Over the past week, I've had some interesting conversations with other Mums from my daughters' school. One mum had worked in the rag trade for 27 years, heading design teams for some of the high street's biggest stores. We chatted about rising commodity prices and the rising cost of fabric. She sighed and then said that, while she would always prefer natural fibres, if customers prize embellishment, then they'll embellish polyester to bring the garment in at the right price point. We also chatted about the despicable, in my opinion, practice of tilting pattern pieces a few degrees off the straight grain in order to more efficiently use the fabric. I detest buying clothes that seem lovely, and then twist out of shape after the first washing.
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| Lachasse Suit 1948-49, taken from V&A museum website |
Later in the week, I attended a PTA fashion show. That's right, a PTA fashion show! (This is Essex mate!) I sat towards the back with another home sewer. We were a little bit snarky about all the polyester. But what really struck me was the styling. When you are selling to a mass Market, you have to fit as many body types as possible. So most of the clothes were extremely flow-y, or made with spandex. So basically lots of roomy tops and spandex laden trousers. If you can't custom sew garments, it means a mass revival of any style pre-1960's won't happen. Lots of people adore the madmen look or the 1940s look, but these rely on fitting woven fabrics to the body. Something that is just not possible in mass RTW.
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| Image of garment worker taken BBC News website |
Since starting to sew, I've noticed that my tastes have changed a little. Any style that I like and I think might suit me, I can try. I am not limited in dresses because my proportions aren't average. I think this is true across the sewing community as a whole. I notice that the patterns in Vogue or Burda tend to be more fitted and more detailed than mass market RTW. When they are flow-y they tend to include more fabric, no point sewing yourself a cheap, skimpy cut.
Also, since starting to sew, I now value clothes for the quality of materials and the quality of construction more than just the design statement. I notice the fit and construction so much more than just the trendiness of a garment now. I realise that more than 99% of the other women I know would never notice or care about these details. Clothes are now pretty cheap. You can buy several pieces that you will only wear for one season anyway, so quality is not a big issue. Almost no one's clothes fit correctly, so no one notices or cares. In some ways I feel like I am in a secret little club. I'm picky about details that most people aren't even aware of!
What about you? Have you noticed style differences between sewers and "the rest of the world?" Do you value clothes differently because you sew? Are there any little details that irk you that I haven't noticed yet?
Yes! On pretty much all of your points! Although I've never been what one could describe as 'trendy' in the first place...
ReplyDeleteI do find, though, and I'm sure that this is not unique amongst sewists, that I am now picky with RTW to the point of inconvenience. I can't bring myself to buy a top that has wrinkles above the bust anymore, whereas before I learned to sew and about FBAs in particular then I never even noticed them - but sometimes, I need clothes at too short notice to realistically be able to sew anything and then I'm left with a conundrum!
I found myself nodding in agreement throughout this post! I absolutely can't buy RTW anymore, and have even gotten picky about my kid's clothing. I do think the rest of the world is becoming increasingly oblivious about fit though. I was watching an amateur choral performance a few weeks ago and all of the female singers were wearing fitted blouses, none of which fit correctly. It was so distracting to me that I couldn't enjoy the music.
ReplyDeleteIt's kind of gloriously awful knowing how to fit and sew clothes. Glrious because you CAN exactly what you want, but awful because none of my friends wear clothes that fit! And as far as I can see everybody wears clothes that are too tight. Knits keep climbing up to form wrinkles above the bust. The darts on wovens are never pointing to the right place! It's kind of irritating to observe but I say not a word or I will end up having to sew for everyone else! I do think that it's time for RTW to rethink the proportions of clothing, though. Most women are wearing tops that are too tight around the bust because they choose by the fir around the shoulders. Time to realize that all over the world women are larger in the bust relative to the shoulders than they were thirty years ago. Oh, it bugs me so! The fit in RTW, I mean!
ReplyDeleteWe are part of a secret club, aren't we??? I agree with everything you said. People - whatever kind of figure they have - always look so much better in clothes that fit them really well.
ReplyDeleteSo-so fit doesn't cut it anymore for me - my alteration and hemming bill for RTW has increased as my sewing has. And I can now actually wear a sheath or fitted dress, because I can make it myself (happy dance!). So, the styles available to me have really expanded too.
The things that irk me are too tight knits (just because you can stretch the fabric around your body, doesn't mean it fits!!!), raw hems (cheapness passed off as style!), poor fitting suit jackets (on men), and slapping a ruffle on a poorly made t-shirt so the price can be doubled (that really really irks me!). Oh, and cheap fabric. It is such a joy to find a RTW garment that is better than expected - either the fabric or the details.
Let's try another comment, shall we :) I can't affirm what you say about RTW since I'm one of the lucky few whom RTW fits sort of all right; and I'm not so proficient at sewing that it fits perfectly either. For me it's more about the choice of style and color I have with sewing it myself. I have realized however - quite recently - that knit RTW tops don't fit me as well as I thought, lots of pooling around the comparatively small middle and above the more substantial hips. I tried to ignore the logical conclusion that I have to start sewing the legions of simple knit tees and tanks that I've been so thankful for buying... until today, that is :)
ReplyDeleteOh for crying out-- blogger ate my comment. Suffice it to say, I agree with you. And I find that I now have fewer clothes in my closet than I did when I was stuck with ill-fitting RTW, because despite not having enough time to sew for myself adequately, I can't bear to wear RTW!
ReplyDeleteAgree with all you say! We are in such a throw away society. Got to WalMart, buy a top. It dies after three washes, go out and get another. Why do people settle for this crap? I guess I have been reading too much of the People of Walmart blog. Rarely is quality appreciated. This is one of the things I love about heirloom sewing. It is quality and it is made to last generations. Moms do put their babes in heirloom garments and Christening gowns generations later. I just really hate how people have this throw away mentality. Abnd do they care how they look? Lots of them don't.
ReplyDeleteI'm in agreement, and I do value clothing more because I sew. Guess it's because of the time and attention that I invest in garments I make.
ReplyDeleteGreat post! I so agree with everything you have said. Your comment about almost nobody's clothes fitting them made me smile. When I am out and about, (particularly on the underground when there is time to study people) I just can't help noticing how a lot of women wear clothes that don't fit (gaping, stretching etc.). I feel awful that I am noticing and thinking such things about other people because, of course, in the great scheme of life, it doesn't really matter. But for myself, now that I can sew, I really do value having clothes that fit me so much better than RTW.
ReplyDeleteClothes still are not that cheap in Australia - when we went to the USA we went to a Walmart and were very taken aback by how cheap everything was ( and how huge the store was ) .
ReplyDeleteHowever it does bug me that clothes cost alot but how poorly made and cheap the fabric is .And throwaway societies really annoy me and it is something that needs to change.
I agree that one values clothing sooo much more when you have invested your own time and energy into creating it, absolutely. I just cannot empathise with the throwaway ethos, not that I ever did actually...
ReplyDeleteLike Ute, RTW always fitted me well, but I have always been fussy about details like the colours and lengths, and wanting to have "interesting" details on my clothing.. these are the factors that drive me to sew my own.
Like others, I can't help noticing people's poorly fitting clothing when I'm out and about. It's a bad habit!
ReplyDeleteSewing my own clothes has changed my outlook and wardrobe a lot. I can now wear things I couldn't because of fit issues (like fitted jackets and woven shirts); my clothes are more interesting and more attuned to my tastes and coloring ....and my closet is sparser!
I'm slowly getting better results (and more consistently) on my home sewing, but prior to that, I don't know that my home sewn were any better/worse than the RTW. My biggest problem is that sewing supplies are so expensive, making it harder to justify sewing vs. going to a discount store. Especially when I only have a discount store budget.
ReplyDeleteInteresting post! I tried on suits (and bought a couple) a few weeks ago. None of them under $100, none of them with even the smallest natural fiber content. I just had to grit my teeth and do it because I don't want to sew them. Everything else--custom fitted to me!
ReplyDeleteVery interesting post, Karin. My attitudes about clothes are so different now that I make (or modify) most of my clothes. I so much more appreciate a well-fitted garment and will take the time to get it "just right" versus spending hours trying to shop for a garment thag never seems to be quite right. I just spent days making five muslins to get the perfect pair of ankle pants!
ReplyDeleteI hope you dont think Im a wierdo for posting so much in one sitting but this post is so interesting! I did a talk about fashion for a group of moms today and then bra fittings. All of them were wearing cheap knit clothing which clings in an unflattering way since being in the US most of them are overweight. Sad but true. I was thinking they would look SO much better in nice fitted woven fabric clothing which hold one in better. I started sewing most of my clothes because I am hard o fit and I wanted propely fitting dresses.
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