How often can you put an entire outfit on ‘off the rack’ and have it fit perfectly? I mean, really? If you think about it what percentage of time does this happen for you? 100%? 90%? 50%? 20%? Never? If you answered all the time or even 90% of the time, either you are one lucky woman or you are wearing clothes that don’t fit you properly.
Yesterday, I was shopping at a fun consignment store near me and tried on a jacket. It fit perfectly. Wow! I had a moment when I thought, “Yay…It fits, I’ll get it.” Believe me, that moment was fleeting…until I remembered that I need to be sure the colors were good (check), I had other things to wear it with (check, and I wore it today on a cable TV show), and I loved it (yup!).
Is this a regular occurrence for me? No. At least 75% of anything I buy needs to be tailored in some way whether it’s taken in, taken up, let out, or redesigned in some way (which isn’t as daunting as it sounds).
When you open up to the possibility of tailoring a garment you expand your options considerably. Take something that once was so-so, apply a little well-placed nip and tuck or realigned detail, and there you have it – a garment that is made just for you. Whereas if you try to wear it ‘as is’ off the rack you end up looking like you are wearing someone else’s clothes (which, in essence, you are!).
Somehow we’ve gotten it in our heads that we should be able to go shopping, try something on, and wear it out of the store that day looking great, and if we can’t there is something wrong with us…with our bodies. Let me set the record straight. There is nothing wrong with you. Our bodies are individual. No two are exactly alike. We vary in height, weight, valleys, hills and all kinds of in between curves. To think that one garment could fit everyone who is 5’5 and 140 lbs, for instance, is fantasy!
Okay, so you can all now breathe a collective sigh of relief!
So, how do you know? What do you look for? Let me share with you a formula for shopping success once you find something that intrigues you:
- Take the garment into the dressing room and try it on.
- Complete the outfit as much as possible. In other words, if you try to evaluate a long sweater while you’re wearing shorts and a pair of sneakers, chances are really good you’ll hate it. The parts are incongruent and, as they say, “A confused mind always says no.”
- Once you have it on, decide if you like the basic look. Then look for things that aren’t quite right. Here are a few quick tips to think about:
- Pants, skirts or sleeves are too long. This is an easy alteration. You can waste a lot of time trying to find something that fits perfectly and is the right length when a quick alteration can take care of it.
- Pants, skirts or sleeves are too short. Check to see if there is enough seam allowance to let it down. Do it before you wear it and wash it so that there won’t be a telltale sign you let it down.
- Too big on top. If it has sleeves, this can be a tricky alteration. If it has straps then it’s often a super quick, inexpensive alteration to have the straps adjusted so the top fits in the right places.
- Pants are too big at the waist. This is a common concern. Women either have gapping at the waist or they have to fit their waist and then it bags at the bum. Either way, if it’s minor gapping or bagging, usually it can be tailored to fit nicely. When buying a garment you want to fit the widest part of you first (whether this is your hips, waist, shoulders or bust) and then have the rest of the garment altered. Remember, it is usually easier to take something in than out.
- Top is too long. Have it taken up – even if it’s just a t-shirt. This is usually one of the easiest alterations and one that most people seem to overlook. It can take a garment from looking frumpy to fabulous with a quick flip of the hem.
- Pockets that gap. I often ask myself why they put pockets in women’s trousers! More often than not they gap. And, other than putting a tissue in the pocket who stores anything there – it will just add width to the hip line which most women don’t want to do. If yours don’t gap, you’re lucky. If they do, the easiest alteration (and it will have a big positive payback) is to have the pockets removed and sewn up. Easy and clean!
- Go from the store immediately to the tailor. Too many times if you take it home first it will sit there for weeks or months waiting to go (I know, I’ve done it!).
Those are just a few tips to get your mind thinking in this way when you shop. If you immediately dismiss something because the fit is off you will lose some really great clothing possibilities. Yes, sometimes, the alteration is just too big or can’t be done and then, you can let it go with confidence. But, you will be surprised at how often a minor tweak here or there can make a major difference in how something looks and fits.
This part is really important: Always allow for alterations in your clothing budget. If you can’t afford to make the alteration, don’t buy the garment. And, yes, this is absolutely true…if you aren’t willing to spend the money on the alteration (sometimes people say, “Well, I only spent $19.99 on that top. I’m not going to spend $15 to alter it.”), then, don’t buy it. It will never look right and isn’t worth the initial $19.99 (or whatever) investment.
One more thing: If you don’t have a great tailor, ask someone who does. This is really the best way to make sure you get someone who knows what they are doing. The last thing you want to do is entrust someone with your garment and then get it back and find it is unwearable. I have seen this happen more often than I’d care to, so finding your tailor through a referral is the best way to avoid having this happen to you.
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15 Responses
Ginger,nYou are so right.u00a0 All ready-to-wear does is make women feel that their body is not perfect!u00a0 I would encourage mature women tou00a0find a seamstress or tailor to make a few classicu00a0wardrobe pieces.u00a0 In the long run, it should be less expensive, less frustrating and would help to reviveu00a0a much-needed local small business sector.u00a0 I amu00a0planning tou00a0have some suits andu00a0dressesu00a0custom-made this year.u00a0u00a0u00a0
Having clothes made can be a great option when you find the right person.u00a0 And, there are also smaller boutiques out there that really do want to cater to women who feel disenfranchised from the traditional shopping experience.u00a0 The important part is to find something that makes you feel happy and good about how you look.u00a0 Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
Ginger,
You are so right. All ready-to-wear does is make women feel that their body is not perfect! I would encourage mature women to find a seamstress or tailor to make a few classic wardrobe pieces. In the long run, it should be less expensive, less frustrating and would help to revive a much-needed local small business sector. I am planning to have some suits and dresses custom-made this year.
Having clothes made can be a great option when you find the right person. And, there are also smaller boutiques out there that really do want to cater to women who feel disenfranchised from the traditional shopping experience. The important part is to find something that makes you feel happy and good about how you look. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
I had a summer dress where the lining bulged out at the bustline (it was that slippery kind of lining). The tailor top-stiched it down — and now the dress is perfect. A good tailor is worth his or her weight in gold!u00a0
You said it, Dianna!u00a0 Great example.u00a0 Thank you :-)u00a0
I had a summer dress where the lining bulged out at the bustline (it was that slippery kind of lining). The tailor top-stiched it down — and now the dress is perfect. A good tailor is worth his or her weight in gold!
You said it, Dianna! Great example. Thank you 🙂
You said it, Dianna! Great example. Thank you 🙂
If I might add one more thing… you can prepare yourself for a more productive shopping experience. I have a standard outfit I wear to the store to provide a canvas for prospective purchases. My go-to canvas is kinda like catwoman posing for a mugshot. Black trousers, black jewel-neck or crewneck top, full makeup, removable black socks, neutral pumps (in case I want to try skirts, tee-shirt bra (to mute out anatomical details on sheer fabrics), cross-body bag for hands-free browsing. This enables me to try more garments with minimal fussing. Everyone will have her own unique shopping “canvas” outfit.
Yes, Hollis! Perfectly said. Thank you for sharing this.
I appreciated this article so much that, when it came up as a FB memory post one year after I first shared it, I shared it again. On re-reading, the idea that struck me most was the $15 edit on a $19.99 item conundrum. This recently happened to me. I scored a very cute $19.99 skirt on sale through Chico’s online. (The original price was about $ 65.) When I first wore it, my husband complained that it was “too long”. For him, yes. For business, no. So I flipped the elastic waistband over and snapped on a snazzy belt. Sometimes a workaround is as good as a fix?
That’s wonderful, Hollis! It always feels so good when you find a fashion trick that works. It’s great that it had an elastic waistband that would stay. Awesome! (And, thank you SO much for reposting the article — so appreciated!)