The Art of a Good Tailor

People, you need to get a tailor.

Women know how to find one if they are brides or bridesmaids because most dress shops hire a group of tailors (jack up the price) and herd everyone into this basement department in order to drain a good $100-$200 from each “special princess” morsel that stumbles into their store. Sometimes, these stores even convince these sparkly-eyed victims of the bridal industry they need more than one fitting to “get it right.”
If you can’t tell my feelings, here they are:

• The wedding industry sucks.
• A good tailor can do magic in one session.
• A good tailor can be hard to find.

My mother found the tailor I used – yes, tailor can be passed down from generation to generation. They never get old, they just get better.

My Tailor

Having a tailor will expand your wardrobe and you dollar in beautiful ways.

The first tailor I went to with pants that were too long butchered them and cut them off above the ankle. What I wanted, was a pair of pants I could wear with heels – after all, to me, your pants should not drag on the ground but you shouldn't, in general, see sock when you sit down. Some people sit and their pant leg is up mid-calf. Weird.

I didn't go back to that tailor, nor did I ask for a refund or something. Being a tailor is an art and is filled with mistakes. They will happen. I just never went back.

The second tailor I visited is the one I use these days - the first time I went to her, I was on the cusp of getting sick. I had dropped from about 15lbs in about two months (red flag of poor heath? Naaa). My investment in expensive business suits brought with my hard-earned saved money as a retail worker and freelancer was crashing around me because I couldn't wear these suits. I had spent about $1,000 on corporate-appropriate suits as I engaged in a career in advertising.

$1,000 is nothing to sneeze at.

I brought my collection to our tailor and with a couple well placed pins and about 1 week later, I had custom built suits.

Tailor: Amonda, I know you lose weight. An inch, tin pounds.

My tailor is Russian, by the way. She has great stories, an awesome accent and lots of talent. I take my jeans to her to get rid of that booty gap taken care of.

Finding Your Tailor

Here is my simple list of advice for finding a tailor:

• Ask around: If someone has a chain of good experiences and maybe even gets the same stuff done that you want done, I would give that person a try.
• Avoid neon: I would suggest avoiding dry cleaning tailors for anything but light hems. Also, avoid department store tailors  and, 100%, bridal store tailors. It’s not because they are bad all the time, just that they tend to cost more and be more mechanical. You want someone who’s bread-and-butter is this business.
• Consult: Go into a high-end boutique and ask if they recommend a tailor – the higher end the better the tailor because the store will not want a bad reputation.
• Specialize:  Sometimes you can find a tailor that specializes in certain things, hit them up for this only. If you are a guy needing a suit tailored, go to a place that specializes in men’s tailoring not a tailor who specialize in dress making.
• Test: Start with something simple when trying out a tailor, then you can assess the work

Your Role

It’s important to know your role when dealing with vendors.

Make sure you communicate correctly with your tailor – tell him/her what you want. At the same time – LISTEN. A good tailor is a professional. Ask what can be done with an article of clothing and be aware of the risks and rewards.

Tailor: Amonda, if zou lose anymore veight, I channot help zou.

Ask questions. List demands. Understand the feedback.

Thinking

The fashion industry seems to be all about saying how we, as humans, need to fit the clothes. Here is the article of clothing, now you change your body to fit it.

I don’t have time for this.

Clothes work for us. Forget size, measurements and whatever. You can alter anything to fit you. And in the hands of a professional, it shouldn’t take three or four fittings – yes, even for a wedding dress.

Be Part of the Adventure

Do you have a suggestion or want to see me attempt something? Drop me an email at AdventuringAmanda@gmail.com with your suggestion.

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