Mar 8

Mar 8 The Importance of Tailoring and The Impact It Can Make On Your Clothing

Hello! I want to start today’s post by asking you a couple of questions…

1. Do you have anything in your closet that you bought, wore it once or maybe never, and then it just sat there, neglected, unworn and basically collecting dust?

2. Have you ever wondered to yourself or said aloud to your friend or partner, “How is it that I have a closet full of clothing but still feel like I have nothing to wear?”

If you answered yes to either or both, keep reading… ;)

The fact is that you probably have plenty of options to choose from or things to wear, but you actually just don’t like or want to wear what you have for a variety of reasons, one of them most likely being the fit of the item(s). Today I want to talk about the importance of altering and tailoring clothing that you already have in your closet, in order to make those problem pieces work for you, not against you.

Often times clients will tell me about an item they’ve purchased but admit that when they bought it, they didn’t love everything about the piece. Instead, they figured they would just deal with it because either, they couldn’t find what they were looking for, or they didn’t think it existed, so they settled for “good enough.”

This happens a lot and unfortunately it’s how you can end up spending a lot of money on items that only get worn once, or in some cases, never see the light of day and sit in the closet with the tags still on. This leads to a closet full of clothing that never gets worn!

To be clear, sometimes there are pieces that you just have to get rid of because the fit or style is just not going to work no matter what you do and therefore it’s a lost cause. But today I am talking about that pieces in your closet that might just be one snip, hem or cinch away from being perfect.

Simple tailoring and alterations can transform a piece of clothing from something that you never reach for, to something that becomes a staple in your wardrobe. Hemming jeans and sleeves to the right length or taking in or letting out the waist of pants or jackets can be a major game changer, and although it is an added cost, wouldn’t you rather wear what you have and like it then just let it sit and collect dust in your closet, taking up valuable space and energy?

Case in point: Here is a sweater that I bought back in 2019 from Target. I remember really liking the colors and striped pattern, and thought that the tunic style would be great with leather leggings. I wore it to one my best friend’s baby shower and paired it with black skinny jeans and booties and it was fine, but after that I never reached for it again. It sat taking up room on my closet shelf where every time I looked at it, I felt a twinge of annoyance that I didn’t like it enough to wear it again.

After a while I got fed up, did a closet cleanout and realized that the main reason I never wore this particular sweater was because of the length and where it hit me on my legs. So I thought, I’ll take it to the tailor and have them hem it up to a make it a more cropped style. I put it in my car with every intention to do this, but instead it sat there in a bag for way longer than I would like to admit. (Face palm.) The other day I was cleaning out my car, saw the sweater and thought, this is getting ridiculous! How have I never taken care of this, or least donated it?!

It dawned on me that there might be a faster and cheaper solution and that would be to take matters into my own hands. Because of the nubby material and the fact that there wasn’t a real hem, I could probably get away with altering it myself! So I figured out where I wanted the sweater to hit (right around my belly button), grabbed the sharpest pair of shears I owned and went to work. It was easy and effortless and I was left with exactly what I wanted. I am so pleased with the results, and I ended up using the leftover material as a circle scarf!

Here is the after:

(This was my first go around with cutting it, so I can probably go back in and trim off a bit more at the bottom to even it out, but I think it’s pretty good for my first try!)

I realize that this was a fairly simple solution that didn’t cost me anything, and that sometimes going to the tailor can be intimidating because you aren’t sure what length you want your jeans to be hemmed, or you don’t know if it’s worth trying to take in the waist of that ill-fitting blazer, but I promise it doesn’t hurt to just go in and chat with the tailor, get their opinion and go from there. I am also always here to answer any tailoring questions you might have, so feel free to leave a comment or send me an email! (christine@styledbychristine.com)

I will continue to share more of my own alterations/tailoring victories as they come along but in the meantime, take stock of your closet and see what items can be reinvented and worn again with just a little tailoring or alterations magic!