tailor made clothes

mirah

Okay so this is a rant-question..
why cant we get tailor made clothes in the US? and if we do, how do I go about finding a good and affordable tailor?

I was doing a closet cleanout and while tucking away my summer clothes realized that every piece that I have from home (India) has been sort of my creation. Its so easy there to..get your own fabric..think up an outfit ..find a good tailor and voila..plus it was always affordable, great quality and perfect fit..even when i was on pocket money from my parents.
Is this a completely obscure concept in the western fashion world? I hear wedding dresses made to order but shouldnt it be something available for clothes we wear everyday?

17 years ago

Shopping

8 replies

Latest reply was from anne

shiny

Veteran

Mirah, this would be my absolute dream!!! While I've never been to India, I have heard that this is the way it is in some countries.

I do think you can get custom-made clothes here in the US, but it's very expensive.

17 years ago

Ana

(website)

Veteran

Shiny is right, it would be very expensive here unless you knew someone who sews. The closest you can get to it is to be familiar with what can be altered and what can't, and also how much it costs so you can judge whether an item is worth purchasing or not.

I probably have to get about 35-50% of the things I buy altered in some way, and I wouldn't say I have any major fit issues that makes finding clothing difficult.

17 years ago

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Unaffordable First world labour costs – that’s why, Mirah.

You can have anything copied in China too. PERFECTLY. It will have to be your special little India stash that’s perfect

17 years ago

Nicole

Veteran

Ok so having an entire wardrobe of custom clothing probably isn't realistic for most of us (probably all of us). But some items are easier to create than others. You could find a pattern for a simple A line skirt--or pencil skirt and buy the fabric to make the same skirt in a few different fabrics. I bet it wouldn't cost much more than buying similar items in a store.

Items like blouses, dresses and skirts with complicated pleats, some pockets are much complicated to create, so the cost to create a few pieces would be much higher than buying it in a store.

17 years ago

shiny

Veteran

Well, yeah... you *could* sew your own clothes BUT... the fabric stores in the US pretty much suck. Great for crafting - not great for clothing. (Unless you live in NYC fashion district or someplace like that).

This is yet another reason why I gave up sewing. A skirt is easy and can be whipped up in a single night's effort. It's the fabric that's the issue. Chain-store fabric stores are the worst (and I used to work at one). Selection is just awful.

17 years ago

Ana

(website)

Veteran

I agree with shiny on the fabric issue. I'm a quilter, and have found beautiful cotton fabrics in specialty quilt shops, but finding quality fabric suitable for clothing is difficult. It really depends on where you live.

17 years ago

Nicole

Veteran

Good point about the fabric being difficult to find.

There are on-line fabric stores, but you really need to be able to feel fabric to decide if it worthy of clothing.

17 years ago

anne

Veteran

The fabric situation has declined in Australia too. When I was a child there were several good fabric shops nearby. My Mum made most of my clothes and I sewed as a teenager and student too. People used to give fabric as birthday gifts! Most of the shops have now closed down, or have devoted most of their floor space to the craft market. The price of clothing has dropped to the point where there is little economic impetus to sew

17 years ago

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