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Fashion

Altered state of dress: tailoring tips

10th Sep

What if I told you there is a way you can drastically alter your look without buying new clothes? And what if I added that it can be an even better investment than purchasing something new? Yes, tailoring can breathe new life into an old beloved item of clothing for a more flattering fit. It can also personalize a garment to fit your unique style. When you do want to buy something new, tailoring can allow you to customize a second-hand gem or optimize the fit of a brand new piece. We all have pants or jeans hemmed on occasion, but can definitely be worthwhile to go the extra mile of having off-the-rack clothes adjusted to fit our unique proportions. For details regarding the ideal fit of a suit, my last post might interest you. Tapering of a jacket torso and sleeves can work wonders to give us a slimmer appearance, and just the right skirt length for women gives the appearance of longer, leaner or more shapely gams. My colleague Denine is skilled at dressmaking, a talent which came in handy when she revamped the dress pictured below. [caption id="attachment_61" align="aligncenter" width="439"] A coral panel inserted into the backing of this dress ensures a better fit and adds a burst of color.[/caption] She told me this frock had previously been uncomfortably snug, and so she attached to the backing, a vertical panel of a contrasting coral color. In order to achieve this, two strips of fabric were sewn together with a zipper in the middle. The black line of the zipper fits in perfectly with the geometric pattern of the dress, and the bright burst of color are in line with Denine’s unique flair for wearing vibrant colors. The contrasting texture of the back panel adds additional interest. Denine further personalizes this dress with a matching coral colored belt ornament. I love the way her matching shoes tie the look together. [caption id="attachment_62" align="aligncenter" width="283"] The belt detail is a great way to bring in a bright accent and bring in the color of the back panel.[/caption] So, what do we do if we are not blessed with Denine’s sewing expertise? It is important to exercise due diligence while searching for a tailor. Here are 5 tips to keep in mind: 1) Alteration services at a high end department store (where the tailors have experience working with pricey designer clothing) are a safe bet. If you have been following my blog, it won’t be a surprise to you that I greatly rely on Nordstrom alteration services. High end boutiques or stores can also recommend a skilled tailor. 2) For less specialized or complicated tailoring, it is wise to go with someone rated highly on yelp or by friends. I start off testing a tailor with less specialized (less risky) projects such as hemming jeans, changing buttons, attaching a snap to prevent a blouse from gaping or lingerie guards to keep straps in place. 3) Trust me: don’t even think of going to a tailor at a dry cleaner shop. I learned of the great disparity in skill level among tailors the hard way. After patronizing a highly recommended tailor for a few years, I brought her a Valentino gown purchased for a ridiculously low price at the late and great Loehmann’s. I needed to have the dress modified, since its neckline reached the bottom of my rib cage, exposing the inner half of each of my breasts. I wanted a bra inserted and the gaping gap closed up a bit for modesty, since I didn’t anticipate any walks down a red carpet in my near future. When I returned to try on the altered dress, I struggled to get it over my head and past my shoulders. As my head was temporarily stuck in the bodice, I even started feeling a little light headed. That tailor had simply sewn the neckline together without inserting a zipper! I still fear asphyxiation each time I attempt to pull on or remove the dress. 4) Don’t expect a tailor to be a couturier. Just because your highly esteemed tailor is taking classes in designing her own clothing, it does not mean she can successfully clone a favorite skirt. I am sure it is still an excellent idea, but after an experience (with more gory details), I now realize that that kind of work requires specialized training and experience. 5) Tailoring should not be considered a panacea for any and every issue you have regarding fit. Alterations can get expensive, especially if you want them done right. If too much adjusting is required, it takes, as a very stylish friend of mine reminded me during the writing of this post, "a quality tailor with an engineering degree to alter an item without throwing off another part of it...the issues could cascade. Sometimes it's best to find an item closer to a look [you want] and do little alterations to achieve [the] proper fit." So true! I almost forgot about a pair of Tahari pants I had taken in at the waist. The waistline fit perfectly after the alteration, but I had a perpetual air bubble where the pants billowed out just above my derrière! I had to take the trousers to two separate tailors afterward to finally get them mostly fixed. The best case scenario is, of course, when you can be your own tailor. Alterations can be extremely helpful when we want to project a professional and polished image. Tailoring is, in fact, indispensable on occasion: rarely do our measurements correspond to patterns intended for the mass market. If you don’t possess skills to do it yourself, it is a boon to your personal style when you do find the right person to fit and maybe even personalize your clothing. I wish you all much luck with meeting your tailoring needs, and hopefully, you won’t ever end up with your head stuck inside your dress.

K BELO

POPSICLE ONE PIECE

Navy stripes

Made in New York with recycled Lycra from Italy!

If the suit fits, wear it! (The ideal fit of a suit.)

8th Sep

Do you know how a suit is supposed to fit? If not, this post is written for you. Up ahead I offer pointers to help with that. But first of all, let me say I can understand why the proper fit of a suit might elude you. We have become more and more informal in the office. Tons of men on the west coast, for example, show up to the office in jeans and casual shirts, while women sport a myriad of alternatives to what might be considered a uniform. At the same time, the suit is still the number one item of dress for success, for courtroom attire and for job interviews. Men who enjoy dressing creatively should also have at least one dark colored suit in their wardrobes. Click here to read a TSBmen post showing a delightful way to wear a suit with a dashiki! In my opinion, if you are going to wear a suit, it should fit very well. Have you noticed how an ill-fitting suit can "make or break" a person's look? [caption id="attachment_17" align="alignleft" width="206"] Pants which puddle project a look of slovenliness.[/caption] I recently observed a jury trial in which the key witness, an undercover informant, testified in what seemed to be an open and shut case. The defendant was videotaped selling the informant drugs and gave him a business card, complete with name and phone number. I had to suppress an urge to gasp when the informant walked into the courtroom. His flashy suit was at least a size too small; deep horizontal creases stretched across his back and at his crotch, and his sleeves and pants were inches too short! I cannot say beyond a reasonable doubt that his shady presentation influenced the deliberations, but it certainly could not have helped to keep the jury from unanimously declaring the drug dealer "not guilty".Jurors mentioned after the trial that they had doubts as to the informant's character. While we've all been told as kids to not judge a book by its cover, it is human nature to do just that. The image we present does make a difference. We have no way of knowing if the poor presentation of that key witness tipped the scale or not in the trial, but we can be quite certain that ill-fitting clothes make a poor impression. They can look sloppy, unprofessional and unflattering. This is the case, whether a person is swimming in clothes which are too big or if the clothing is so tight that deep horizontal creases are visible in the shoulders, back and/or crotch from the fabric getting pulled tight. So, what is the solution? First of all, it is important that the garment matches your proportions quite well, and then, it can be a huge improvement to have it tailored. With a few nips and tucks, you can effect a major transformation on an item of clothing and end up with it suiting you to a T. This is especially helpful if you find it difficult, as I do, to get a great fit with clothing purchased off the rack. If you lose a considerable amount of weight, re-fitted clothing will definitely be more flattering to your new shape. Also, most of us need a little tweaking to make sure sleeves are the right length and the hem is not too long. We may also want to taper the torso and/or pants for a trimmer appearance. When garments truly fit your body, you look more fit/slim, polished and professional. My colleague Ed demonstrates a flawless fit with a shadow plaid suit (pictured above and below). The "shadow plaid", by the way, is a modern style of plaid suit with muted tones - both understated and interesting. When I commented on the fit, Ed said, "Yes, there is this really amazing technology out there. It has to do with string and a needle." Translation: he had it tailored. I found out he purchased the suit at Nordstrom, and I can just hear in my mind the salesperson recommending free alteration services with their rewards program. If I don't use those services for my own tailoring, I go to someone highly recommended on yelp or by word of mouth. So, what exactly are characteristics of an ideal fit? Here are 6 tips regarding the jacket: 1) The shoulder area should lie flat, with a seam equal in length to the shoulder bone underneath it. 2) Sleeves should start at the underarms so that there are no ripples (or divets) at the top of the sleeve when your arms are resting are at your sides. This would mean the shoulder measurement is too small. Neither should there be lumps at the top of the jacket between the collar and sleeve, which would mean the shoulder allowance is too large. 3) If it is too tight in the torso, the jacket will flare out at the bottom and form an "X" shape when you are standing tall. 4) If it is too loose, the lapels will tend to stick out. 5) The jacket sleeves should be 1/4 to 1/2 inches above the end of the shirt to reveal just a hint of the shirt cuff. 6) The hem should hit the top of the curve of the buttocks. Beyond this length, it can look sloppy. Modern suit jackets tend to be more tapered and shorter. Now here are 4 suggestions regarding the way pants should fit: 1) The seat should not show deep horizontal wrinkles, meaning the pants are too tight. 2) Nor should the seat sag. The inseam ought to fit or be fitted to avoid bagging at the crotch. This can look particularly unprofessional. 3) Tapering at the legs can allow the pants to nicely contour to the body for a neater look and trim silhouette. 4) Perhaps most importantly, it is best to have very little "break" in the pants. We see above that Ed's hem just brushes the top of his shoes. This short break is considered to be of "high fashion", something which coincides with Ed's fabulous necktie selection. I mean, doesn't it look as if the tie was made for this suit? I can't tell how much this suit was transformed by alterations or if Ed simply selected a suit with a great fit, but I am positive any adjustments were well worth the investment. His presentation - with a precise fit and attention to detail - is both polished and professional, and we know how important impressions can be. This is yet another example of la bella figura in California. Bravo, Ed!