Having clothes made

Faith

I wonder has anyone ever had everyday clothes made for them, from scratch? If so, who did it for you and what were the costs like compared to similar quality from shops?

I feel like it would be really helpful for certain items for me. For instance I have a low waist, so the waistline of lots of dresses sits too high for me. My husband then has an extremely long back and long arms, so needs very long shirts and they're surprisingly hard to find. It would be great if we could just get some made specifically to his sizing.

I haven't a notion how to go about it for non-formal wear though!

meeeeh

I would be surprised if there is much in Ireland. This is IT article from 2015. Maybe those businesses are still around.

https://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/fashion/new-threads-meet-the-best-dressmakers-in-town-1.2317078

I got things done decades ago. I come from a country which used to have stronger clothes manufacturing and school program for seamstresses or tailors. You drop over, they take your measurements, you pick the material (some allow you to supply your own) and fit. After that you are called back for fitting and necessary adjustments are made. I have a 20 year old trouser suit which I dropped to the same tailor who made it two years ago to adjust shoulders according to current trends. (he is retired now but still does some work for his old clients). It wouldn't be very common thing among younger people (at 43 I still count myself young ). All my fathers suits were done by the same tailor. I would get some more structured items like blazers or formal trousers made. It's dying profession, most bigger companies where I come from went out of business unable to compete and there is less interest in dressmaking. It's too expensive in comparison to mass production.

blackvalley

Faith wrote: »

I wonder has anyone ever had everyday clothes made for them, from scratch? If so, who did it for you and what were the costs like compared to similar quality from shops?

I feel like it would be really helpful for certain items for me. For instance I have a low waist, so the waistline of lots of dresses sits too high for me. My husband then has an extremely long back and long arms, so needs very long shirts and they're surprisingly hard to find. It would be great if we could just get some made specifically to his sizing.

I haven't a notion how to go about it for non-formal wear though!

Hi.
I know its no real help to you now but if you ever get the chance and are lucky enough to visit Vietnam they have a great tradition of tailoring.

Day one they take measurements
Day two you return for fitting
Day three you return for final final adjustment and collection .
Some businesses will then ship direct to Ireland so you dont have any issues with luggage AND better still they keep records of your vital statistics so you can order other clothing for years afterwards.
As I said this is no use to you particularly nowadays but maybe some day .
Its quite interesting to see the efficency of their system when you see the guy from the post office arrive at the tailors with his weighing scales and cardboard box to pack up your order .

Faith

Funny you should say that, actually. I got the idea from someone I know living in Australia, where tailors from places like Vietnam travel to every so often and sell a bunch of clothes while they’re there. The shirts he had were gorgeous patterns and fitted like a glove, and he said its actually pretty cheap for him.

Perhaps we’ll travel to south east Asia some day and stock up!

blackvalley

Faith wrote: »

Funny you should say that, actually. I got the idea from someone I know living in Australia, where tailors from places like Vietnam travel to every so often and sell a bunch of clothes while they’re there. The shirts he had were gorgeous patterns and fitted like a glove, and he said its actually pretty cheap for him.

Perhaps we’ll travel to south east Asia some day and stock up!

Might be a long shot but if you have a garment that you particularly like it MIGHT be possible to send it over and have copies made perhaps in a different pattern .
( Or perhaps an item you are happy to loose in case it goes missing
Might be worth researching.
We found everyone we dealt with during our trip was really helpful .

MinnieMinx

Dry cleaners often have access to seamstresses who will alter ready made garments for you.

Alternatively, learn to sew? It’s a fun hobby and really not that difficult if you start gradually.
The benefits are you can make something that fits you perfectly and is a unique piece but it won’t work out cheaper than buying from the high street because the cost of imported good quality fabric is very high.