If You Get Nothing Else Tailored, Consider This
A tiny alteration that goes a long way.
HELLO COSTUME CHANGE. Me again! Last week, I picked up some clothing I had altered in minor ways for major results, and so I thought I might jump into your inbox and tell you about it.
Several years ago, a friend of my sister’s complimented me on a dress I was wearing. She was French, and so, according to the laws of physics and fashion and the universe, very chic. When she asked where it was from, I told her it was Zara, and that I had gotten it tailored. “You get Zara tailored?” she asked me. I nodded, bracing myself for a scolding. “Brilliant,” she replied, definitively.
I am not telling you that story because I want you to run to a big box store and buy a bunch of trendy stuff that you’ll hate in six months! And I am also not telling you that story because a chic French woman gave me a compliment!
…Okay, yes I am, re: the compliment, but I am ALSO telling it because, if you ask me, literally *nothing is more important than fit.* [Ed note: I’ll allow an exception for avoiding especially sh!tty fabric blends.] If your clothing fits you well, you will wear it more, enjoy it more, take better care of it, and, crucially in terms of sustainability, keep it. I really believe this is true regardless of where your clothes are from or their purchase price. And if the old adage, “it’s not the clothes, it’s how you wear them” is about confidence, then let me just add, during this blessed Leo season, confident dressers wear clothes that fit. Ill-fitting clothing is bad for the spirit! Good fit also makes less expensive clothing look more expensive, and the lack of fidgeting/pulling/tugging automatically makes the wearer appear more effortless and, dare I say, elegant? It’s science! Via the Kristin Yancy School of Style!
I feel I have to return to this soapbox from time to time because I worry that tailoring regular clothes really intimidates people. Which I understand! Standing in front of a huge mirror while watching a stranger tug on clothes that might not fit you yet can be a really vulnerable—even terrible—experience. (As a reminder, nothing is wrong with you! Ever! It is only ever a shortcoming of the clothes, and the clothes can be fixed.) Or, alternatively, maybe the resistance to altering basic pieces is that it doesn’t seem practical to invest in tailoring clothes that weren’t that expensive to begin with? But to that I ask: is it practical to walk around in clothes that almost fit?
I was musing on the above after picking up my most recently altered items from the nice seamstress at our dry cleaners. It occurred to me that the alteration I ask for the most often is both one of the simplest and the most affordable alterations a person can do, potentially addressing both the concerns of the shopper who hates the process of a fitting, AND the one who wants to keep additional costs low. I offer it up to you now, as a good entry-level tweak you could try with your own wardrobe.
It’s the straps!
The straps on my clothing could often fit better. Sometimes much better. Maybe it’s because I have not the biggest chest, but a large rib cage? Or my short torso is to blame? But for me, my most frequent size issue is my straps. Altering them on my dresses and tops all but guarantees many—and I mean MANY—more wears. This is also true with clothing that once fit well, but has relaxed over time/with washes.
Altering a strap sounds like an insignificant thing, but a day spent knowing the *girls* are secured—and a day not spent fidgeting with my clothes—is a day spent in freedom! I also think this particular fix is worth consulting a professional to execute, who can tuck the extra length discreetly into the garment, in case I want a little of that back one day (bodies change!). [I am also a person whose DIY clothing projects tend to have a varying success rate.]
To demonstrate! Three different examples of straps that did not fit, plus a bonus alteration on a fourth item that is related-unrelated, just because.
1.) The Tank
Let us begin with the alterations on the above top! Here she is, pinned:
And here she is, post alteration, out in the wild:
Ta da! Does this look like an uncomfortable person who has been pulling up her straps all day? No, no it does not.
2.) The Halter
This one I’ve had since 2020, when our one week visit home in early March turned into a four month stay. The seasons changed! This halter neck is held together with thin little straps, which have now stretched out after a few years of washing and wearing. This makes the side views a little more, ahem, revealing than I personally prefer.
A discovery! Pinning this for a better fit would actually remove most of those thin straps altogether. This, for me, was a huge plus. The tank feels more secure without them.
Behold, the power of a quickie alteration:
Armpits free, girls secure.
3.) The Dress
This LBD was a birthday gift from the hubs last year. But, alas, the straps were a bit too long, as you can see above. The one time I’ve worn it I taped it into place. Dress tape is great in a pinch, but not ideal for regular wears.
Post alteration!:
Boom baby.
Last one!
4.) Cropping The Top
I don’t know exactly why, but the material of this top made it hard to tuck in. It would blouse in a way that I felt looked…frumpy? [For interested parties, it is 95% cotton and 5% elastane. It’s got a thick rib, which might be why it wouldn’t tuck in smoothly.] This top was the second part of the above-mentioned gift, and I have gotten a few wears out of it in the last year despite the tuck-in issue. It’s a nice material! With an interesting neckline! Still, I felt my wearing experience could be…better.
So I decided to have it cropped to its length when tucked in, and remove the problem altogether!
Post alteration:
I feel pretttttyyyy great in this! Very happy with the end result. Getting dressed should ultimately be easy! This is easy!
Et voila! Quick and painless. The pinning process for these four things took a max 20 minutes, and now it’s like I have four brand-new clothing items. In each case, these clothes were not getting the love they deserve, because frankly they just did not fit as well as they could. And now they do!
Annnnnndddd listen, I understand that ill-fitting straps might not be everyone’s personal cross to bear. But if that is the case, I am hoping that at the very least my strap journey may encourage you towards an alternative small-alteration-with-a-huge-impact on the wearability of your wardrobe. Swapping buttons? Sizing up and taking in the waist (another fave of mine)? Hemming jeans? Shortening shirt sleeves? Would love to hear about it if so! Go tailor the clothes you already have, my sweet beebs.
Bye!