Some suggestions and advice to help you make good choices and get fantastic results from your bespoke clothes.
Understanding the value of having a garment made. By now most of us have heard of the concept of cost per wear. It is simple maths. Dividing the cost of the item by the number of times you wear it. Buying a cheap item and wearing it once, twice or even a few times will ultimately be more expensive than spending a lot more and wearing it 50 or 100 times. Having a bespoke garment will cost you more in the short term but less in the long term because the time spent getting it just right for you will ensure you want to wear it again and again and again.
Did you used to love clothes shopping but it has become a chore? Have you lost that loving feeling for shopping? Can’t find what you want? Can’t find the right item in the right colour? Poor quality? Synthetic fabrics that aren’t comfortable? Having the ability to choose colours, colour combinations, detailing, styling, proportions, quality fabrics and having a make quality that is superior and excellent puts you back in love with all things clothing. It becomes exciting again.
Being a difficult size or shape doesn’t mean you can’t be stylish, well dressed, the real you. Finding clothes that fit beautifully is a difficult task. Concentrating on what is right for you, to enhance your body shape, create a garment that hugs in all the right places and flows over the not so right places is a game changer. We all have places that need hiding and others that need accentuating. Often an experienced eye and the skills to create a style that does this is all you need. I love to help clients through the fear barrier and help them to truly connect with themselves.
This is an area of clothing much ignored when it comes to how well clothes fit or look. A fabulous bra that give lift and structure and feels comfortable is worth investing in. It doesn’t have to be expensive but it does have to fit correctly so a visit to a boutique where they can help you find the perfect style and make for you will not go unrewarded.
Being able to choose your prefered colour is a wonderful asset. You can always have clothing in your best colours never having to compromise on something that will ‘have to do’. Not only can you go all out if you like contrasting colours but you can also consider a monochrome colour pallet or complimentary colours for a stunning 2 colourway garment or a main colour with a contrasting detail. If you have something you’d like to wear, a skirt for example, and want to match a colour within that garment then being in control of colour choice makes it so easy.
Have you fallen into the 20/80 trap - wearing 20% of your clothes 80% of the time and think you have too many clothes and don’t need more? (Note: you don't, it just looks like you have!) Have a look at your wardrobe, write a clothing diary for a month and see whether you too are falling into this pattern. This never ceases to surprise me and I know I do this. Maybe a wardrobe reassessment is called for and the question ‘do I love this item’ applied to each unworn piece, to get rid of or donate the things you will never wear because you don’t love them, and provide a small collection of items that just need some help. The remaining collection can then be ‘work in progress’ and you will know where to concentrate for having a bespoke garment to bring everything, or at least some of the pieces, together.
Do you have a favourite item that would be a pivot point, a base line on which to build a look, a style, a clothing identity? A bespoke jacket or dress could help bring together outfits with other clothes in your wardrobe for a cohesive ‘look’. We all fit into a style (I’m not talking about the latest fashion but a personal style) and identifying what your style is can be so releasing. Styles are things like classic or natural or romantic or dramatic, and once you have found yours it can make clothes all the more fun, dressing easier and design choices a dream.
Do you default to baggy clothes for comfort because clothes just don’t fit properly anymore and you feel lumpy, bumpy and frumpy? Are you in a clothing rut? Especially as our bodies change over time the need for a personal fit is essential. Comfort does not have to be given up for stylish clothes. Having a bespoke garment ensures that room, skimming those bumpy areas and comfort are paramount and joy can return. When a garment fits properly in all the right places comfort is just there.
Finally the big reminder - when you feel great in what you are wearing this impacts on your face, demeanour and confidence. It may feel like a luxury but this is an investment in you and to my mind it could be considered an essential.
Andrea Franklin
