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The Magic of The Custom Garment Fitting Experience
NEWSLETTER
3/5/20262 min read
There’s an experience I’m chasing. It’s a high I get from my work that comes in doses just big enough that I’m pumped when it happens, soak it up for a day or two, then I’m looking for it again.
It happened this week.
Some context: A good friend of mine has commissioned me to create an outfit for her for her sister’s wedding. We’re doing a corset and pants for her look. And while she’s one of my besties, she’s going thru the full custom process just like any other client.
I finished her first muslin mockup for her corset and we had her first fitting this week. The point of this step is to make any adjustments to the pattern or design, so that when I create her actual corset in the final fabric it fits like a glove.
Before she shimmied the corset on, I gave her disclaimers to make sure her expectations were realistic. “This isn’t going to fit perfectly. I’m sure we’re going to want to make some changes once you see it on. That’s all to be expected.”
Once we had it all laced up, I told her I needed to fetch the mirror so she could see herself, but she was already bouncing up and down, beaming a smile. She hadn’t even seen herself!
Her excitement only got better from there.
I brought the mirror in front of her and she started running her hands over the corset, doing little half spins, looking at herself in the mirror. Then she said “This is the first time I’ve ever felt like I have a defined waist.”
Madison and I have been friends for over 4 years. I’ve never seen her look at herself like that.
If you saw Madison walking down the street you’d never guess that she struggles to find clothing that makes her feel empowered and like herself. She’s tall and thin.
But the struggle women have to find pieces and put together an outfit that feels like them is so prevalent it’s almost universal.
Madison spent another 20-30 minutes in the corset while we talked through design changes and marked sizing adjustments. After she took it off and was back in her comfy sweats she told me how she felt so pretty in the corset. How it had exceeded her expectations. How this is the experience she was hoping for.
This was her experience with a mockup, that didn’t fit perfectly, made from unbleached muslin. That short time in the corset gave her something she has rarely gotten before. She saw herself differently. Or maybe she felt like she could finally actually see herself.
The way that she looked at herself in the mirror is my catnip as a designer and seamstress. Those moments are transformative for people. I love clothing, playing with fabric, seeing something come to life on my sewing machine - that’s all so fun. But I feel immense passion for my work because of those short, but expansive experiences.
Those are the moments I’m forever chasing.
