Let’s face reality…as a tiny petite, fashion isn’t made for someone my size. Being at either end of the weight/height spectrum narrows your fashion options, and if you fall in either of these categories, you need a good tailor.
Since nearly everything is about 1-2 sizes too large for me, I need to be choosy about what I purchase, and invest in getting the item tailored. This plays into the idea of investment dressing, which I am becoming a big advocate of. The trick is to find an item that you love, and that can work with the least amount of invasive tailoring possible.
The thing I’ve learned about tailors recently is there are two types. There’s a tailor…and then there’s a GOOD tailor. A good tailor isn’t just someone who can do a good job customizing your clothing. A good tailor should also be able to communicate with you about what you want and what you need. A tailor should be knowledgeable about fabrics, fits, and be able to identify what looks good on your body shape. Finding a tailor who will give you an honest opinion is gold, because, after all, they’re experts. I’ve had tailors who just did the adjustments I asked for, but ended up not loving the clothing item because, well, I don’t know what I’m doing!
My current tailor gives me suggestions, and tells me when I’m asking for something crazy. She tells me if an alteration is worth doing, or when I need to stop obsessing about a tiny detail that looks perfectly fine. I have not once walked away dissatisfied.
And remember, until the introduction of ready-to-wear to women’s clothing in the early 1900’s, custom tailoring was commonplace for people of all socio-economic levels. It was when designers started to cheaply produce pre-sized garments that people began to squeeze themselves into the narrow preconceived notion of a “size”. I like to think of going to a tailor as a throwback to the good ol’ days, when clothes were well made and custom fitted. And who doesn’t like the idea of custom made anything, right?
If anyone needs a tailor in the West Los Angeles area, may I suggest Marina at:
