Last year I had the wonderful opportunity to sit down with Sala Sihombing for her post cast. We ended up discussing how the clothes we wear are an important tool to remain present during life's changes (such as divorce that Sala helps couples navigate through mediation).
I shared some important stories of impactful clients and how clothing held them back in certain situations.
​Take a listen/watch.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/salasihombing/

Click Fit Check!
It doesn’t matter if you’re shopping for something new or going through your wardrobe.
How clothes fit YOU and YOUR body matters!

The right fit will:
​

1. Have you feal more comfortable and confident
2. Enhance the right parts of your body
3. Have people perceive you more positively and as more put together.

 
Clothes should always FIT YOU! You should NOT changing your body to fit clothes! 
 
It wasn’t until the popularity of Pret-a-porter (the French work for ‘ready to wear’) in the late 1950’s that clothing became a reflection of trend. You see before this; you would have a seamstress/designer/tailor make clothes for you! For YOUR measurements and proportions. For your style!
Wearing items that were straight off the rack was a rebellious concept, post WW2, that emerged as a response to the increasing demand for clothing that was fashionable, easily and affordable.
Fashion became made for the popular, a target market! If your style, silhouette, size or proportion was not included, it was hard. Because at the end of the day… fashion is a business! Having good sales would insure they could produce another collection and continue working. So catering for the average women became a business focus, and for some stores like Zara, it still is today!
 
If I think back to high school math, I remember a lesson on statistics and standard deviation (that looks like this bell curve below). Popular fashion is generally with in 1 standard deviation, ensuring that it would fit MOST women that they marketed too. But if you were one SD above or below, the fit of clothes may have been difficult.
An example of this is height. If you were taller or shorter than the average standard deviation measurement, something as simple as a pair of pants could be too long, to short, too tight in the crotch length, ect. To put it simply, they would NOT fit your body well!


Don’t get me wrong, Pret-a-porter has been a wonderful invention for clothing production. Previously, it may have taken you 6 months to receive new season clothing. Made to measure is a method that we would associate today with luxury industries such as Haute Couture, but it was the standard of how clothing was made prior to the 1950’s. 
 
Now that we realise that Fast Fashion (a sub industry of Pret-a-porter) is having a HUGE negative impact environmentally, more and more stores are relying on small craftsmen like tailors to help perfect fits for their clients. 

So, what should YOU look out for when it comes to fit for your clothes? 
 
We talked about WHY fit is important and a brief history of Pret-a-porter. But what should you look out for when it comes to the way your clothes FIT.

Let’s go through and red flag different aspects of FIT that CAN NOT be altered successfully by a professional.

1. Crotch length. Because of the shape of the seem in pants and short, the length of a crotch CAN NOT BE CHANGE. Either shorter or longer. So I recommend every client do a SIT TEST. All this requires is for you to sit down in them. Chair, stool, it doesn’t matter. Are they just as comfortable? If you feel like it’s ridding up, or giving you a wedgie, this is an indication that it’s NOT the right fit. This is MOST important as an uncomfortable fit often will lead to UTI’s in women (with long term wear). You don’t want your pants making a negative health impact, regardless on how fabulous you look! https://www.instagram.com/p/DBawi_uJ0jT/
2. Cat Whiskers! When you look in the Mirror when trying on pants/shorts or skirls, can you see any Cat Whiskers? What this means is anywhere that the fabric doesn’t sit well around the hip and crotch area. It can be due to the wrong horizontal shape around your groin for your body, or not a quality fit for your hips or event not the best fabric. If this happens, try a size up. It is easier for a tailor to make something smaller than it is to try to make it bigger. https://www.instagram.com/p/DBaxMwvpn7u/
   
3. The Shoulder Seems! Where does the seem between your arm and your shoulder meet? When you are looking at tailored items like a blazer jacket or white classic collared shirt, where does the sleeve is attached to the body of the garment? This detail will make a difference in your comfort and silhouette look. If the seam sits too close to your neck, then it could be hard to move (it also could be an indication of it being too small). If the seem is too far away it can make you look wide, and your body will not support the structure. Remember whereever clothing has a seem it is both ridged (less movement) and a possible fault point (easily break at this area with too much pressure). To understand if a jacket limits your mobility, simply give yourself a hug while wearing it. If you can’t raise your arm without discomfort, then it will be hard to shake someone’s hand. https://www.instagram.com/p/DBdR7j0hgTr/
   
4. The Bust pull! This is a clear indication that the fabric or cut of the garment doesn’t sit well on your body and the area may have too much tension. This is especially common for busty ladies trying to fit a collared work shirt (as it often has buttons at the centre). If you see that the buttons have too much tension or ‘pull’ around a middle button, then try to size up to accommodate and tailor/or make the rest smaller for you waist/other areas. Too much tension could lead to lost buttons or the fabric ripping. I know this, as I personally have lost MANY buttons on my shirts due to the wrong fit! https://www.instagram.com/p/DBdShT8Jygx/
   
5. ​The Hem! It's important to note that most of the time, hems and length of items can be easily adjusted by a tailor. Such as your pant length. Many pants are made extra-long to accommodate more people as you can always make a pant shorter. I’ve has had some clients that want to feel tall, so they wear a longer pant with a big heel for an optical illusion of an extra 10cm.

Whatever garment you wear, make sure they it enhancs YOU and YOUR BODY (so not stopping at the widest part of your body)! 
The right fit will have you feel comfortable and look polished. So you can be ready to take on the day, no matter what occasion!

I hope these tips have been valuable. Check out my extended blog post for more information.
Stay stylish ladies!

I was so lucky to get to know Sala Sihombing who is an amazing mediator in Hong Kong. Map the Maze is a podcast for people using mediation to manage their separation and divorce.
We had a wonderful conversation over coffee a few weeks ago and she's has allowed me to share her Youtube clip. 
​It's really more than just clothes! It's a tool to embrace opportunity!
Who knew that Mediation and Styling had sooo much in common.