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Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Buying Alterable Women's Slacks

As long as I can remember Women in Business have been getting the short end of the stick. I've read articles on the difference in pay, the difference in benefits. I even read an article once on the difference they were being charged for dry cleaning. A man would be charged $2.00 a shirt and a women would be charged $5 because it was a blouse. Those are early '90's prices I haven't dry cleaned a blouse in a long time.

Well ladies here are some pointers so you don't get stuck paying twice as much for alterations on your slacks. This is what the back should look like. The waistband should have a seam in the back and the fabric along the back seam should be pressed open and finished to each side.



Unfortunately that is not the case with most women's slacks, they don't give women's slacks the same type of attention to Tailoring, even if you purchase some of the expensive one's. The only way to get manufactures to get you what you need is to tell the clerk at Macy's or Nordstrom's that you are not buying that pair of pants because they are not tailored in such a manner to be easily altered. Believe me they will pass it on to the buyer, who will pass it on to the Designers sales rep, who will pass it on to the Designer.

But for now what I had to do for a customer that didn't want to be charged for 3 hours worth of work for me to correctly tailor her pants while doing a simple waist shortening, was this:


Because the back seam was serged together, so I had to take the excess and fold it all to one side. It creates an awkward gathering of fabric.

It worked and didn't look to bad on the outside, but I was not happy with it.

6 comments:

Karen M. Peterson said...

I never really thought much about the fact that my pants never seem to fit right. I just chalked it up to a weird body shape.

Sonia Valdez said...

There are very few women that can put on a pair of standard size pants and have them fit well. But if they are easily alterable you can buy them to fit good around the hips and take them some where so they can fix the waist. A man's pant has enough fabric to take them in or let them out at the waist.

Sonia

Marie Noelle Marineau said...

Wow, I seriously just learned A LOT in your post!

Seriously, my dressed pants never fits me and I just got use to it!

Sonia Valdez said...

Unless you have a husband in business and he buys and alters lots of slacks, most women don't know they are getting jipped.

PatriciaD said...

I just wish they'd get the message...but sometimes unless you're actually talking to a clerk at Nordstrom or wherever who actually cares the message won't get passed on. I have to say Nordstrom is better than some but still. OK, enough negativism from me...can you tell that was a sore point!

Thanks for the info Sonia. I have tried altering slacks and even skirts but pretty much given up. You're sewing skills are just TOO awesome!!

Sonia Valdez said...

Hi Patricia,

Yes, getting clothes that fit is a sore spot for most women. Department stores that have Designer corners (small sections for one designer) tend to have better trained salespeople in those area's, because they are paid to know the Designer. Those salespeople have access to the Department Manager that sometimes also does the buying suggestions especially if they are a store that markets by Region like Macy's and Nordstrom's do. I used to work at a Macy's and a JCPenny.

Thank you,

Sonia

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