If there is one important thing that I learned about the fit of pants, I learned it while a designer under the tutelage of my design director Jerry Dellova, the mastermind behind the label Barry Bricken, who are famous for their pants. Jerry used to tell me that pants are about fit, not necessarily fashion. Over the years of working with him we would run the same well-fitting pants that sold well and people counted on season after season. We wouldn't touch the fit of these pants because many of the Barry Bricken customers grew to count on them.
Barry Bricken isn't alone with this mentality and many designers, once they have a well fitting pant, stick with it and offer it in many fabrics and colors. Secondly, like Barry Bricken, designers stick with the same fit model for the fit of all of their pants. So the reason it is important to find your label of pants that fit is that unless a designer decides to change their pant fit, you can count on the fit of the pants fitting your body, season after season. So once you go through the process of finding the label of pants that fit your body the hard work is over, and you can pretty much always go back to that same label and have success.
Tailoring
So you find a
pair of pants and you are thrilled because you look great in
them, but you notice that they would fit even better if they
were nipped in at the waist, or had a hem. Don't despair,
tailoring today is part of the process. I once had a client
who was frustrated by the fact that she was spending a
considerable amount on pants but was still expected to pay for
tailoring in addition. It was a bit challenging for me to
explain to her that in todays world many women cannot just buy
a pair of pants off the rack that will fit them perfectly.
Once I showed her what a minimal nip in the waist or hem would
do for the way she looked in the pants, she immediately agreed
to the slight tailoring. Yes, it can be frustrating that pants
aren't perfect right off the rack. Sure, I would love all of my
pants to be perfect -- but they aren't. Many times I bring my
pants right to the tailor before bringing them home. I am
always more comfortable when they fit my body perfectly.
Mid-range stores like Banana Republic and Club Monaco will actually hem for free. They won't do other alterations like taking a pair of pants in at the waist, but if you only require a hem, take the store up on their offer to provide you with this service. Other stores like Bloomingdales or Saks Fifth Avenue (along with other higher price point stores) have tailoring on premises and will send a seamstress right to your dressing room to fit the pants for you. You will usually have to pay for this service, but there is a great convenience in having the store fit for you right there. After a week or so the store will contact you and you can either pick the pants up or they will ship them to your home.
Pants
and You
Like I said,
finding pants can be an excruciating experience that has no
easy answers. Truly it is a game of trial and error. I also
realized recently that we can't even ask our friends where they
get their well-fitting pants because it is unlikely that the
pants that fit our friends will fit us. There is no road map
that will lead us to pants that fit well, we really need to be
patient with it and trust that in the end we will find that
well-fitting gem that fits and works for our bodies.
About the Author:
Bridgette Raes
is the founder and president of Bridgette Raes Style Group a
New York City based image and style consulting company for
women and a internationally renowned expert on fashion, image
and style. Prior to starting Bridgette Raes Style Group
Bridgette worked as a fashion designer for ten years and is
also a professionally trained image consultant. With
comfortable first-hand knowledge of all aspects of the fashion
industry, Bridgette Raes has quickly become the voice of
fashion for todays real woman. The lighthearted, yet skilled
approach that Bridgette applies to all of her client work,
writing and speaking events makes her approach both educational
and fun. Her distinctive vibrant style, self deprecating humor
and lighthearted ways has helped todays woman learn how to
blissfully navigate the rocky shoals of their own personal
style transformation. She can be reached at
www.bridgetteraes.com.
About ModernMom.com: Modern Mom features smart and practical advice on topics such as parenting, finances, career, health, wellness, beauty, entertainment and more. Read more about Beauty & Style at http://www.modernmom.com/category/Beauty.
Copyright 2007 Modern Mom, LLC. All rights reserved.
0 |
