When do I have to buy new clothes, anyway?

March 1, 2008 6:57 PM

I know hardly anything about the modern economics of building clothing. Tell me -- how can I determine if my clothes can be resized to measure, and whether that would cost more than the clothes are worth?

I lose and gain weight seasonally, and also depending on my personal traumas and/or resolve to exercise. I generally hesitate to buy myself high-priced clothes for this reason. The last time I asked a seamstress about reducing the size of a skirt, she said she doubted if she could make the skirt smaller, much less whether it would be worth it for me, as opposed to buying another.

I can only remember one time in my life that a garment could actually be enlarged for me, and that was a costume for a play, a satin gown which didn't need to be constructed to bear up under daily use. This lack of flexibility bothers me, since there is a particular gown that I love in the family attic and that I want to wear as a wedding gown. If I ever do get married, the gown will have to be adjusted one way or the other, and I don't know if it can. But I ask mainly because of my office business-casual clothing requirements. It's hard enough to find things that look mature without being dowdy.

What can I bear in mind about the construction of clothing, while purchasing clothes and looking at my own in the closet?

posted by Countess Elena to clothing, beauty, & fashion (7 comments total)

I will say you are better off buying a new skirt, or whatever piece of clothing you need, than having them altered to fit your fluctuating size. Alterations are expensive and usually not worth the hassle unless you have a quality piece of clothing that you don't want to replace or you need a gown fitted.

Here are some things to look for if you do wish to have garments taken out:

1. Seam allowance. I'm going to say that most clothes that are bought by the average joe, everything from Old Navy to Banana Republic aren't going to have big seam allowances. Generally a seam allowance is 5/8".

2. Knits, like jersey, are almost impossible to let out because they are serged and have zero seam to let out. Which is no biggie anyway, because if you need a new white T-shirt, it's not expensive to replace.

3. Jacket sleeves can be lengthened if there is enough fabric turned up in the inside of the sleeve to let out.

4. If you want your clothes to be let out look for simple styles. Something like this skirt looks simple enough, but it actually has seven gores and that would take some time and expense to alter and still look right. You can't just take out two seams the zipper will be in the wrong place and everything will be wonky. You're much better off buying a straight skirt with one seam. But if that straight skirt has a lining and a kick pleat you're looking at more labor.

5. It's always wise to buy a size up and have it taken in, rather than let out.

Again, I would not even consider having everyday work clothes altered biannually. That's too much expense and not worth the hassle. You're better off buying a new skirt on sale or in a designer outlet. If you buy a jacket or a skirt at a high end department store or Brooks Brothers or something have it altered to fit at that moment. Most simple alterations are free at department stores. It might be more economical and less time-consuming to buy two sizes of each piece of clothing.

The gown that is in the attic will most likely be able to be let out one size, if it hasn't been let out previously. It depends on the fabric many times. Some fabrics show holes -- you will see holes from needles in things like satin and leather when the seam allowance is let out. Sometimes there is barely any seam allowance to prevent bumps and lumps in sleeker fabrics. Sometimes dressmakers, depending on the fabric, will leave extra seam allowance for situations like these.
posted by LoriFLA at 7:31 PM on March 1, 2008 [2 favorites]

Thanks, Lori! I had to look up "gore" and "seam allowance," but now I understand as to why letting out sleeves and cuffs is offered at department stores -- there's fabric there that can be used, whereas there's no such thing in the waistline of a garment.
posted by Countess Elena at 8:17 PM on March 1, 2008

I know from my experience home sewing that doing a good job of taking something in is often harder than putting a new one of whatever it was together from scratch. There are some adjustments that can be made fairly easily, but many things require basically taking the whole thing apart to make them really work well. This is even more true, I'd guess, for women's ready to wear, which wasn't designed to be altered (men's suits, I'd believe, have more flexibility in seam allowances and such). When you factor in that you're paying wages to a North American seamstress and not a 9 year old in China to remake your garment, it'll often cost more to get something significantly altered than it would to get something brand new.
posted by jacquilynne at 8:32 PM on March 1, 2008

Honestly, you should just maintain different size wardrobes if you go up and down that much on a consistent basis. It's a lot more effort to constantly resize clothes, and what everyone else said about how hard it is to do.
posted by jenfullmoon at 11:28 PM on March 1, 2008

Chances are she was just being lazy. There's always 101 ways you can work around something!
I live for recontructed clothing :) I'm currently overhauling my wardrobe, my sewing room currently an (organised) malestrom of racks, tables, shelves, post-its, pins, things where I can see them and think, things planned and all the required items tucked into one bag... ect. :)

But she's right, it may not have been worth it to pay someone. Mostly because of all the TEDIOUS unpicking and fiddling around it involves!

(It may be worth it, though, to find someone who can sew perfectly well but is happy to, for example, sew a zip in for you for $5, provided you neatly remove the original... rather than $22 to have it done 'professionally'.)

But with the wedding dress - in those days they were constructed with being worn by the entire community and then being made into curtains in mind - so you could be in luck there! Depending on what you've got and what you need, I couldn't say how exactly? But if you're happy to take pics and measure things - I'd be more than happy to help :)

But yeah what jenfullmoon said. Currently my 'skinny' clothes are out and my 'fat' clothes are packed away in the case. We all like to be optimistic, but I decided a case full of clothes I love and know look suitable and fit well, would kinda make me happy to be wearing again :)
(And that whole altered shape/ nothing fits right/ in between period just sucks, whichever way you're going!!)

Rather than constantly screwing around with things (which unless you sew, is just not viable at all. Among other reasons -if you had the money you would just buy much more clothing!!) it may be a good idea to buy cleverly. Things that wrap and adjust, or are cleverly made so they look just as nice worn higher or lower (eg. empire lines that have a panel), or whatever?
posted by mu~ha~ha~ha~har at 1:56 AM on March 2, 2008

The nice quality spandex slips that you can get in a department store can suck you down a full size. I wouldn't wear them every day, but for a special occasion, it might get you into that one fabulous dress.
posted by happyturtle at 8:52 AM on March 2, 2008

Just keep two different sizes of wardrobe, it will be much simpler than having things resized twice a year.

Some new clothes with larger seam allowances can be let out. Once these clothes have been worn for a while, the fabric will fade a bit, and if they are let out at that point there will be a visible difference between the area that used to be inside a seam and the fabric that has been exposed all along. This won't look good.

It's hard enough to find things that look mature without being dowdy.

When you find something you like, buy it in each size you expect to need. If it's a real winner on classic style, something you will wear over and over until it wears out, buy two in each size you will need.
posted by yohko at 1:43 PM on March 2, 2008