How frustrating and disappointing the blouse experience must have been! The fabric looks beautiful! I hope your tailor will be able to work wonders with it.

Gorgeous fabric! Sorry the fit didn’t work. Did you take him your Fontaine shirt in so he had an example to look at? What is a French seam?

These posts are just fascinating!

I am so sorry that this didn’t work out Angie, the fabric is very pretty. Maybe the seamstress can work some magic.

Thanks Joy, Tanya and Meredith. Actually, the Chinese gentleman is holding my Fontaine shirt . I offered it to him to work with.

A French seam is “sewn twice” so that you can’t see the overlocked edge on the inside of the garment. It’s concealed by an additional seam. The finish of French seams is beautiful and denotes superior quality.

It’s a shame this didn’t work out for you. I didn’t know anyone did French seams anymore! {I had a costuming class in college and we had to learn how to do a ‘bagged seam’ which I think is the same thing–many fits and tears from me while doing that sample, so I totally respect anyone who can do them!}

Please let us know if the alterations person you take the silver blouse to is able to solve this issue and what he/she did to solve it.

Wow, the gray silk is beautiful. I do hope you can make something wearable out of it!

(Sometimes it is a small world; how fun to see a post about a shop we both visited halfway around the globe.) Sounds like we came to the same kind of bargain at Sam’s: I had ordered two blouses, neither were well-made, so I rejected one and bought the other one at regular price after some none-too-successful alterations.

I would like to try this again, at a different shop perhaps, by bringing in a jacket to have copied. My jacket is a patterned fabric but the fit is so nice that a copy in a solid color would be really useful.

Adore the fabric! Maybe in a more structured piece, but you already know that. French seams hard, take lots of planning in the effort, but as you said, really make such a superior look and feel to the garment. It “seams” that with overlock, even many high-end pieces are going that direction, instead of the time-consuming french seam. But I’m surprised they didn’t even do a hong kong seam or flat felled, but maybe that would have imparted more rigidity. I hope the alterations ladies can help, that fabric is just yummy.
And I must say, you are just a cute as a bug – the hair, the glasses, you remind me of a new era Audrey, not quite a pixie, but so cute. But I’ll bet you get that all the time.

How incredibly frustrating! I admire you for making them alter it to a nearly-acceptable state – I’m sure I would’ve chickened out, even if I’d been paying a premium. And you have such a good attitude about it all, Angie: It was a worthwhile experiment, and you learned the parameters. Next time, stiff fabrics only! Do let us know if the gray silk shirt gets transformed into something wearable …

Such a shame the shirt didn’t work out 100%. Good on you for arguing your case though!!

I love that pewter gray fabric! I hope you can salvage it somehow. It’s a pity the fit is not right–it’s obvious from the photo, even if it is only a back view, that the shoulders and armholes are too big for you. I guess each tailor’s studio has their own area of expertise. If Sam’s specializes in men’s suits, then the jacket was a cinch for them because you chose a suiting fabric similar to what they work with all the time, even though it’s a very feminine style. Stretch silk, however, is probably something they don’t use much so they didn’t know how to handle it. My mom and grandmother always went to one tailor for suits, another for dresses, and still another for alterations to ready made items. I always thought this was due to price, but maybe it’s because they had different talents.

I had a pile of clothing made in Beijing when I was there last year. I paid about A$1500 (now about US$1010) for the following items:
* two wool suit jackets for my husband;
* four wool suit pants for my husband;
* seven business shirts with French cuffs for my husband;
* a black cashmere mid-length trenchcoat for me;
* a black and red flared wool skirt;
* a reversible wrap-around skirt with large front pocket made from three different fabrics;
* a black A-line skirt with a turquoise silk ribbon around the hem;
* two fitted shirts with French cuffs for me;
* a “little black dress” in charcoal Thai silk with matching jacket;
* a Chinese style red top with short sleeves for me; and
* a full length long sleeved red silk chong sum.

My husband’s suits and shirts were modelled on one of each item I took with me. The shirt for me was modelled on one my friend owned that was far too small for me. Two of the skirts were copied with different fabrics and one was “designed” by me. The trenchcoat, charcoal dress with jacket and Chinese style items were created from ideas out of the catalogues they supplied.

It took a few days of refittings and alterations to get the chong sum and the tops right, but I was really pleased with the results. Especially for the price! I figured that the amount of money I spent was a fair price for my husband’s two suits and then the shirts for him all the clothes for me were effectively free!

A year on and all the items are still in good shape and my husband wears his suits and shirts all the time. I highly recommend the experience. I had a great time!

Thanks for sharing your experience with us, Cathy. Good to know that you and hubby love your tailor made pieces and that they are still in good shape.

Joelle, you are astute. You make excellent points and I’ll remember them the next time I have something custom made.

Thanks for the empathy, Sal. Lesson learned for sure.

KLauren, WOW. Being referred to as “a new era Audrey” is an extremely flattering compliment. I can scarcely believe Audrey and I have been used in the same sentence!!! Thank you (*blush*).

Swirl, it was fun to compare notes! I look forward to hearing about your jacket replica once you’ve gone through the process.

I’m curious as to how my alterations lady will deal with the fit problem on this shirt. To relax the elastic, it’s being dry cleaned first. We’ll tackle the issues afterwards.

Thank you for these fascinating posts, Angie. It brings back memories – when I was growing up, custom tailoring was an essential part of life. My mom had most of her clothes made. Only later I came to appreciate how much superior the fit of custom-made clothes is.
Sorry to hear the shirt didn’t turn out! The material is gorgeous, I hope you can rescue it. And the jacket is beautiful!

I am sorry that replicating your Anne Fontaine shirt was a disaster. Here are a few tips to eep in mind when embarking on a similar project in the future.

— A tailor would rather take your measurements. The end result is his/her particular cut (signature style). This is exactly what happened in your case. Instead, ask your tailor to measure the garment. Take the garment (shirt) along with you and ask him/her to cut it exactly that way. Then you can be sure of a product at least 98% the original.

— Identify the features of the shirt that work best for you – a narrow shoulder line, a deeper shoulder slope, a fitting armhole, darts (if any), the collar, the length of the garment. Point these out to your tailor and tell him/her that’s what you expect. That way, he/she knows what you are really looking for / what to watch out for whilst cutting the garment. (My tailor is usually amused, but does it any way).

— A gent’s tailor is used to cutting wider shoulders, also the shoulder slope is straight for men. This won’t work for women, unless it’s a jacket. Look for a tailor that specializes in ladies garments. (oh, the cut! you won’t regret it)

— the texture and stretch of the fabric should be similar for a similar result.

— If you have tried your hand at cutting and sewing, here’s an idea for you. Don’t throw away a worn-out garment, that has your favourite cut or style. Rather, open out the entire garment (requires patience, here) and use the separate pieces as drafts to cut a similar outfit. Try with a cheap fabric till you are satisfied.

Cheers! Hope it’s better for you the next time

You and your Mum had perfectly fitting tailored clothes, Marianne! (Thanks for the compliment).

Fantastic advice, Jul. I needed your brain at Sam’s. Thanks for the heads up and I shall take your suggestions to heart.

Hey girls,
Come to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico and I will duplicate your clothes. It is important that you use excact fabric (so bring your own) or choose from my book. If it is special E mail me and ask if I have the fabric you need. And Cabo is just the place for winter vacation.
Pepita owner of http://www.magicofthemoon.com