rugby shirt his mother had made for him. Then there was the curved loveseat in the family’s living room that Claire had stripped to the bare wood before re-staining and reupholstering it. Charlie plans to keep this cherished antique. “It’s something that I did not want to get out of the family,” he says. Claire involved the family in her sewing pursuits. She and her husband traveled extensively, enabling her to visit museums and designer studios. Her two grandchildren appeared in one book; the added benefit of their paid assignment was the clothes she had made for them. Charlie even remembers accompanying his mother when she took her first book to a small print shop in Palm Springs. There, her compilation of sewing tips was turned into a stapled-together paperback. This book may have been an early version of The Complete Book of Sewing Shortcuts (Sterling, 1981). Charlie, who credits his mother with teaching him how to dress appropriately, continues to have the utmost regard for her life’s work. An engineer in the aerospace industry, he says, “I did not know she had an engineering mind, but as time went on it was obvious that she did. She knew the how and why of things—not just the what. That was her uniqueness.” —Jeannine Clegg |
Uncovering hidden elements
When presented with a newly discovered Christian Dior dress, Paul Poiret coat, or iconic Charles James gown, Claire would relish the rare glimpses of their precious interiors. When possible, we would meticulously study the hidden inner layers, revealing the pattern and construction techniques of the greatest names in fashion. Claire and I shared a passion for trying to decipher what made a garment or designer special. Claire would help me answer questions such as: Were the techniques that we discovered in certain garments “standard” for their time, or was there something special about the approach to design, pattern drafting, and sewing? Did the French atelier of Paquin or American workrooms of Adrian sew two pieces of fabric together differently than at Balenciaga? Could we identify the maker of an unlabeled garment by recognizing and identifying the techniques that were employed? This last question was of a particular interest to Claire, as she attempted to create a fashion “alphabet” in which characteristic technical details, such as a stitch, dart, or pattern, would be the equivalent of “letters” or clues, capable of—when joined together—spelling out the name of the designer, and, therefore, providing an attribution to an otherwise anonymous garment.
Couture details shared
Between 2006 and 2011, I curated annual exhibitions for the Chicago History Museum. On many occasions, iconic garments became available for study, which would easily tempt Claire to the Midwest. We reviewed hundreds of items together, from the mid-18th century to contemporary fashion and haute couture newly acquired by the museum. I knew I had found something special when Claire would enthusiastically exclaim, “I need that for my book!” We would then spend extra time with the piece until she had all the required information. From these sessions, Claire was drawn particularly to nine garments, which she featured in the 2011 revised and updated Couture Sewing Techniques. I recall fond memories of our time together reviewing these nine items, discovering something new together, and determining how best to make the information accessible. The italicized words below are Claire’s own, lifted directly from her book or articles that she wrote for this magazine. Her insights were never short of fully capturing the essence of the garments that she so carefully investigated, giving a powerful voice to the supporting structure that makes a dress a couture dress.
From Dior: The New Look, a 2006 exhibition that highlighted haute couture designs created by Christian Dior between 1947 and 1957, Claire selected a 1953 rose-printed evening dress with a fitted bodice and flared skirt, supported by a separate understructure. Claire featured this dress in a chapter on special occasion garments and underskirts, stating that the silhouette of the dress was built on a corselette with six tulle skirts. I distinctly remember the excitement that we shared while counting the tulle layers and determining the pattern when we discovered, as Claire records in her book:
“. . . only the top skirt was cut on the straight grain in the usual manner. The others were cut on the cross-grain with a single seam. Each skirt was sewn to the corselette by hand with catchstitches.”
A couple of years later, in 2008, Claire selected four garments for her book from Chic Chicago: Couture Treasures from the Chicago History Museum, an exhibition that I co-curated with Dr. Valerie Steele from the Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology. This exhibition highlighted more than 150 of the museum’s top high fashion and haute couture designs, dating back to the 1850s. A rare 1923 Paul Poiret coat caught Claire’s eye and is included in the chapter on pockets, as it
“features two stunning patch pockets embellished with wool embroidery. Designed to flatter the figure, the pocket ‘straps’ are embroidered on the coat and give the illusion of separate hanging pockets.”
Teaching for the teacher
After working together for several years, Claire invited me to teach a weeklong class for her popular Sewfari Workshops, which she held twice per year in Palm Springs, California, for almost two decades. Claire recognized my interest in remaking historic garments and, specifically, clothing and pattern drafting techniques that are seldom used or have been “lost” to time. Claire lived in Palm Springs, so I enjoyed seeing more of her, as well as her family and welcoming home.
Charles James investigation
Back in Chicago, the Charles James: Genius Deconstructed exhibition was in development for several years, providing Claire with ample time to explore the Chicago History Museum’s rich collection of designs by Charles James. Claire not only selected James designs for her updated book, but she also wrote an article for Threads from February/March 2012, in which six of James’s designs are featured, including the reproduction of the understructure to one of James’s famous Clover Leaf dresses. I devised and made the reproduction and regularly called on Claire for her guidance.
Claire wrote several paragraphs on the construction of the 1954 Swan dress by James. Her observations were the result of one of our study sessions, where we carefully reviewed each of the many layers. She insightfully recognized with her characteristic mathematical precision that
“. . . inspired by the bustle designs of the Victorian era . . . James used buttresses to maintain the rounded hipline on many of his designs. A buttress is to the hipline as a shoulder pad is to the shape of a shoulder. This ham-shaped, padded, quilted piece was sewn between the dress layers to make and support the hourglass shape.”
Collaboration across the pond
When I moved to London and began working as a fashion curator at the Museum of London, Claire was quick to accept my invitation to review their collection, which holds garments dating back over 2,000 years. We studied clothing and accessories that had been discovered in archeological digs around London, as well as generations of clothing worn by members of the British royal family. Claire was especially drawn to the garments worn by Queen Victoria, including several designs the royal highness wore while mourning her husband’s death.
Archive additions
More recently, in my work in auctions at Freeman’s Hindman, I assisted Claire in finding special items for her impressive archive of rare and important examples of fashion and accessories. Claire used these items for her publications, workshops, and online tutorials, some of which can be viewed on her YouTube Channel. Claire’s collection of approximately 2,500 items is promised to Syracuse University, where their fashion program will make them available as a study collection.
I am proud of the work that Claire and I did together and am forever grateful for her guidance and education. I am so pleased to know that there is a record of our time together, seen through the detailed instructions that Claire so enjoyed providing.
Through her indefatigable passion for fashion and its making, Claire has become an icon for many to follow. And many are following. The fashion community will always value her unique contributions to the study of garment construction. I was among the privileged who met her in person and could experience her welcoming and enthusiastic personality. Every couture stitch, every unusual pattern in my research will rekindle in me the fondest memories of my friend Claire. I will miss her.
To learn more about Claire B. Shaeffer’s legacy and explore some of her instructional work, read A Tribute to Haute Couture Expert and Educator Claire B. Shaeffer.
Timothy Long is a fashion historian, museum curator, and serves as a vice president at Freeman’s Hindman auction house.
Threads Recommended Products
Threads receives a commission for items purchased through links on this site, including Amazon Associates and other affiliate advertising programs.
Know Me 2064 Vest and Jacket
Vogue 1642
Butterick, Misses’ Shirts and Shorts 6946 and 6947
Log in or create an account to post a comment.
Sign up Log in