One Size Fits All
12:30 AM
hkFashionGeek
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If I had a superpower, it would be the ability to wear clothes of any size. To me, an ill fit is an obstacle, not a deal-breaker. If those Project Runway contestants can take car parts and supermarket ingredients and, as Tim Gunn says, "make it work", there's no reason that a shop not having my size should impede me from owning a desired item. (Shoes are the exception here, ladies.) In Hong Kong, this talent is especially useful because there are a million cute and cheap boutiques that don't allow you to try stuff on.
I'm far from a seamstress (I've been known to give up on garments because I'm incapable of sewing on a button) so it helps if you are, but all you really need is a decent tailor and a good imagination. Just a few examples of adjustments I've made to either update an old piece -- I still wear clothes I bought when i was 14 -- or repurpose a piece that doesn't fit because I bought the wrong size.
Example one: the A-line skirt
I impulsively purchased a skirt that was like, 6 sizes too small, it barely fit over one leg. Instead of donating it to someone smaller, I had the tailor take it up -- from the top. Because of the A-line silhouette, the waist became wider and it became a cute flared mini.
Example two: the stretch jersey sheath dress
Zara was having a sale, and I just had to own this most-unforgiving pencil skirted dress in slinky stretch jersey. My poor belly just looked SO full and happy underneath it. TOO full and happy. I had the tailor ruche the sides, creating a nice effect that covered the offending bulge.
Example three: the Mom pant
My lover purchased a pair of the softest khakis ever, only to have them shrink in the wash and become man-leggings -- not sexy. So, for fun, I put them on, and voila, a mom pant. They're high-waisted on short me and incredibly unflattering. So I rolled the slightly tapered legs up to below the knee, added a mannish belt and an oversized tank and blazer, and gave it a casual-cool look that didn't raise any eyebrows at the office or outdoors.
I should really post visual illustrations of these miracles, I'm so very proud of them (nobody DIYs in Hong Kong!) but I won't, because they don't have the same impact laid flat, they need to be seen on a human, and I can't model them myself in the interest of semi-anonymity (yeah, me and my recognizable ankles, haha). You can never be too safe with your identity, after all...
Anyway, what are your outfit-miracles? Do you alter things to fit you, repurpose them or just pass them on to the Salvation Army?
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