To reach an acceptable level of sewing proficiency, I learned from people and entities who were and are still giants in the field of clothing construction. I will forever be beholden to them. One of them was Claire Shaeffer whose depth of first hand knowledge about Haute Couture construction and how it was different from high end ready-to-wear construction, took her expertise to a whole other level. We benefited from that. Here’s only one of my posts where I learned “staying” the armhole in a capped sleeve with elastic: Feel free to click on the link below.

Staying the Armhole the Haute Couture Way

Claire Shaeffer – 1939-2025

Claire is sadly no longer with us, but her extensive contribution to the art of clothing construction (haute couture and high end ready-to-wear) lives forever in her books, videos, and most admirably in her collection of haute couture garments. That collection, I believe, is being housed in Syracuse University’s fashion design department — 2500 plus pieces in all! We’re talking original Chanels and Yves Saint Laurents. Those pieces and Claire’s access into designer ateliers and workshops generated a wealth of information which she imparted to her students and to anyone interested in haute couture clothing construction. An obituary by Threads magazine extolls her accomplishments and her focus on the highest form of dressmaking — the Couture. Be sure to access the link above — there are a couple of surprise photos in there of Claire as a young woman, plying her athletic/gymnastic skills (yep, athletic) developed for joining the circus (yep, you read that right).

For this post, I’ll divulge a couple of my own brief and sweetly funny interactions with her. I’ll even share an image (below) of the time I was a student of Claire, even for a couple days.

“Harry”

The American Sewing Guild’s Houston chapter had invited Claire to the city so that members could learn about the finer ways to sew (versus the quick slap dash way). Well, I enrolled and took my half-finished tweed blazer to get some guidance; the fabric was a wool tweed and had a fuzzy, prickly surface. While we worked with the piece, Claire remarked on how “hairy” the fabric was. By the end of the class, she had dubbed my jacket “Harry”. That was a shared hilarious moment; after the entire event was over we communicated via e-mail where she asked about “Harry”. I was touched that she remembered. Alas, “Harry” remained unfinished for years, and is somewhere out there in a landfill. I’m sorry, Claire.

“It’s amusing me”…..

Another interaction ingrained in my memory is from that same visit. So… the entire class and Claire visited one of our local independent fabric shops Sew Much Fabric (owned by Roz) where we shopped, ogled and handled delicious fabric. Therein, I noticed Claire draping a plaid organza in black and purple in front of the store mirror; in my silly opinion, it didn’t seem like a fabric she would use. What did I do? I asked her about it, silly me. The answer was a cold Garbo-like look at me and she replied: ”It’s amusing me” —- seriously, what better way to make a fabric choice? It must amuse you. Does everything have to be a practical purchase? That put me in my place and I slunk away. I wonder what Claire did with that organza, or has it remained in her fabric collection? She was all for collections and refused to denigrate large fabric stashes, even if they are never made into a wearable; “if people can collect stamps and coins, we can collect fabric — just to look at” (again, I am paraphrasing.)

I will miss you, Claire. Our paths crossed a few times over the years, but slowly petered out. However, I consult her books constantly and until now, believed that she would always be there in Palm Desert, California. May you Rest in Eternal Peace.

In Respectful and Loving Memory,

Samina