Never Ever Abuse Your Tailor

There are Consequences.....

Many of us know that a little tailoring improves just about every garment you own. It makes any item, fit like it was meant especially for you. The arm length is at your perfect spot: elbow, bracelet, or even half way down your hand to help distract from those pesky hard to remove dark spots. When a garment fits your shoulder line and ends at the thinnest part of your arm and your hem line flatters your leg, let’s face it…you are just a better version of you.

We have all seen something of the Paris fashion scene, even if it was only in “The Devil Wears Prada”, where the runways are ablaze with extreme couture designs and where Anna Wintour is seated out in the front row with helmet hair that never changes. Each one of those Versace, Chanel and Armani pieces paraded on runway are eventually custom made for their crème de la crème buyers. They are made and tailored to fit that client’s body with exquisite detail and precision which is why they look so incredible in all those “Don’t you wish you were me” Instagram pics. Red Carpet celebs, same thing, excruciatingly tailored and sometimes literally sewn into those, “flaunt your assets” gowns.

Fit is everything. Next time you are walking through your local Banana Republic, take a peek behind one of their cleverly dressed mannequins. Look for one wearing a dress or a blouse. Check out their backside. Eyes only. If you start touching, the sales people will quickly look for security. Take note of how you find the garments. Notice how they are pinned tighter in the back, by a series of Office Supply black clips. The store dressers are trying to persuade us that these must have’s, will fit and flatter our human form, when they are really just misrepresenting this season’s boxy and poorly made items hoping that you will be romanced into buying them. Which happens especially if you neglect to try it on first.

Why do they do this? Probably because boxy and shapeless is cheaper to make but quite simply not as enticing to ogle and buy.

My advice. Don’t buy those. No one needs to do that to themselves.

As for me, 90% of the time, my jackets, coats, tops, dresses, skirts, and jeans when purchased off the rack, are too long, even if they are a petite size.

Yet, every so often, the sun shines bright, the angels sing and I do find something I like that I don’t need to adjust. Maybe a skirt or a simple sleeveless dress. Not just from the girl’s department either. Perhaps the length just grazes the knee on most people, but because I like midi length, it happens to work. The gods of fashion once smiled upon me when I found a cropped ankle skinny jean, which turned out to be the perfect regular length on me.

Haleluja! So far, never happened again.

Also, I have learned a few tricks that will occasionally allow me to actually not tailor an item.

So, like a cheap Las Vegas illusionist, I will do the following:

♥️ I shorten long sleeves by pulling them up to three quarter length.

♥️ I shorten a knit top with safety pins on the side seams or create a knot in the hem.

♥️ I shorten denim by cutting the hem and fraying it.

♥︎ I no longer ruche up the super long legs of my skinny jeans because it just looks

like I have hair scrunchies on my ankles.

BTW, scrunchies are making a fashion resurgence, but only for your hair.

Other than that, everything for me, needs an alterations tweak or two. Otherwise I look like I got caught in one of those 1950 movie shrinking machines where I shrunk but my clothes did not. Hey, maybe I could be Ant Man’s new sidekick! Doesn’t he end up naked when he returns to full size though?

And this is why you must find a good, even an excellent tailor, so you are not left naked or lopsided. Not the so-called tailor at the dry cleaners, either. They might hem your pants but you could probably use a stapler and get close to the same results.

I mean a good qualified tailor. One that knows about French seams and how to take a sleeve up from the shoulder if they need to. One that can give you a hem on your jeans that look like the original. One that can adjust a pants rise and not give you ladies camel toe or you boys, moose knuckles. A real seasoned, maybe even trained in Europe with an Italian accent, tailor.

I can dream.

You will need to test any potential tailor you find. Try starting them with a simple dress or sleeve hem to adjust. Then work up to an older jacket. Not a new one, because you need to see their craftsmanship before you bring in your good stuff.

Oh yeah…and this is important….it will cost you for decent work. $$$

Don’t argue the price.

This is not swap meet, you are not in Tijuana.

This is a talented professional with a skill set you do not possess nor would you have the patience or time to learn.

Believe me, I have tried to cut corners and hem my own jeans, after googling a u-tube video about “How to hem your jeans with their original hem”. Five hours later, two spools of thread and with my work area looking like a blood splatter crime scene, my favorite pricey designer skinnies might as well have come from Walmart.

FYI. I searched for a few years trying out people who held themselves out as tailors, until I found her, my new master tailor. Right then, I was determined to make her my new bestie. When I see her, I always smile and ask her about her life. I actually mean it too. I never quibble about how long it will be, nor the cost. I don’t make demands or ask her to bump me up because I’m entitled. I appreciate her. She does an amazing job. She takes her time. She makes me look good…well, my clothes at least. I still rely on my colorist, hairstylist and a few others and I do need my magnifying mirror and that extra hour in the AM.

Personally, I find that it is essential to respect and value the people in my life who do things for me that make my life easier, or better in some way. The things that I can’t or am not willing to do. I believe that paying for a service does not mean I should act entitled and better than someone. I mean people like my postman, my gardener, carwash boys, grocery and retail sales persons, wait staff, the girl that checks me in at my gym, manicurist, ladies who do waxing and eyebrows (tough and intimate jobs you don’t want messed up, trust me), my dry cleaners, the list is endless.

My point is that I need these people, especially my tailor. Well…. and my colorist. I will absolutely never ever abuse, demand, insult or condescend to my tailor. She is all powerful. Like a female Great and Mighty Oz. She is an essential and true asset to my personal image no matter how I manage to mess up styling myself each day.

Same goes for my hair stylist, because I don’t like a bowl cut style or Betty Page bangs on me.

Lastly, I certainly never want to hear “Sorry Adeline, I think we left that wax on a bit too long. This might sting a bit”.