Browzwear: Pomona from Anna Allen

I was pleasantly surprised when I created my Pomona shorts and discovered that the center grainline was balanced correctly for my body. I have struggled in the past with fitting pants that lack a side seam. When I made my shorts, I hoped to apply my laser-level method to learn more about how pants with no side seam would drape, but I didn’t have the opportunity since they already fit. This post will compare the narrow and wide versions of the Pomona pants. Additionally, I will explore the properties of the center grainline as it relates to pants without a side seam.

Wide-Leg vs Narrow-Leg Versions

The Pomona pants come in two versions: wide and narrow legs. The wide-leg version is in blue, and the narrow-leg version is in red. The process of fitting these pants was a bit challenging, especially when it came to deciding where to position the front and back center grainline. Despite the pattern having a mark for side seam placement, my usual method of finding the center of the hem could not be applied this time. I use the middle of the hem to position the center grainline when the pants have separate front and back pattern pieces. However, the Pomona pants don’t have a side seam, so I needed another method.

Whether wearing the pants or using VStitcher, I marked the center grainline along the crotch level. To find the center grainline, stand before a laser level, lining up your ankle and the midpoint of your knee. The point at which the laser crosses the horizontal crotch level is your center grainline position. From there, draw a vertical line down to the hem and up to the waistline.

Here is how the two versions look on the avatar. This avatar is wearing size 20 of the Pomona pants. The avatar’s bust is 46.5 inches, waist is 39 inches, and hips are 49 inches. The wide-leg version is displayed with a blue background, while the narrow-leg version has a red background, just like the flat diagrams above. On the right side of the avatar, a thin white vertical line originating from the crotch level marks the avatar’s center grainline. In other words, the white vertical line represents the laser level. By observing the hem, you can see if the center grainline on the pants matches the avatar’s center grainline. The wide-leg version turned out to be almost perfect, which happened to be the version I utilized when creating my shorts. The wide-leg version only has a slight deviation towards the side seam. On the other hand, the narrow-leg version has a noticeable deviation towards the inseam. If I had opted for the narrow-leg version, I would have faced the challenge of having to adjust the center grainline correctly for my body. Thankfully, the Pomona shorts are based off of the wide-leg version!