The Importance of Tailoring

By Ariana Curcio

When you think of tailoring your clothes you probably picture an older man in a suit standing on a platform in front of a three-way mirror. Chances are you have never tailored anything in your life besides the bridesmaid dress you wore once in your brother’s wedding.

Most people do not realize that by simply tailoring a few key pieces you can revitalize a stale wardrobe, save money and look like a million bucks.

One of the reasons why celebrities always look so good is that their clothes fit well. Alterations are a given for stars from shopping with private shoppers and working with stylists. Most garments are made with an average, certain generic form and measurements in mind, very few people have that ideal average form, so when you put on clothing it’s most likely not going to fit perfectly. As a matter of fact, it was never meant to fit perfectly. As our very own Kiya Tomlin explained it in her contribution to A Real Girl's Guide to Tailoring: What's Worth It (and What to Skip)" for Who What Wear, “As styles became looser in the '60s and '70s, less tailoring was required, and eventually fewer people learned to sew. We came to think of tailoring anything beyond a hem as unusual. For the last few decades, we have been trying to make our bodies fit the clothes when, in reality, we should be making the clothes fit our bodies."

There is no need to bring your entire wardrobe to the tailor, Kiya suggests you take basic staples, and have them tailored to fit. They should be classic cuts that are well made and are from quality fabrics.

Depending on the actual alterations, tailoring can get pricey. Try to stay away from spending money on tailoring trendy garments that you won’t get a lot of wear from and try to shop in stores that offer free alterations. Kiya Tomlin is proud to offer free tailoring for any clothing purchased in their Pittsburgh boutique.

Further tips from the tailoring pro’s are:

• Follow your body. Clothes look best when they skim your silhouette
• Streamline on top. You don’t want to appear wide across the shoulders, your sleeves should be trim enough to show off your arm shape
• Trim Down Your Pockets can add unnecessary girth to your hips so take out the pocket entirely and have the opening stitched closed.

The simplest of alteration, such as an inch tuck at the waist or adding darts to a shirt can make a huge difference in appearance. When you look good you feel good and as well all know confidence is the best beauty enhancer there is.