By Jane Seaman AICI FLC
I am not sure when, or why, it happened, but at some point we seem to have decided that the term ‘ready-made’ means ‘will fit all’! We make excuses for closets full of multiple sizes; different designers means different cuts! We compromise, and accept, a garment almost fits, no matter the cost. We’ll accept its tight in one area, because going up a size will make the garment too loose. There was a time when we, and the stores we purchased from, would not have accepted ‘nearly‘ in terms of fit, and a tailor would have been on hand to ensure otherwise. Some of the top retail stores still offer tailoring services, but the majority do not.
When it comes to tailoring many raise the question; if having a tailor alter a ready-made garment can cost the same, or not much less, than the garment’s purchase price, why do it? The answer would be, it’s all in the fit!
We each have a unique body shape made up of numerous curves. As a result of our uniqueness it is almost impossible to get ready-made clothes to fit us perfectly. How could any manufacturer construct one garment that would fit every variation of body shape?
Consider this, have you ever tried to gift-wrap a curved object and been successful in getting the paper to sit perfectly without cutting it? Dressing our curvy body is just the same. First we must ensure there is enough fabric to sit on our widest area comfortably. Once this is achieved we then need to cut the cloth in order to fit our narrowest areas. There is a simple rule to ensuring we get a great fit every time. Fit the widest parts of our body first, then tailor in.
If we fit to our widest area and do not tailor in, then the eye will see us as being wide from top to bottom, and we’ll have hidden our curves. If we try to compromise and fit to our narrowest area then the garment tends to be too tight where we our wide. What the eye sees now is something larger under the garment trying to escape, so we seem bigger than we actually are.
A gentleman with broad shoulders must fit a dress shirt so it can be buttoned across the chest. However, with a ready-made shirt this often results in too much fabric in the mid-riff area so now he seems as wide from shoulder to hip. When in fact he normally has a smaller waist-line. Ladies with curvy hips must fit a trouser to the thighs and seat area. This often results in the waist being too loose and the leg width being too wide. Each of these issues can be an easy fix if taken to a tailor.
Yes, it may cost as much to have ready-made garments altered as the retail price paid, but in this age of the shoddy, and quick, mass-constructed, garments, a tailor can still be counted on to champion uniqueness and quality. With a little tailoring our garments will stand out from the rest, we’ll look better, seem slimmer, and we’ll keep the garment longer because we feel, and look great in it.
The art of tailoring, has been around since the twelfth and fourteenth centuries. The Oxford English Dictionary’s first reference to the word “tailor” gives the specific date of 1297. If we have know for so long that tailoring was a smart thing to do, why give up on it now? Here in Houston there’s no reason to accept ‘nearly‘ in terms of fit, for the city is blessed with an abundance of tailors with skills ranging from minor alterations to the highest quality of master tailoring. Don’t compromise, show off the very best of you, it’s all in the fit.
If you would like a better understanding of your unique body shape, then you can learn more about the image consulting services I provide at http://www.imagineconsultancy.com
