Make Your Alterations

The all important nipping and tucking. Find a good tailor by asking a trusted boutique because chances are they use one frequently. Here are a few things a tailor will be able to do to your garments: 

*Create your shape and size. Generally you can hem or take a seam in as much as 4 inches; any more will throw the look of the garment off. And ask your tailor to follow the lines of your body.

*Make more room. People tend to think you can only make stuff smaller, but you can make things a little bigger too. You can often find some room in the zipper or side seams to let out. You can also cut a slit or vent in a dress or skirt.

*Find the right length. With skinny pants, you can wear any heel hight, since the hem should grace the top of the shoe. For wide leg pants, they should hit the floor.

 *Streamline your silhouette. A tailor can close up pockets in a pair of pants, add any closure between gapping buttons on a shirt or create darts under the bust or in the back of a top to create cleaner lines. If you always tuck in shirts, remove the bottom few buttons so they don't show under clothes. 

Sometimes we find clothes that just don't fit but we feel insane to pass them up. Even I catch myself in the fitting room thinking "Oh the waist line is a little large in the back but thats fine Ill wear a belt." But, the thing is I hate belts and know I will never wear one and still buy those pants anyways. Tailoring your clothes makes them worth the money you originally spend and when clothes fit to perfection, we experience that sensational confidence boost we get when we know we look good. The size chart in the US is not consistent throughout every brand and sometimes it is almost impossible to find something to fit your body type so lets thank the Gods for a good tailor!

Check out the few videos below to see how you can make alterations yourself!

Hanging vs Folding

To hang or to fold, that is... the point of this section! 

You've spent the money and time on building your incredible wardrobe, so you might as well store your clothes properly to extend their shelf life and keep the ironing to a minimum. So here is a quick check list to look over as you go through your closet!

Wool sweaters and anything knit, FOLD! Hanging these items will stretch the neckline and shoulders, weakening the strength we want our clothes to have. Hanging these items will alter the design, stretching and lengthening in all the wrong places which changes how it fits the body, leading you to the thought of rewashing and drying the clothes to rewind the "damage".

Anything cotton and linen, HANG! Folding these items will cause creases that require you having to iron and we want to avoid that at all costs. Just like applying heat to your hair, applying heat to your clothes has the same damaging effect. 

Denim, you could do either way. The material is strong enough to withstand hanging.

Trousers and blazers are to be hung for obvious reasons. Hanging them circulates back to that "avoid the iron at all costs" rule. 

Blouses and dresses should more than likely be hung, I think you're getting the point now.

Hang anything silky and light weight, fold anything heavy. 

HANG silk, 100% cotton, rayon, satin and velvet. Trousers and dress pants, dresses and jumpsuits, leather,  suede and over coats too. 

FOLD cashmere, knit, wool. Heavy pants like jeans, cargo (if you still even own a pair), embellished evening gowns and t-shirts. 

What Your Care Label Is Saying

That pesky tag on the left inside seam of all your clothing actually has a lot to say and half of it pertains to you. Some haven many layers while others may have one, they are all stating the same labeling standards. Within the USA, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) administers mandatory labeling requirements that affect an apparel firm's product development activities. There are 4 mandatory labeling requirements: Fiber content, identification of manufacturer, country of origin, and care.

The Textile Fiber Productions Identification Act requires a garment label to disclose the fiber content which is identified by the generic name.

The FTC registers an identification number or brand name for each manufacture. This is often written on the label as RNxxx.

The country of origin is where the product was produced. This is determined by where the garment was "substantially transformed." The COO becomes tricky when several locations are involved, this is then written as "Made in USA of imported fabric" or "Made in [name of country], finished in USA."

The care label ruling requires apparel to carry permanently affixed label with instructions on regular care. This is where it reads "Hand Wash Only," "Wash With Like Colors" or "Tumble Dry Low" along with many crazy symbols instructing further care.

HERE is a simple chart to help you out! 

How To Hand Wash Your Clothes

Hello, World!

Todays fashion industry has changed terminally into a world consumed by fast fashion. Fast fashion is essentially "disposable" clothing made of cheap fabric that we have convinced ourselves it's okay to throw away after one use. If you want clothing to last you NEED to pay attention to care tags. Every item of clothing in your closet has one, read it. Hand washing clothes is the most delicate way to wash them and will make them last longer. Here I have explained how to do such process. It's more simple than you think.    

Always check the care tag in all of your garments. These tags tell you the do's and don'ts for caring for your clothes to best preserve them and to prevent you from shrinking, melting, unraveling and any other damage the miss-care can lead to. It's a little extra work but it will give extra life to those special items in your closet. Follow these few steps in hand washing your clothes and you will be good to go!

1. Fill your sink with luke warm water and add a teaspoon of detergent. Adjust to the size of garment and the amount of items you are washing.

2. Soak garments in the soapy water. Avoid scrubbing and twisting, this could lead to stretch or damage to the fabric. Gently swish the garments in the water until clean. 

3. Drain the sink and refill with cool water for rinsing. Push the garment up and down until the soap is removed. 

4. Gently squeeze the excess water from the garment. Do Not twist or wring the item as it may stretch the fibers and ruin the fabric.  

5. Lay the freshly washed garment on a dry towel on a flat surface. Roll the towel up, encasing the garment. Gently press on the towel to absorb the remaining water. This step may need to be repeated several times.

6. Lay the garment flat to finish drying!  

Keep your closet happy! :)