Some quick and easy ways to tailor your wardrobe and what to remember to purchase to make it easier to tailor in the future, just so it fits you better, especially if you’ve lost weight recently or are just looking to refresh what you’ve got instead of buying brand new items.
Velvet, Transparent Fabrics, Layered Fabrics, Beaded Fabrics or Decoratively Stitched Fabrics are hard to work with, so avoid buying an item in those fabrics that need a lot of alteration if you can help it.
Most pieces can only be altered one size up or down. If you want to let out a garment, make sure there’s a ½ inch allowance (extra fabric) at the hem and seams
Possibly the most neglected alternation is the one that improves the women’s look most dramatically and is among the easiest for tailors to do is to pull the fabric up at the shoulders to prevent the garment from drooping across the bust and bunching at the tummy. The tuck creates a clean line on any body type.
Buy pants to fit your bottom. Legs and waists can be more easily altered.
If you look boxy in your trousers, ask your tailor to narrow them a bit along the inside back seams
If you aren’t sure where to hem your skirt, right below the knee at the thinnest part of your leg is the most flattering length for anyone.
Cut out the front pockets on your pants, since they bunch as you move around, it could look like you’ve lost 3 pounds
Before you buy a garment give it a good squeeze for 20 seconds. If it bunches and looks wrinkly like an unmade bed, that’s how you’ll look wearing it.
Every brand bases its sizing on its fit model which is a woman the company thinks represents their average customer and has a body that appeals to the designer’s vision. That’s why sometimes you’re a size 6 and a 10.
Vanity sizing is also a big issue – they over very generous cuts on clothing at mass merchandisers, and they think that if you buy a smaller size in clothing you’ll buy more of them, which.. is kinda true. I get a thrill when I see that I’m a size or two smaller. Apparently I’m a Size 2 at Banana Republic but a Size 6 at Smart Set?
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sadly 'vanity' sizing is leaving a lot of us in the dust. I am what used to be considered a true size 0…23" waist, 34" hips, 4'8" and about 85 – 90 pounds depending on the day of the month. Thanks to size 10's who wish they were size 2's, there is no such thing as clothing that will fit me. Girl's department is worthless as they are not proportioned correctly. I cannot tell you how depressing it is to have everything, even petites, bag all over the place because some folks want to feel good about overeating….
Hey I\’m with you. I hate vanity sizing. I\’m about a size 2 now, but I should be at least a 4 or a 6. If I go down to 0 soon I\’m screwed because I won\’t be able to buy clothes any more!
Lisa: I like vanity sizing too, but it’s frustrating not to know what to pick off the rack to try.
And a tailor to hem jeans properly is a MUST!!! With an Euro hem.
I love vanity sizing. Sorry, but I am a sucker for anyone who will tell me I am a size 2. I also lie to myself that the Starbuck’s White Chocolate Mocha isn’t as fattening if I get it with Skim milk… Denial is a wonderful thing at times.
Best clothing tip I for petite people – BUY your clothes in the petite department. I hated that but once I figured out the cut of the clothes were proportionate and looked better, I got over it. And find a GOOD tailor who can put the hem on a pair of jeans properly!!
Vanessa: LOL! I think I’m a 4 or a 6.. ranges from 2-6, small to xl… it’s so effed up
I have this size difference too. At BR I am also a size two, but at other store larger sizes. Hey, it’s a lie I can live with and I figure I’m somewhere in the middle!
Frugal: I totally agree. And cheap outfits use cheap fabrics too – so they don’t tailor well.
Isn’t it amazing how a little tailoring can change the look of your clothes so drastically? A cheap outfit usually looks cheap because it doesn’t fit properly off the rack. Tailor it to your body and then *poof* suddenly it looks like it set you back hundreds of dollars.
(Of course, it works both ways and an ill fitting designer outfit looks cheap.)