Slightly Dropped Shoulders at The Row

Slightly Dropped Shoulders at The Row

Slight Dropped Shoulders at The Row | The Cutting Class. Pre Fall 2020.

The Row, PF20.

Quiet, minimal collections usually require slower viewing to appreciate the details because it is the small tweaks that make the difference. In the case of The Row’s Pre Fall 2020 collection, there was a very slightly dropped shoulder that looks carefully shaped to create a gently rounded silhouette.

Experimentation with shoulder silhouettes has been around a lot the last few years and the dropped shoulders usually fall into one of two camps. Either it is an all-round, oversized fit where the shoulder seam is extended as a straight line, and the sleeve simply drops off the end (like a set-in sleeve on an oversized jacket). Or the sleeve head is also adjusted so that the excess fullness of the sleeve head is removed, and the whole piece is cut so that the sleeve assembly is flatter and easier to sew (think an oversized shirt, where there is no excess ease in the sleeve head).

In The Row Pre Fall 2020 collection, it’s not really either of these. It’s more like a slipped shoulder that has fallen just off the shoulder point. To create this silhouette, the shoulder seam appears to taper off very slightly just as the shoulder seam crests over the apex of the shoulder, drawing slightly in towards the armhole before the set-in sleeve is applied. The result is that there is an awareness of fitting to the exact location of the shoulder point, which is more precise and leaves the wearer with a closer fit. Whereas the by-product of a dropped shoulder would traditionally be lots of excess volume around the shoulder and armhole for the wearer to wallow in. In a way, it’s as though the shoulder seam is slightly taking over the role of some of the usual sleeve head volume, so the ease in the top of the sleeve head itself might be backed off as well.

Slight Dropped Shoulders at The Row | The Cutting Class. Sleeve drops slightly off shoulder.
Slight Dropped Shoulders at The Row | The Cutting Class. Soft, rounded shoulder, no harsh shoulder pad.
Looks from Pre Fall 2020 at The Row. Black shirt over white turtle neck. The Cutting Class.
Slight Dropped Shoulders at The Row | The Cutting Class. Shoulder seam appears to taper towards the sleeve.

There are some other nice details at work, such as elongated necklines and pointed collars that sit lower on the décolletage to create an elegant line.

On one vest there is also evidence of a trade-off. The tailored, sleeveless vest uses a white lining, and at the front of the vest, the edge is supported by a facing that would flow down from the lapel and around the front hem edge.

However, the light lining does show through at the armhole. Here is where you sometimes need to make a trade-off. You could add an armhole facing to prevent the light lining showing at the armhole, but you do run the risk that this could add bulk over the shoulder, and possibly encourage scorch marks in the front of the vest every time the garment is pressed.

Slight Dropped Shoulders at The Row | The Cutting Class. Front facing has been used with white lining.
Slight Dropped Shoulders at The Row | The Cutting Class. Armhole facing could also be used to prevent lining showing but this would increase bulk.
Slight Dropped Shoulders at The Row | The Cutting Class. Low cut neckline / collar on pale blue trench.
Slight Dropped Shoulders at The Row | The Cutting Class. Low cut neckline / collar on shirt and trench Pre Fall 2020.
Slight Dropped Shoulders at The Row | The Cutting Class. Low cut neckline / collar on black shirt Pre Fall 2020.

There are also a couple of examples of the dropped shoulder cut that uses the flatter sleeve assembly. In these examples, you can see how the armhole sleeve sits much further down the arm, and there is no fullness on the sleeve to be eased into the armhole.

Slight Dropped Shoulders at The Row | The Cutting Class. Looser dropped shoulder styles extend further past the shoulder point.
Slight Dropped Shoulders at The Row | The Cutting Class. Pre Fall 2020 leather handbag.
Slight Dropped Shoulders at The Row | The Cutting Class. Looser dropped shoulder styles extend further past the shoulder point on cream shirt.
Slight Dropped Shoulders at The Row | The Cutting Class. Cream shirt with contrast white on inner cuff and placket bind, PF20.
Pre Fall 2020, The Row | The Cutting Class. Oversized knit with large knit ties.
Slight Dropped Shoulders at The Row | The Cutting Class. Pre Fall 2020 leather handbag and dark red knit turtleneck.

Images of The Row Pre Fall 2020 from therow.com»

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Blog Comments

Sorry but I think this rounded shoulder look is very, very sloppy and one I won’t sew. I’m so glad I sew and don’t have to rely on RTW.

It would be lovely to see examples of the pattern drafts of the styles in these newsletters.

Hi Kylie, There wasn’t examples of the dropped shoulder in this instance, but you can see the same idea discussed in the article: Shaping the Shoulder Curve: The Dropped Shoulder and the Set In Sleeve»

Good to have you back!

Thank you!

I am so happy you’re back!! This is my favorite website for anything related to fashion and has really helped me to develop as a designer <3

Thank you Jenny.

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