u/whitebunny87 made an excellent comment about revitalizing our discussions about clothing care and maintenance, so I wanted to bring to light a bit of content I recall in this vein!

Here is a great, old post by u/Donuts_Or_Bust about tailoring!

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DISCLAIMER: IF YOU DON'T HAVE A TAILOR, YOU NEED TO FIND ONE.

Why do I need a tailor, you ask?

I've worked in fashion and personal styling for quite a while, and one thing I hear women say all the time is that they would love to wear a certain trend, but they can't ever find the right fit. Example: I love Jennifer Aniston's effortless white tee and boyfriend jeans look, but it doesn't look good on me!

When I ask them if they get their clothes tailored, the resounding answer is typically no. I'm going to let you ladies in on a little secret -- 90% (okay, I just made that figure up, sue me) but many, many, celebrities and women featured in magazines have had their clothes altered or custom fit for their bodies. Women come in all shapes and sizes, so SPOILER ALERTclothing is coming in all shapes and sizes as well. With the advent of vanity sizing, shopping off the rack has become increasingly difficult, if not impossible.

So, what's a gal to do? Get it tailored. I am in the gym 5-6 days a week, and my personal philosophy is "leg day everyday." Which is all well and good, but makes finding clothes off he rack almost impossible. To get a little personal, my measurements are 38-26-39, which, in theory, would put me in a size 2-4, except my quads/hamstrings measure about 23.5 inch. Ninety percent (and this is actually true personal statistic) of the time I try on a size two or 4 in pants, I can't even get them above my calves, let alone my thighs. Do I throw in the towel and resign myself to a life of spandex leggings? No -- Go big(ger) or go home without pants.

I don't fit in most 2s, 4s, or even 6s sometimes, and jeans -- Lord give me strength. I don't have any children to go on, but I swear jean shopping is more painful than childbirth. For starters, fitting room lighting is atrocious -- I look at myself in horror sometimes and think "oh dear God, is that what I look like naked?! No, no, fitting room lighting is a lie, but I swear off carbs for at least two weeks just in case. Then I'll try on a 27 because maybe Rag and Bone changed their sizing, maybe I'm just a glutton for punishment. So, I go up a size (or three), and I'm rotating between doing lunges and squats in the fitting room, trying to get these stupid, soul crushing pants over my butt, while they laugh at me -- "Lol, girl you thought."

Long story short, trying on clothes when you have a hard to fit build isn't always fun, but it's not impossible. I've gone the whole way up to a 31 just to get my legs into some jeans. Remember first and foremost to fit your biggest parts -- shoulders, arms, chest, legs, butt, whatever -- and you can always get the rest altered to fit your smaller parts. I have had every pair of jeans I own -- every single pair -- taken in at he waist. But the important thing when shopping is to STOP LOOKING AT THE SIZE TAG!!!

I've never been out and about and had someone say, wow, I LOVE your jeans -- what size are they?! If you meet people like that -- or know people like that -- you need to remove that toxicity from your life. You can walk into a store, try on five pairs of pants or shirts and be five different sizes -- that's okay! The most important thing to remember is not what size you are (and don't worry, this isn't a HAES proponent), but do your clothes fit? You can be a size 0, but if your pants are giving you a muffin top, people are going to look at you and remember your muffin top. Likewise, plus-sized models (I'm talking Ashley Graham, not Tess Holiday) wear clothes that fit, so people look at them at think, wow, her clothes fit.

Now, is tailoring in the budget for everyone? Yes -- to an extent. A lot of women can't afford to have every piece of clothing tailored, but you need to make room in your budget to have your power suit -- which is just the interview/business professional outfit you wear to make you feel fabulous and unstoppable, so not necessarily a suit -- altered to fi***t yo***urbody, and a nice LBD. Don't start telling me you can't afford it -- budget for it. You can find great suits and dresses in thrift shops and second hand stores -- yes, you will probably pay more for the alteration than the garment itself, but it will pay for itself tenfold for how you'll feel in it.

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Do you have a tailor, or have you ever had clothing altered? What challenges do you often have with garments, whether it's ill fit or a common garment failure, that you'd like to either have tailored or tailor yourself? What other thoughts do you have about alterations and finding a good tailor?