Fashion: Get Thee to a Seamstress

     I love clothes. I am guilty of lunchtime online daydreaming,  an occasional impulse online order, and of course the well timed "stalk it until it goes on sale" victory shop. This method recently led to a kick-ass deal, an EXPRESS hi-lo hem maxi dress for an upcoming wedding, originally $99.00 and on sale for the low cost of $35.00. I was able to get the dress tailored for a tighter halter neck and raised the hi-lo hem off the floor for the low price of $10.00 for a customized fit! I cannot stress the importance of a good tailoring to a piece of clothing. Two of my most frustrating shopping issues are finding the right fit, and knowing when to hold on to something I love to make it fit better.

A dress with perfectly tailored shoulders.

Double Dips  - Do You Need Two?
     Have you bought two identical pairs of jeans because the first pair was so good and you wanted to keep the "I've got it going on" feeling going? Then you find out they don't fit the same way as that magical first pair and you're devastated? I really hate that! I thought I had finally gotten hip to the idea that if I like something, I should buy two of it.  This has led to double pairs of jeans, polyester dresses, sweaters, teardrop earrings, Pashminas, boat shoes, satin evening shoes (in black, tan and silver), and flip flops. I have not regretted any of these 2nd pairs yet! Back to the jeans issue, I'm not sure why the fit is different for the same size and dye color of items, except they might have been manufactured by a different plant, which is so unfortunate. When in doubt, return the second pair and keep trying then until you get that magic back again, or ask a tailor's opinion if it can be fixed. I still recommend getting something you like in multiple colors (summer shorts can be nice in peach and green or grey khaki).

Dresses and Whole Body Fit
   Also another fashion disaster is the dress that fits perfect on top, but balloons out to make you look ten pounds heavier in the hips. Do not buy this dress! As a petite woman, the bane of my existence and the reason I found an expert seamstress is because tops and dresses that don't fit my shoulders. Who are these frocks being made for, lumberjack women? I have pretty slender shoulders and what I think to be average arms, but I have had multiple jacket arms taken up so I don't look like a three year old playing dress up in my mom's clothes. In another interesting turn, a recent SELF article profiled a woman that tried on the same dress in multiple sizes and she found that some timing going up one size from your "normal" size in a store can solve a host of issues, from tummy area puckering (not classy) to baggy butt areas, which some of my older pairs of work pants seem to fall guilty of this faux pas since I lost weight last year.

Does it Fit?
    My best advice when it comes to fit is that if you really like something in a store and you think a tuck in the spaghetti straps will make it stop falling off you shoulders, go for it. I bought a final sale dress from Loft recently for under $15.00 and took it to my seamstress for tightening in the shoulders and raising the mid-calf hemline, and I couldn't be happier.  The same thing goes for existing pieces. I have saves several dresses and skirts by getting the wait nipped in for a better fit and it feels great to be able to have full use of my hands when I wear a blazer!