Tailored will skim across your curves and give plenty of insight on your shape without giving it all away (keeping it classy ladies!!). Our clothes should not pull or pucker; but they should allow you to sit, stand, eat and move around the room with ease. While ALWAYS looking put together in an effortless way, with little need for adjusting it, pulling it down, hiking it up or smoothing it into place.Â
TARYN, YOU’VE SAID THIS BEFORE, WE GET IT
I know, I’ve already done THIS write up about what to tailor and how to do it in the best way to fit and flatter your shape! I hope you got a little tid bit or two out of it. But just like when we tell our kids they have to try something more than once before they like it (broccoli?!), I feel this is a point that needs to be shared often.
And this goes for any age. When we are young, we might not have as much disposable income to tailor clothes. But, as we get older, maybe have that job where your work wardrobe needs more structure than your casual wear. Or you are wondering why you can’t buy jeans off the rack and have them look like that girl in the picture? Tailoring is the key to all of this.
STAY CLASSY LADIES
Here’s my favorite ways for tailoring to make your wardrobe perfect for you:
- Not just hemming the bottom of your jeans/trousers/chino’s/pants; but also consider adding darts to the back so that you can eliminate the “back gap” when you bend down. This is relatively low cost and if you aren’t into wearing belts, the will help make sure your jeans fit PERFECTLY across your tush, and never show your undies! Here’s what the darts looks like on my designer denim. It’s just under the tag on the waistline! Can’t even tell it’s not supposed to be there right?! I bought these jeans 10 years ago (and still have to this day!) No cutting, just a small fold and a few stitches and voila!
- Dresses. Here is some interesting info I found in my research…for women who are UNDER 5’4″- skirt length is most flattering just above the knee! (Since there is less height, when you show a little more of the leg, it elongates your look.) For women OVER 5’8″ just a little below the knee is most flattering (because it’s obvious you have legs for miles (jealous!!); but you do NOT have to show it!) I’m breaking all those rules with this dress because the slit allows more of my leg to show, giving the illusion of height!
- Take a top / dress in on the sides. (This dress above had to be taken in on the top because my small chest left saggy material in front…not so flattering if you ask me!) Sometimes we need to size up in an article of clothing to get the best fit for the biggest part of us. Maybe its your shoulders or your chest. It’s best to fit that first, then you can have the sides taken in to give you amazing fit and flatter with extreme comfort and appropriateness!
BUTTON UP ETIQUETTE
You can’t go to the office or PTA meeting or dinner with friends, with your button-up gaping open right?! This is a fairly easy fix for any seamstress or tailor. Again, a small investment to make a piece go from “good enough” to GREAT! Make sure whatever size you buy accomodates the girls well with no gaping, then have the sides brought in for that fitted look. One small tip to remember, you can flex up to 2 sizes for tailoring to be successful and not lose the integrity of the design, unless you want the garment to have a complete overhaul. (For those who are savvy shoppers and find a garment you love, that is too big. Tailoring it down can be the perfect solution, but for the best success, something closest to your typical size is what you are looking for.)
M39 MOM TALK
This might sound like a weird heading but give me a sec. If I were talking to my daughter about her style, (which will go through all the phases in her life)…. I would want to say something like this:
Tight is not tailored, and tailored won’t fit tight.
1. Because it is NOT appropriate or professional to “flaunt what you’ve got” during all hours of the day. Save it for a night out on the town if you must; but not everywhere you go. Your boss and co-workers should not know everything about you in one glance….know what I’m sayin’. But owning clothes that fit you well….#winning!!
2. When you wear clothes that are too snug, guess what happens, you spill out of them. Your girls will show WAY too much (who wants to be worrying about a nip slip at any given moment?!). Your overall look may have lumps and bumps in them that aren’t supposed to be there (it’s not sexy to fall out of your clothes…ever). Not only that, patterns could get distorted, bringing close attention to that particular area. Or even worse, your skirt will be too short. If the fabric barely covers your derriere when you are standing, imagine the issues you will have while sitting.Â
3. God makes ZERO mistakes….He gave you the body and mind that you need to produce greatness in your life. Take good car of it. Dress it with confidence, dignity and self-respect. What you put out is what you get back, and first impressions can be so important. I know, we wish that what we wore didn’t matter so much; but I also believe, that if I can help you know WHAT to look for, HOW to style it and WHEN to evolve your look, it won’t be such a challenge anymore.
xo Taryn