I'm a curvy girl. I have a D chest, a booty, broad shoulders and a bit of an hourglass figure. This causes several problems when I shop. I have to fit the largest parts of my body (this is true for everyone!) and so when I fit to the "girls" and the shoulders, it typically means that things are going to be too large in the waist area. For this reason, drapey knits are my friend. I don't look good in anything too "stiff" or structured - I need clothes that will follow my curves. And knitwear is the best solution for that.
Added bonus: knits pack really well because they can be rolled up to accommodate a very small travel bag, and they don't really wrinkle much.
So probably 90% of my closet (tops, anyway) consists of draped knits.
But the rest of my wardrobe usually needs a little help before I'm ready to wear it. And here's where the Best Friend comes in: it's my tailor. It took me a while to find a good one (I've been through three in Atlanta since we moved here) but once you have one, make the most of his/her skills! Of course I use my tailor to make my jeans the right length, but there is so much more a tailor can do for you if you are willing to spend a little.
If I'm in a store and thinking that something will need a little tailoring, I try to factor that into the price before I make the purchase. And usually I will look for something on sale (or wait for a sale) if I know I'm likely to have to pay an alteration fee as well. But here are a few examples of what my tailor has done:
This skirt began life as a swim cover up. It had a ribbed elastic top, kind of like this:
so you could just pull it up over your swimsuit. Not a very flattering style for me, but I liked the pattern and thought it would make a cute skirt. Took it to the tailor and voila! She took off the top part and sewed in elastic at the waist. For another $12 it became an easy summer skirt (it was purchased for around $20 at Macy's, on sale). $32 isn't a bad price to pay for a customized skirt. :)
This skirt also began life as a dress. It's from the juniors department at Macy's and was also purchased on sale. The top of the dress was so skimpy - spaghetti straps, no structure at all, and just wouldn't have given enough coverage to my chest (with OR without a strapless bra). So my tailor cut it down to an adorable skirt for me. It's actually one of my favorite summer pieces now. :)
You can't really tell what was done in this picture, because the tunic is drapey to begin with. Another item that began life as a swimsuit cover up, but I loved the colors and thought it would be a fun top with a nude cami underneath. It was quite un-shapely though, so I had my tailor take in the sides so it wasn't so boxy. Price: $30, and the tunic itself was (again!) on sale for about $25. Not super-inexpensive, but certainly within the realm of what I pay for other dressy tops right off the rack, so still reasonable for my budget.
I think the big stones are going to have to go though. There's a lot of glitz on this top already:
beading and sequins and sparkle - I love it all, but the big faux rhinestones are just too much. So they'll come off. I just got this back from my tailor last week and can't wait to wear it out. This is the kind of top I love because it could work just as well for a kids' birthday party to a casual dinner out. And it's a sheer-ish chiffon-type material, so it's good floaty fun. Perfect with a pair of straight leg jeans and some fabulous footwear. :)
Other things your tailor can do? Lots of little tweaks that just make things easier. I have several open-front drapey cardigan sweaters - great layering pieces for the transitional months, or if I'm working an art festival, where it tends to be cool in the morning and warms up in the afternoon. Most of these don't have any kind of front closure, and so I take them to my tailor to add an hook and eye closure (or sometimes two, depending) and for $3 -$5, I now can close my sweater up if I need to. I could sew these things in myself, but I HATE (and I mean, really hate) sewing. It's worth a few bucks to me to just drop it off and pick it up a week later.
Often I find that even if a knit top fits me nicely right off the rack, sometimes it has a LOT more cleavage than I want to display. And I know I can put a camisole underneath most things, but sometimes I don't want to deal with another layer. So I take my tops to the tailor to stitch up the cleavage a bit more. Nothing wrong with a little cleavage, but when you're a D cup it can start to look vulgar if you're showing too much. I prefer to display more of a "hint" of cleavage than put all the goods out for show. Here's an example of a top that had this done:
Cute top - one of my favorites - but the v-neck was just a tad too deep when I first bought it. It's made of a light meshy material and I figured it could take a couple of stitches with no trouble. So off to the tailor it went. $5 later, and now it's wearable without my feeling like "the girls" are preceding me every time I wear it.
Right in front where the V is - that's where it's stitched. Invisible to everyone else, but worth every penny.
So if you don't have a tailor already...go ahead and get yourself one. I promise, it's one of the best wardrobe investments you'll ever make. :)
Added bonus: knits pack really well because they can be rolled up to accommodate a very small travel bag, and they don't really wrinkle much.
So probably 90% of my closet (tops, anyway) consists of draped knits.
But the rest of my wardrobe usually needs a little help before I'm ready to wear it. And here's where the Best Friend comes in: it's my tailor. It took me a while to find a good one (I've been through three in Atlanta since we moved here) but once you have one, make the most of his/her skills! Of course I use my tailor to make my jeans the right length, but there is so much more a tailor can do for you if you are willing to spend a little.
If I'm in a store and thinking that something will need a little tailoring, I try to factor that into the price before I make the purchase. And usually I will look for something on sale (or wait for a sale) if I know I'm likely to have to pay an alteration fee as well. But here are a few examples of what my tailor has done:
This skirt began life as a swim cover up. It had a ribbed elastic top, kind of like this:
so you could just pull it up over your swimsuit. Not a very flattering style for me, but I liked the pattern and thought it would make a cute skirt. Took it to the tailor and voila! She took off the top part and sewed in elastic at the waist. For another $12 it became an easy summer skirt (it was purchased for around $20 at Macy's, on sale). $32 isn't a bad price to pay for a customized skirt. :)
This skirt also began life as a dress. It's from the juniors department at Macy's and was also purchased on sale. The top of the dress was so skimpy - spaghetti straps, no structure at all, and just wouldn't have given enough coverage to my chest (with OR without a strapless bra). So my tailor cut it down to an adorable skirt for me. It's actually one of my favorite summer pieces now. :)
You can't really tell what was done in this picture, because the tunic is drapey to begin with. Another item that began life as a swimsuit cover up, but I loved the colors and thought it would be a fun top with a nude cami underneath. It was quite un-shapely though, so I had my tailor take in the sides so it wasn't so boxy. Price: $30, and the tunic itself was (again!) on sale for about $25. Not super-inexpensive, but certainly within the realm of what I pay for other dressy tops right off the rack, so still reasonable for my budget.
I think the big stones are going to have to go though. There's a lot of glitz on this top already:
beading and sequins and sparkle - I love it all, but the big faux rhinestones are just too much. So they'll come off. I just got this back from my tailor last week and can't wait to wear it out. This is the kind of top I love because it could work just as well for a kids' birthday party to a casual dinner out. And it's a sheer-ish chiffon-type material, so it's good floaty fun. Perfect with a pair of straight leg jeans and some fabulous footwear. :)
Other things your tailor can do? Lots of little tweaks that just make things easier. I have several open-front drapey cardigan sweaters - great layering pieces for the transitional months, or if I'm working an art festival, where it tends to be cool in the morning and warms up in the afternoon. Most of these don't have any kind of front closure, and so I take them to my tailor to add an hook and eye closure (or sometimes two, depending) and for $3 -$5, I now can close my sweater up if I need to. I could sew these things in myself, but I HATE (and I mean, really hate) sewing. It's worth a few bucks to me to just drop it off and pick it up a week later.
Often I find that even if a knit top fits me nicely right off the rack, sometimes it has a LOT more cleavage than I want to display. And I know I can put a camisole underneath most things, but sometimes I don't want to deal with another layer. So I take my tops to the tailor to stitch up the cleavage a bit more. Nothing wrong with a little cleavage, but when you're a D cup it can start to look vulgar if you're showing too much. I prefer to display more of a "hint" of cleavage than put all the goods out for show. Here's an example of a top that had this done:
Cute top - one of my favorites - but the v-neck was just a tad too deep when I first bought it. It's made of a light meshy material and I figured it could take a couple of stitches with no trouble. So off to the tailor it went. $5 later, and now it's wearable without my feeling like "the girls" are preceding me every time I wear it.
Right in front where the V is - that's where it's stitched. Invisible to everyone else, but worth every penny.
So if you don't have a tailor already...go ahead and get yourself one. I promise, it's one of the best wardrobe investments you'll ever make. :)
What great advice - I have never been to a tailor (except when I was in Thailand when I got a suit made) but I have SOOO many clothes that are just wasted because I need a little change here or there. Your changes to the clothes above are clever and effective :) Enjoy making new outfits with your re vamped clothes!
ReplyDeleteAnna xo
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