Thread: Dissertation Help: Ready-to-Wear v. Tailored/Home made

Hello all, I've got a few questions to ask for my dissertation on ready-to-wear fashion and I hoped that some of you kind people could help me, especially for those of you who make your own costumes or get them custome made for comparison between ready-to-wear and tailored. Cheers in advance!

If you could answer some questions to help with dissertation research that'd be brilliant. Before you do please read the little waiver thingy.

By Answering the Following Questions, I fully understand that the information gathered will be used for the purposes of research and that my answers may be used in the writing of a dissertation. No personal information will be used or gathered and this survey is completely anonymous. I agree with this and verify that I am at least 18 years of age. (Sorry, ethical clearing issues...)

Anyone who wouldn't mind being further interviewed can pm or e-mail me at cakepiratepudding [at] gmail [dot] com. You can also send me the answers to the following questions via these methods if you prefer. Or if you have any suggestions of questions I should have asked or any anecdotes you'd like to share then please also drop me a line. Thank you for your time!

Everyone:

Do you find it difficult to find clothes that fit? If so, what are your main issues? (Are you petite? Particularly tall? Large chested?)

Are there any shops that you feel do cater for your particular size range?

Vanity sizing (labelling sizes as smaller than the really are), do you believe it exists or is it just a myth? How many different sizes are you from store to store (e.g. I'm 10-16/m-xl, so 7)? Does this affect your confidence?

Shoes, do you have trouble finding shoes that fit? Are you particularly large or small footed? Do you think that having a half-size again would beneficial?

Nowadays fashion has become like fast food, are you a fashion junkie who only wears things for a season then replaces their wardrobe? Or do you discard clothes quickly purely because they are ill-fitting and low quality? Would you still buy cheap, expendable clothing if there was a slightly more expensive alternative that actually fit properly and would last longer (thus working out less expensive in the long run) or would you still go for the throwaway brands?

Do you like to shop or do you just go in and grab the first thing off the hanger? Why? Does sizing play a factor in your clothes purchasing decisions?

Pattern cutters only:

So you work with patterns to make your own clothes? How hard are these to follow? How easy is it to make mistakes?

If you want to use the same pattern and size it up or down several times, how easy/hard is that? What will happen if you get it wrong?

How much do you have to alter a store-bought pattern to fit an actual human being?

Dudes only:

If you're especially short or tall, do you find it difficult to find trousers the right length?

What about waistbands? If you're short do they automatically assume you are very skinny or if you're tall that you also have a large waist? How does this affect your self-confidence?

Shirt collars, do you have problems finding the right neck size? And if you can find one, does it then mean the chest is much too loose or tight?

Suits: thoughts on readymade v's properly tailored?

Ladies only (unless any boylequers wear bras or corsets, which I'm sure some of you do... I would):

Bras... How often do you bother to go get fitted if at all? If you don't, why not? If you do, did you find that the fitter was accurate or was the bra ill-fitting?

Do you have problems finding a back size that actually fits? How do you deal with this? Do you think your bra would fit better if there was an in-between back size?

What do you find most frustrating about the search for a decent bra? Do you think you're happier if you find a nice, well-supportive bra than if you end up in a 'granny bra'? Or does that not affect you at all?

Have you ever had a bra custom-made? How expensive was it? Was it worth it?

Corsets: Do you buy ready-made or have them made custom? Which do you find is better?

Do you wear vintage corsets or bras? How do they compare to their modern equivalents?

Crossdressers only:

What do you find most difficult in finding clothes/shoes that fit you? Or do you not have any problems at all? Do non-unisex clothes meant for the opposite gender actually fit you better?

Do you find the differences in the size labelling systems a problem? Which system do you prefer? What do you think would make either/both better?

* A little note before anyone is accidenatlly offended: the dudes and ladies categories are purely for chaptering purposes, if you happen to be FTM or MTF trans, then answer both or either, whichever you personally feel is relevant to you. Crossdressing can apply to costume or real clothing and can apply to either gender and if you are a crossdresser or trans, then you can answer within the 'gender' categories as you personally feel is appropriate and where your relevant experience of clothes purchasing/wearing applies.

WARNING

Warning: This is an Old Thread This discussion is older than 60 days. information contained in it may no longer be current

Originally Posted by Pudding

Do you have problems finding a back size that actually fits? How do you deal with this? Do you think your bra would fit better if there was an in-between back size?

[/I]

YES, get angry and YES!

Ill answer them all when i have time pudding
one think thats allways baffeled me if why blokes dont have tall sections, my bro in law is 6'3'' ish and he can never get t-shirts that cover his belly button and im sure there are taller people about!
x

Originally Posted by Pudding

1. Do you find it difficult to find clothes that fit? If so, what are your main issues? (Are you petite? Particularly tall? Large chested?)


2. Are there any shops that you feel do cater for your particular size range?

3. Vanity sizing (labelling sizes as smaller than the really are), do you believe it exists or is it just a myth? How many different sizes are you from store to store (e.g. I'm 10-16/m-xl, so 7)? Does this affect your confidence?

4. Shoes, do you have trouble finding shoes that fit? Are you particularly large or small footed? Do you think that having a half-size again would beneficial?

5. Nowadays fashion has become like fast food, are you a fashion junkie who only wears things for a season then replaces their wardrobe? Or do you discard clothes quickly purely because they are ill-fitting and low quality? Would you still buy cheap, expendable clothing if there was a slightly more expensive alternative that actually fit properly and would last longer (thus working out less expensive in the long run) or would you still go for the throwaway brands?

6. Do you like to shop or do you just go in and grab the first thing off the hanger? Why? Does sizing play a factor in your clothes purchasing decisions?

Ladies only (unless any boylequers wear bras or corsets, which I'm sure some of you do... I would):

1. Bras... How often do you bother to go get fitted if at all? If you don't, why not? If you do, did you find that the fitter was accurate or was the bra ill-fitting?

2. Do you have problems finding a back size that actually fits? How do you deal with this? Do you think your bra would fit better if there was an in-between back size?

3. What do you find most frustrating about the search for a decent bra? Do you think you're happier if you find a nice, well-supportive bra than if you end up in a 'granny bra'? Or does that not affect you at all?

4. Have you ever had a bra custom-made? How expensive was it? Was it worth it?

5. Corsets: Do you buy ready-made or have them made custom? Which do you find is better?

6. Do you wear vintage corsets or bras? How do they compare to their modern equivalents?

1. It's not a size issue, it's a shape issue.
First, I'm actually not fat at all. BMI perfect, physically fit etc. My problem is, I'm an hour-glass. Perfectly proportioned. Big chest, big hips, tiny waist and most clothes out there seem to be for giving the illusion of curves to the pencil shaped models who model them for their designers. I find that the higher I go in price, the more likely I am to find a really nice item that perfectly contours me.

2. N/A

3. Myth. Most stores put "large" on things that are too small for me when I'm a medium every where else.
However, the general sizing has probably increased as the population has.

4. I can't wear shoes with no strap. They come off or slip and I walk funny. I also have one foot at least half a size smaller than the other.

5. No. Yes. No.

6. Sizing is incredibly important. I need my clothes to go in and out in all the right places.

Ladies only:

1. All the time. The fitter knew what she was doing.

2. No.

3. I find it frustrating and sad that as far as underwear makers (in Australia) are concerned, the only way you can have boobs bigger than a 14DD is if you're an over weight grandma or an obese person who's given up. I wear my old ill-fitting bras because they're still better than that pastel coloured shit with the floral patterns they usually provide me with in the stores.

4. No I haven't.

5. Can't afford custom made. I know it'd be better. Off the shelf ones are again made for straight up and down people/pear shapes. They warp to my shape and don't support me properly after the second use.

6. Can't find any where I live.

Everyone:

Do you find it difficult to find clothes that fit? If so, what are your main issues? (Are you petite? Particularly tall? Large chested?)
I find it dreadful trying to get clothes that fit me, I have a vintage figure and am 42 32 44 I find it very difficult to get clothes that fit over my hips and bum that actually fit properly at the waist. I also find that trousers (especially those designed to sit on the hips) do not fit at all if I get a size that fits my hips they tend to not fit on the legs, the crotch length and the waist.

Are there any shops that you feel do cater for your particular size range?
I find that many shops to not have terribly flattering clothes for hour glass shapes at the moment and that often with size 16 clothes they expect you to have a reasonably large chest (I am only a B cup) meaning that I do not fill out some styles of tops, or I have to alter strap lengths.

Vanity sizing (labelling sizes as smaller than the really are), do you believe it exists or is it just a myth? How many different sizes are you from store to store (e.g. I'm 10-16/m-xl, so 7)? Does this affect your confidence?
I do think that this happens quite often, I have clothes between a size 10 and a size 18. I also have quite a gothic style and I find designers for this often have their largest size as a 14 which they will label xxl or xxxl which seems pretty unrealistic given the national average.

Shoes, do you have trouble finding shoes that fit? Are you particularly large or small footed? Do you think that having a half-size again would beneficial? I find that half size are very useful, I have flat feet and find that depending on the shoes style I require between a 4 ½ and a 5 ½

Nowadays fashion has become like fast food, are you a fashion junkie who only wears things for a season then replaces their wardrobe? Or do you discard clothes quickly purely because they are ill-fitting and low quality? Would you still buy cheap, expendable clothing if there was a slightly more expensive alternative that actually fit properly and would last longer (thus working out less expensive in the long run) or would you still go for the throwaway brands?
I prefer to pay for quality, I am a firm believer that well made items will last much longer and be more flattering. I also don’t follow fashion and almost all my clothes come from smaller designers, charity shops and eBay.

Do you like to shop or do you just go in and grab the first thing off the hanger? Why? Does sizing play a factor in your clothes purchasing decisions?

Pattern cutters only:

So you work with patterns to make your own clothes? How hard are these to follow? How easy is it to make mistakes?
I generally find that they are quite well written but often involve a little bit of sewing know how and some guessing.

If you want to use the same pattern and size it up or down several times, how easy/hard is that? What will happen if you get it wrong?
I quite often alter patterns I find it reasonably easy to size them up. If I make a mistake it’s normally that I have made it too big and then I just re-pin it before sewing

How much do you have to alter a store-bought pattern to fit an actual human being?
They generally need a little bit of altering but on the whole they tend to be pretty good.

Dudes only:

If you're especially short or tall, do you find it difficult to find trousers the right length?

What about waistbands? If you're short do they automatically assume you are very skinny or if you're tall that you also have a large waist? How does this affect your self-confidence?

Shirt collars, do you have problems finding the right neck size? And if you can find one, does it then mean the chest is much too loose or tight?

Suits: thoughts on readymade v's properly tailored? I think that this question could easily apply to either gender. I have found it incredibly difficult to find a skirt suit to fit and either have to go for a short jacket or get one several sizes too big and have it altered. If I requires a suit more often than I do (say to wear every day at work) I would defiantly consider having a properly tailored suit or at least one which has been professionally altered.

Ladies only (unless any boylequers wear bras or corsets, which I'm sure some of you do... I would):

Bras... How often do you bother to go get fitted if at all? If you don't, why not? If you do, did you find that the fitter was accurate or was the bra ill-fitting?
I have stopped bothered having fittings done and usually try on a varied range of sizes and choose the ones that fit best. The last time I had a fitting the fitter told me I was a 36AA and brought a bra in for me try, despite the fact that the bra cut into me a lot and I had the dreaded double boob syndrome she insisted that that was how it should fit.

Do you have problems finding a back size that actually fits? How do you deal with this? Do you think your bra would fit better if there was an in-between back size?
I don’t tend to have an issue with back size as you can buy back size extenders, I have more of a problem with cup size in that one of my breasts is a ½ cup size smaller, making it awkward with some styles.

What do you find most frustrating about the search for a decent bra? Do you think you're happier if you find a nice, well-supportive bra than if you end up in a 'granny bra'? Or does that not affect you at all?
I tend to find it easy to find bras I like now (when I was a 38A it was a nightmare because most places don’t sell them or only have a few types). I only ever wear “nice bras” I just find that they are better to wear, and as my mother used to say you never know when you are going to be hit by a bus, so you better have matching underware.

Have you ever had a bra custom-made? How expensive was it? Was it worth it?

Corsets: Do you buy ready-made or have them made custom? Which do you find is better? I have several readymade corsets but intend to buy a custom very soon as I find that many ready-mades don’t have very much hip allowance and so I can’t get them to pull me in far enough.

Do you wear vintage corsets or bras? How do they compare to their modern equivalents?

On the shoe front I would say YES. I have a nightmare finding shoes and nearly every pair of mine has to have an insole to fit. I also have quite high arches from dancing and I find that most shoes don't fit properly so they're uncomfortable. Having found one pair of heels which DO fit properly now i'm really picky - as I know what i'm missing.

I always get my bras fitted properly - and will only buy them from places where I know the fitter is good.

As far as fashion goes i'm fed up with the assumption that if you have big boobs you're old. I was delighted at the return of the maxi dress but have found that if you have enough boobs to need a bra then you might as well give up - or walk around with your straps showing. Even t-shirts are a pain - they are designed for people with a b cup so on anyone else the front rides up showing your belly. The alternative is a smock top so I just look pregnant instead, which would be fine if I was. Oh Pudding you've opened up a can of worms with this one. Go for it girl!

Thanks for the help guys, it is much appriciated.