Full Disclosure: I get almost everything tailored.
Well, by everything, I mean everything that doesn’t fit me to my liking. Despite what number an item might read off the rack, pieces can fit you funky, in which case, I hop down to my neighborhood dry cleaner to get things adjusted, taken down, or taken in.
It doesn’t have to be anything elaborate! I probably paid about $30-$40 to get my Marni blouse (above) taken in to fit my curves. I also get snaps added to my button downs (so they won’t gap), jeans hemmed, and open backs/too low fronts sewn up to fit my fancy.
When you go into a store and see a mannequin looking fabulous, you might be inspired to buy the outfit. You try it on, but it doesn’t look as glamorous. The mannequin’s secret? Pins in the back that mold the clothes to curves, making them look great. Same with celebs. Their clothes fit them well, which is half the reason they look so amazing. The most important factor in making your clothes look good is fit (and a good steamer in the case of my Marni skirt below).
In the past I didn’t understand this rule, and would buy clothes a bit too small, and try to make it work, puckering buttons and all. If you’ve been reading for a while, you may remember my saga with this J.Crew jacket back in 2006.
What I can say when it comes to tailoring: it’s much easier to get something that’s too big for you taken in, instead of ‘letting out’ something that is too small. So if you really like something, get it in a bigger size, if possible, then get it nipped and tucked. To whit: my Issa dress below (previously spied on Nicole Richie) was about a foot too long, and too low cut to wear a bra comfortably (see the difference in fit between Nicole and I). A few snaps and a hem, and voila:
So how do you find a good tailor? For small jobs, I just go to my neighborhood dry cleaner! Read reviews and follow your gut. Most artisans with a modicum of sewing ability can handle your standard hem or snap.
If you want something a bit more involved and live in New York, I’d recommend Alterations Master at 2 W. 46th Street. You have to make an appointment and they can get pricey, but they do wonderful work. Tailoring is worth every penny!
At any rate, tell me your thoughts on tailoring.
And if you can recommend someone great in your town, leave it in the comments and share the knowledge.
Smootches!
*Please excuse the quality of the pictures, they weren’t meant for publication! But hope they helped illustrate my point.
I get lots of clothes tailored…anything from pants, jeans, dresses, thrift store finds…I have a very reasonable tailor who does great work.
Great post!
Great Post!
Great post!!!
This is a great post! Thanks Claire
I wondered the answer to this question! Thank you so much for this post! Now share with us how to keep our clothing looking like new!
I do the cleaners thing but that can get pricey so I am looking into purchasing a steam cleaner for my more delicate items.
My seamstress closed her alterations store! I road past one day and vamoose! she was gone :-( Obviously there aren’t enough people getting their items tailored. So sad and looking for another on the North side of Georgia.
I agree with you Claire!
I have an hourglass shape and can never find clothes that fit correctly, so pretty much everything gets adjusted. Most clothes cater to a straighter shape, and assume that slim girls cant hips or boobs.
Thanks for this post. xx
If anyone in Atlanta has a good tailor leave the deets please please ! Thanks
I recognize that place anywhere. That’s my tailor, too. Love his preciseness and as a petite, but shapely woman, the tailor is my best friend.
Great post! I learned (by making my own Barbie clothes) how to fix little things here and there for my own, but I recently picked up the tailoring thing after purchasing this dress I bought, but was too long. It’s amazing how it turned out! You shouldn’t use it for everything, unless you have the money, but I agree with Claire. On those staple pieces you own, it’s a must!
Love this post and I completely agree! There’s a little shop a few blocks from where a live where I have gotten many things altered. I have such a rapport with the lady that I’ve taken caftans (made of material I liked) to her and she made them into tops for me. Again great post!!
BTW, I have a large bust so it’s hard to find tops that don’t make me look preggers. I’ve had to alter tops many, many times. So glad you made a post like this!
I also deal with this issue a lot. I am very busty and my butt isn’t so big, but sometimes it tends to lift skirts. I have my neighborhood tailor, which works things to the T! However, for pricier items like silks, I like to visit a tailor on 23rd btwn 5th and 6th ave. FYI, I had purchased a silk pleated maxi (I can’t believe I spent what I spent on that) but it was way too long. So, as you know, my butt issue. This tailor hemmed my skirt according to how it lifted as oppose to cutting straight through (like most tailors do when you say I want 3in. off the bottom). He was amazing!
Everyone always talks about getting a tailor but no one ever goes into detail about what exactly should be tailored and how. Thanks for including the details!
Wow that’s what that Marni top looked like before tailoring. It’s funny because I thought the fit was a little off in the original post. I guess it came a long way.
I don’t get a lot of things tailored but I do know the importance of it. I think I’m pretty easy to fit though. Everything is proportioned to off the rack measurements I guess? If something is too long, I’ll get it hemmed. But if it’s just too big, it wasn’t meant to be and I’ll leave it on the rack. Also, I hand most of my clothes down and I have to tell the ladies ‘the tag says medium but I had it taken in to more like a small.’ I know it’s weird to think about that while you’re buying clothes but I do. Now adding snaps to button dowmns is a genius idea.
great post. i am actually heading to my tailor today to get things altered for fashion week!
You tailor to fit your body. As Claire said in the post, she deals with bust issues by adding snaps inside a blouse placket. If you are small, plus-sized, one size on top and another on the bottom, if you have a long torso or a short one, you need some tailoring.
If youre petite and you want to wear a wide leg pant or something, get a tailor to hem them up, or remove some fabric so that they dont swallow you.
Claire’s tailor is pricey! But I’m a small town girl. I utilize a local home based woman. $5 for hems, new buttons, taking out darts. $10 for bringing things in, letting them out, shortening sleeves..to get the cheap per piece prices bring a armful of clothing.
GREAT POST!
Thanks everyone!
@Brittany I actually wanted the Marni top to be a little bit of a closer fit, but I had to struggle enough to get it over my head as it was. If I wanted it to ‘fit like glove’ I would’ve needed to add a zipper…ain’t nobody got time for that!
Thanks for the post! I am happy to use a tailor for suits and work clothes, but I must admit i don’t alter clothes I wear in other parts of my life. This post is a great reminder that tailoring is always a great idea!
absolute truth. tailoring in nyc can be quite pricey. i find the west africans in harlem (anywhere along 116th, btw fred douglass and lenox ave) to be more affordable and they do great work.
Can anyone suggest a good tailor in Brooklyn? I have been going to a tailor in Midtown who charges ridiculously. She does great work but is obviously pricing for the neighborhood.
Also, if you want learn how to do minor alterations such as sew a button or hem a pair of pants, Youtube has great tutorials.
Price definitely depends on where you live. I wish I could get a hem for $5 it’s more like $10 and up and as a short person I need a lot of things hemmed. The place I use to frequent was $13 a few years ago and places want to charge that much for a fallen hem, so I have to put my sowing skills to work for easy fixes. But you should definitely know a good tailor as nothing is worse than having a bad tailoring job on an investment pieces.
My mom does all my alterations, so I pay $0.00
The bet part is, she knows my body really really well, so everything fits amazingly!
;D
You better werk Ms. Claire, you are becoming one of my favorite people. I am so extremely proud of you. Now write a book about how your journey to success!! Shit you need a reality show. I am sick of that Basketball wives Love and Hip Hop mess. Here’s a wildly successful black woman, who navigates fashion industry with style and grace, I know they can make a story line for you. You know I have GIRLS BEST FRIEND BEAUTY, I GIVE $50 gift card to Norstrom, I would be honored Claire if you allowed me to feature you.
Tailoring is essential. I’m in Atlanta and there are tons of places that will do alterations – dry cleaners or specific alteration shops. I go to Alterations By Kim (3599 Atlanta Road, Smyrna, GA 30080). She’s fixed the crotch/inseam of pants, waistline of skirts, hemlines, etc. For instance, I always buy a size larger for suits so the jackets fit – the skirt or pants always have to come in. Great posts!
Another one here who goes to the cleaners. One of the local ones has a freelancing seamstress who seems very old school. She does great work but you need to know what you’re looking for AND ask for advice.
Note: Trying to “save” clothes by taking them in when you’ve lost a lot of weight is not worth it. After trying 4 different items, I would now suggest that anyone in the same situation buy new gear (no matter how much you love that vintage/haute/expensive thingamajig)
Shut up Jihan!!!!! LOL…
If at all possible learn how to sew and if you already know how to sew learn formal techniques. My mom taught me how to sew and it saved my life.
I need a tailor in Toronto
had a bad experince with one
Thank you for the advice, darling!!!!
Great advice, I agree with not sleeping on your local cleaners and they are surprising reasonable in prices so taking something in, letting it out, hemming, doesn’t cost that much. But if you have curves tailoring is a must! Women need to remember most designer/clothing manufacture isn’t thinking of all women’s shapes, sizes, height, etc. when making clothes.
wow! why have i never done this?! Great post Claire!
I think people tend to get discouraged when clothing doesn’t fit them and so they blame their bodies. Even I’m guilty of that. Not everyone is built the same and getting something tailored to fit like a glove will make you feel like you bundles on an item. A simple but really great post!
being a curvy woman I have to have all of my dresses altered and I recommend it for everyone… it can make a $40 dress look like it cost a few hundred just by the fit….
Love u Claire! so true! My first encounter with a tailor dawned on me when I had to get an ill fitted bridesmaid dress fixed. I tried it on in front of the bride and she said it was fine. I asked if I can take it to get pressed (so I can get it out of her possession) went to the cleaners and he made it fit like a glove! I would have look so stupid the day of if I didn’t get it taken in. Long story short he did such a great job I take all my things to him! I gave him small stuff as a trail run and they came out great now I take my higher end stuff to him. If you live in Brooklyn, NY, if he is still there (since I haven’t been in 2 years) but the cleaners is on Flatbush and Cortelyou. If you live downtown Brooklyn Bridge Street cleaners on Livingston has a great rep for tailoring.
Such an important post. When I got my first pair of pants taken in and the gaping at the waist disappeared I was hooked. I have a male tailor here in Barbados for alterations- he knows my body unbelievably well, and a woman tailor for any custom made pieces. Fashion necessity!
This is a great post! Everything you said Claire was dead on. There’s nothing like have a garment tailor made to fit your body. I’m actually a seamstress in the Atlanta area. I’m about 12 miles north of the city. So if anyone is ever in the area and needs something done please feel free to contact me.
in dc, i go to miss cheryl off of U street:
719 T St NW
Washington, DC 20001
Phone number (202) 483-5929
p.s. re: miss cheryl, she’s a black-owned business! bonus points!
Just what I needed. Great post!
This post was spot on! Slacks/jeans are a problem for me (small waist/curvy hips)… I almost always have to get them tailored.
I should do this to most of my dresses and pants
Great post. Would love more post like these. Can you do a post on fabric selection/ Clothing composition and durability.
Agreed, I do the same thing. Love you Claire, you’re the bomb.com!!!!
We don’t really have a tailor in my city, or he/she is yet to be discovered by me :) I did get a jacket and a skirt costum made on my trip to Shanghai a week ago and I just can’t get enough of how good they look on me! I can do some little things by myself on my 60 year old sewing machine, but i’m a real amateur.
Oh yes, actually I just needed to say you look beyond beautiful in that Marni skirt and blouse! I’m always so jealous at how beautiful you are :)
Yes! This goes for Men as well! Great post Claire!
I actually tried using considering your site using my i-pod touch plus the layout will not are suitable. Might choose to look it over about WAP in addition to it seems like nearly all cellular cool layouts are generally not actually working with your web site.