Diary of a Tall Fashionista: Custom Made Clothing for Tall Women

Custom Made Clothing for Tall Women
by Tiffany DeLangie
Tall Fashion Writer for Tall Clothing Mall

Whenever people speak of flawless fashion, invariably the word “alteration” comes into play. Regardless of how the worlds of fashion and retail have evolved, the reality is we are not built like mannequins. Having done some modeling, I am keenly aware of what you don’t see in the catalogues- the double sided tape, the binder clips pulling the shirt tighter around the waist, the clothespins grabbing the extra fabric of the pants, the stylist scurrying to pull, tug, and adjust after each camera snap, or the photoshopping that eradicates any leftover imperfections. Certainly there are more offerings of plus, petite, and tall sizes and I am grateful for those retailers and designers who realize we are not all 5’7”, 110 pounds, curve deficient, and perfectly proportioned. However there are still areas of opportunity to achieve a better fit.

I myself have gone the alteration route lately and have had some luck…and some misfortune. Why not skip alteration and go straight to custom made clothing? We all have that friend who has returned from the orient with custom made clothing. And how much do we hate it when we ask “where did you get that?” and the answer is “Bangalore.” Wouldn’t it be fabulous if such services were available to us at a reasonable price, sans a trip around the globe? The good news is it is! It takes some investigation but there are many options out there for reasonably priced and risk free custom made clothing.

One of the main reasons to try custom made clothing may surprise you: that reason is cost. Many of us assume “custom made” means out of reach, but that isn’t so. As more retailers, designers, and entrepreneurs recognize a niche market consisting of people who aren’t satisfied with ill fitting clothing, an entire industry is on the rise. Increased competition means lower prices. And while some may cringe at the term “outsourcing,” in this case think of it as a friend not a foe. Don’t forget to consider how much you spend on items you don’t wear primarily due to fit (or lack thereof). We’ve all done it before; been blinded by the clearance price tag to the fact that those pants are two inches too short and two sizes too small…or the cuffs on that shirt barely reach our wrists and our clever idea of cutting the sleeves to make them three quarter length never really panned out. If you are anything like me you could go into your closet and grab handfuls of clothes that flaunt flaws rather than flatter. I dare you to add up how much you spent on that handful. Most likely it will be more than you bargained for.

Sure you may get lucky with an item that fits perfectly from time to time (and when that happens don’t you chide yourself for not buying two?!). But really, how often are we so lucky?! If you are fortunate enough to buy designer clothes then maybe it happens more often for you than for most. But even Oprah admits to having many of her clothes tailored, and seriously if Oprah’s designer duds don’t fit her perfectly off the rack do you really think that it will happen for those of us whose “favorite things” don’t consist of a $1500 TOYWATCH? Not to be Debbie Downer, but I’m guessing no! Custom made clothing is really the only way to get a perfect fit. And while our net worth might not exactly rival Oprah’s we can look like a million bucks if we invest in items that fit us to a [tall] tee!

Visit Tall Clothing Mall for our favorite styles of custom made clothing.