Tailoring Is Often a Better Investment Than Another Dress
I see many women complaining about taking their clothes to the tailor: “It takes time. It’s expensive.”
I get it. Clients sometimes tell me they would like my help buying only clothes that fit them perfectly and don’t require a trip to the tailor. The reality is that I can’t promise that.
Unless you have good sewing skills yourself, having a good tailor is an important part of building a wardrobe that really works for you.
Taking this jacket to have the sleeves shortened. Even if you like to push up or fold the sleeves of a jacket, you should still be able to wear them down without the sleeves being too long.
Clothes are not made for our individual bodies
Ready-to-wear clothes are produced using standard measurements, but our bodies are not standard. You might need one size for your shoulders and another for your waist. In general, we need to buy the size that fits us at our widest point, and then adjust the garment as necessary.
A pair of pants might fit beautifully everywhere but be too long. A jacket can be almost perfect, except for the sleeves. And if you are petite, like me, you probably already know how common alterations are.
Sometimes I take a new item straight to the tailor before I even wear it. Other times, I wear something once or twice and realize that a small adjustment would make it fit so much better. And while I don’t make that adjustment, guess what happens? I don’t wear it.
I wore this dress once before I realized the straps needed to be shortened. It wasn’t fitting properly through my torso. Definitely a dress that was not made for a 5’3” woman!
Before you buy something new, look at what you already have
This is where tailoring can actually save you money. Before buying another dress, pair of pants, or blazer, take a look at the pieces you already own but rarely wear.
Would you wear that dress more if the hem were a little shorter? Would that blazer look better if the sleeves were the right length? Would you finally wear those pants if the waist fit properly?
Sometimes spending money on an alteration gives you a “new” piece without adding anything else to your closet.
Of course, not every alteration is worth the investment. The quality and condition of the garment matter, as does the cost and complexity of the alteration. That’s another reason having a good tailor is so important. They can guide you on what can be done and whether it’s worth doing.
A good wardrobe isn’t necessarily a wardrobe where everything fits perfectly straight from the store. It’s a wardrobe where the clothes fit you.
Hi, I’m Marcia Crivorot, a Personal Stylist based in NY. Once a month, I send newsletters featuring style tips, recommended brands, and a shopping guide. Unlock previous editions of my newsletters and receive my emails firsthand by subscribing.
Disclosure: Remember that I link products and companies based on their quality, my personal opinion, my experience, and my professional expertise. Some of the links in my posts are affiliate links, and if you go through them to make a purchase, I will earn a small commission. The decision is yours, and whether or not you buy something is entirely up to you.