Category — Secondhand Wardrobe Fit

My last blog entry was about ready-to-wear clothing that doesn’t fit properly. Just so you know that you’re not the only one who has trouble in this area, today I’m sharing some of my own fitting challenges:

1. I occasionally make myself a top out of non-stretch fabric, and when I do, getting it to fit properly requires 17 pattern changes! I don’t even bother trying on ready-to-wear tops that aren’t stretchy because they never, ever fit properly.
2. I’m short, but not quite short enough for petite pants. I currently have a stack of pants down in my studio that will be great this winter once I get around to hemming them.
3. And speaking of pants, manufacturers often use fabric for casual pants such as jeans and corduroys that has some stretch. Stretch is a good thing because garments with stretch fit better and are more comfortable, but manufacturers usually use the same fabric for the waistband that they use in the rest of the pant. That means that the waist stretches and the pants either threaten to fall right off or they gape in the back every time you bend at the waist. I alter these pants by taking out some of the fullness along the back seam and the waistband.

Just think of me the next time your pants threaten to hit the ground. And if you just don’t want to alter your waistband, wear a belt!

Today I have an assignment for everyone who has ever felt that clothing doesn’t fit properly. I want you to go someplace where there are a lot of people and unobtrusively check out how everybody is shaped. If you’re paying attention, you’ll see that we come in all sorts of packages. It’s an example of nature doing that thing of creating infinite variety.

Now consider this—how are manufacturers supposed to make ready-to-wear clothing that will fit all of our body types well? The answer is that it’s not possible. Some manufacturers make regular, petite and tall versions in every size from extra-small to extra-extra-large, but many, many people still have trouble finding clothing that fits well.

So if you’re tired of garments that sag here and are too tight there, what are you supposed to do? Here’s the plan—1) remember that we aren’t all meant to be alike and that it’s the clothing that needs altering, not you and 2) learn how to do alterations or find somebody else who can do them for you. If you don’t have either the skill to do it yourself or the cash to pay somebody else, I’ve got a great book for you, Jan Saunders’ Wardrobe Quick-Fixes. She offers both sewing and non-sewing solutions for common fit problems. Sadly, the book has been out of print for some time, but you can still find it on Amazon.

(Please note that I have been on the lookout for a newer book on the same topic for years and haven’t found anything that comes close. Suggestions for other publications would be greatly welcomed!)