Italian Alta Sartoria

Italian Coat Making

A philosophy of comfort and movement rather than structure — taught as a full course, not a taster. Over 16 weeks you’ll take a coat from a blank sheet of paper to a finished garment: measuring, drafting your own pattern, cutting the cloth, building the coat by hand, fitting it, and finishing it in the Italian tradition.

Italian tailoring is the art of the needle. More of the coat is sewn by hand than by machine, stitch by stitch, so the cloth stays light, soft and alive, and moves with the body. You’ll learn not only how each step is done, but why — so the skills carry over to every garment you make afterwards.

What You’ll Learn

Foundations

• Tools, materials and cloth: what a tailor uses, and why
• The essential hand stitches, with focused hand-sewing practice
• Making pocket samples

Drafting & Cutting

• Taking body measurements and reading posture
• Drafting your coat pattern and refining it into a full-scale master pattern
• Preparing the cloth, linings, interlinings and canvas
• Laying out, marking and cutting with the allowances needed for fittings

Construction

• Basting the coat together for your fitting, reading it and marking corrections
• Making the pockets and the front construction
• Shaping the chest and front edge so the coat holds its soft Italian line
• Making and setting the collar, lapels and sleeves by hand

Finishing & Pressing

• Shaping the shoulder and armhole, and lining the coat
• Hand-sewn buttonholes and button setting
• Final pressing and shaping
• Presenting your finished coat

Skills & Techniques You’ll Learn

How You’ll Learn

Hands-on, from the first day. You’ll work on your own coat, with an instructor trained in the Italian tradition guiding every stage and fitting you as you go. Each new technique is demonstrated, then you practise it yourself until it is clean. Because tailoring is learned with the hands, the studio stays open until 17:30 each day for independent practice.

Two traditions, two ways of making a coat. Neither is better than the other. Choose the one that suits how you want to make and wear a coat, or learn both.

Who It’s For

Aspiring tailors, career changers, designers, and serious makers who want to learn a coat properly, from first draft to final stitch — whether you’re starting out or already sew. Tell us about your experience when you register and we’ll guide you on what to expect.

Where It Leads

A Coat Making course is the foundation of the AASE pathway. Complete the suit with Trousers & Waistcoat, study the cutter’s side in Pattern & Cutting, or compare the British tradition. Once you’ve completed a Coat Making course, our Master Courses open up — see all courses.