May 10, 2016 by Debbie Roes

Alteration Failures: Better Left in the Store or Returned

Late last year, I launched a series on the topic of alterations. I began with some thoughts from my private Facebook group on the pros and cons of having our clothes tailored and some of their personal alteration experiences. In a follow-up post, I shared a selection of my alteration success stories featuring skirts and dresses.

Now it’s time to look at the flip side of the coin, those times when tailoring goes wrong. Sadly, I can recall many such experiences, so many that this is just my first post on this topic (there will be at least one more). Some of what I have to say is embarrassing, but my hope is that recounting my alteration faux pas may help save you money and grief.

Alteration mistakes Continue reading →

December 1, 2015 by Debbie Roes

Successful Alterations – Skirts and Dresses

Last week, I kicked off a new blog series that will include a number of posts on the topic of alterations. The first installment included thoughts from my private Facebook group on the pros and cons of having our clothes tailored. The group also shared their experiences with altering their own clothes, as well as some tailoring success and failure stories.

Skirt and Dress Alterations

In the upcoming posts in this series, I will highlight some of my own alteration successes and failures. Since I like to start things out on a high note, today’s installment will feature some of my successful tailoring efforts. Please note that I don’t do any of my tailoring myself. About seven or eight years ago, I found a lovely alterations lady not far from when I live who does a great job and charges reasonable prices. I’ve been taking all of my tailoring projects to her ever since. She’s very good at what she does, but occasionally I proceed with alterations against her best advice. But that is a topic for the next post in this series… We’re sticking with the positive today!

Continue reading →

November 24, 2015 by Debbie Roes

Alterations – Pros, Cons, Successes, and Failures

With today’s post, I’m kicking off a new series for the blog. I have often written about alterations in my various posts, but only once have I dedicated an entire article to that topic. While that post was fairly comprehensive, it was also published almost two years ago, so it’s high time for me to revisit the subject. In addition, I have received a few questions from readers that I would like to address more fully than I can in the comments section of the blog.

Do you tailor your clothes? Why or why not?

In the coming weeks, I will share some of my personal alterations successes and failures with you (including before and after pictures wherever possible) and I will respond to the reader questions I mentioned above. But before I delve into those matters, I decided to ask my private Facebook group how they feel about tailoring their clothes and how they approach alterations – or even if they do!

Continue reading →

April 10, 2014 by Debbie Roes

The Ins and Outs of Custom-Made Clothing

The following is a guest post from Maharani, a regular reader of this blog, who is sharing her experience with having her clothing custom made. Awhile back, Maharani had suggested this option for me in response to my pants shopping difficulties. Since I was intrigued by the custom clothing possibility but knew so little about it, I figured others would also be interested in learning more. So I asked Maharani to share her experiences in a guest post, and the rest is history! Read on to learn lots of useful information about custom-made clothing and how it might be an option to consider for your wardrobe.

Have you ever had your clothing custom made?

Continue reading →

December 16, 2013 by Debbie Roes

The Dark Side of Alterations

I have long been a strong advocate of alterations. I’ve had my own clothing tailored for years, and back when I worked as a wardrobe consultant, I always suggested alterations to help take my clients’ garments from good to fabulous. It’s difficult for many of us to achieve a perfect fit “off the rack,” so tailoring can help fill in the gaps so our garments fit us like a glove.

When I first started having my clothes tailored, I pretty much stuck to standard types of alterations, things like pants hems and minor nips and tucks. However, at some point, I lost my way and started using alterations as a means of completely overhauling my clothes. I slipped into what I now term the “dark side” of alterations.