The Princess Line Maillot

The princess line is a very traditional design line. It has been adapted to every category of fashion imaginable, including swimwear. It's a very neat technique for hiding the side dart. You can use it for colour blocking or even as a site for hiding gathering in surplice swimsuits. But most of all, it has a gentle feminine aesthetic quality that can be used to enhance the appearance of both bust and waist. School swimwear is the typical place you'd see a princess line in a swimsuit.

The sketch below represents the pattern we're about to make. Firstly you should note there is no side seam. Instead we take both the front and back side panels, created by the princess line, and join them together. This gives us a means to redistribute the side seam curve across two seams for a slightly better fit. This pattern is literally the next step after the tanksuit we created previously. Before you start each step, click on the link marked "Illustration for this Step". A pop up window with an illustration for that step will help guide you through the instructions. At the end of each step your draft should match the illustration.

Step One

Illustration for this Step

On the tanksuit pattern we created previously draft in the front and back princess lines. The front line should form a right angle at the armhole, cross the tip of the dart (do not bring it back up to the bust point - you could even bring it back another 2cm on larger busts), down to a point on the waist exactly below the bust point, and then continue the curve smoothly down to the leg line. The back line should form a line that runs reasonably parallel to the side seam about 4-5cm from the seam. You do not need to overexagerate the curve of the princess line to enhance the figure. Using a darker colour in the side panel will create the illusion of a slimmer body.

Step Two

Illustration for this Step

Separate the panels. Mark a guide line representing the waist line. Mark a second guide line as a long curve that matches the other long design lines in the garment. It should convex toward the front as illustrated. This is an arbitrary curve but works best if it mimics the princess lines.

Step Three

Illustration for this Step

Ok this is the fun bit. Slice the front and back side panels into bite size chunks that you can line up against the guide line as shown. Be sure to close the side dart first. You need to maintain the seam length at the princess lines so do not overlap the pieces.

Step Four

Illustration for this Step

As you might have noticed, the side panel is longer than it was previously even though the seams match perfectly. This is expected and quite OK. you can tweak the width a little at the waist to compensate (as shown) but it's really not necessary (I can't resist the temptation myself). Smooth off the panel.

Step Five

Illustration for this Step

Retrace the panels if necessary. Be sure to clearly label your patterns with a title, panel name, size, cutting instructions, author’s name, date and revision number. Finaly, add seam allowance to the pattern based on how you intend to assemble it. I've shown this pattern with 10mm allowance for overlocked seams (8mm to blade, 2mm off cut) and 10mm for fold over elastics.