Vendor question

News from High Street, for the Fashionistas among us! Couture only here please; if you can buy it off the rack, try another forum.
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crfriend
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Re: Vendor question

Post by crfriend »

weeladdie18 wrote:We are going back some time now....Have you given up on the idea of a made to measure skirt suit or other garments ?
No, I haven't. I ordered a shirt-dress from that supplier that fits perfectly (once I shrunk into it properly (I botched the measurements)), and I'm thinking seriously about ordering another from "eShakti" which seems to have produced good results for a couple of other Skirt Cafe members.
I am now considering replacing my Kilt in my outfit with a smart made to measure skirt
Go for it.
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weeladdie18
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Re: Vendor question

Post by weeladdie18 »

Carl ...Thank you for the encouragement....charcoal grey Short Argyle Kilt Jacket with matching waistcoat , white collar and tie.
One of the best skirts I have at present is a black straight skirt ,which is not tapered like a pencil skirt ,with two box pleats in the rear ;
so plenty of give in the hem....Which is just below the knee.....I was thinking...a male weight of skirt material for autumn wear
might be heavier than a female weight material .

When I had my last Kilt made , I spent 15 hours on the train to Scotland , and had my measurements taken by my Kilt Maker.....
probably ; true waist , hip measurement and waist to top of the knee cap measurement....The 8 yards of material was sent from the Mill overnight.
The Kilt was completely hand stitched and made up in 20 hours , pressed and dispatched within a week of my measurements being taken.

When I visited the Kilt Maker, I was wearing my old faithful Kilt which I had been wearing for over 35 years
My new jacket was an off the peg , short body fitting , with matching waistcoat...Rod.
weeladdie18
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Re: Vendor question

Post by weeladdie18 »

Whilst ,ouch , we are on the subject of our favourite new clothes ; I found a nice light weight summer skirt ,below the knee sunray pleated in " kaki "
with an elasticated waist band, then a similar skirt in black....both New Look in the sales in U.K...........Lovely cool skirts for the summer heat
Both at £ 12
Happy-N-Skirts
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Re: Vendor question

Post by Happy-N-Skirts »

I suggest looking up seamstress in Google. Very few seamstresses can make a skirt for men's proportions. We found one who is very reasonable and knows just what I want. She also makes wedding and bridesmaid dresses, costumes, and just about anything. She has made several items for my wife.

Another suggestion is to shop for skirts when they are in season. I begin by telling a sales associate I am shopping for my self and looking for "masculine skirts." They usually know what you are looking for and have always been very helpful. They enjoy helping men. Online shopping is very hit and miss and I have had many disappointments.
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Re: Vendor question

Post by Happy-N-Skirts »

There's more.

It is difficult to help as I don't know your skirt preferences. I like skirts at the top of my knees with pockets and elastic waist band. I like mine to resemble shorts as much as possible, therefore pleats and prints are out. I have denim, khaki, camouflage, dark blue, and prefer lightweight stretch fabric. I have some scrub skirts that I have had shortened. They are available on line and are very low priced.
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Chirp
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Re: Vendor question

Post by Chirp »

I would look for someone local.
Odds are there are few small dress makers in or around your area,

I used a local dress maker in my area to make my wife's wedding dress and my cloths for are wedding.
Saved a lot and got what we wanted, Note we were doing a theme wedding on Halloween.
No one mess's with a big guy in kilt
weeladdie18
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Re: Vendor question

Post by weeladdie18 »

A local dressmaker should be able to do a good job if the customer can clearly define the design requirements in the form of a pattern.
It does make things easier if one can pop round to a local dressmaker for ..
1 : a measuring
2 : a fitting
3 : a purchase

Buying on line can be hit and miss.
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crfriend
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Re: Vendor question

Post by crfriend »

weeladdie18 wrote:A local dressmaker should be able to do a good job if the customer can clearly define the design requirements in the form of a pattern.
Yes, a qualified dressmaker can indeed do that, but expect there to be some level of cognitive dissonance initially as she (or possibly he) gets her/his brain around the problem. I experienced this first-had a few years ago when I had the hems on a couple of items set to length and then finished by a very nice lady in Leominster, MA/USA who initially could not believe what was happening -- and it was awkward for a little bit. The setting took a few minutes [0] -- and she nailed it perfectly -- and the sewing was done within a week, and when I tried on the finished items for a final check all was smiles, so she was able to grasp the fact that a guy in a skirt can actually look pretty darned good.

Sadly, this seems to be a dying profession. As the economy here continues to crash, expendable income for such luxuries as custom-fitted garments is decreasing fast, and that's driving the folks who do the work out of business; and since it's going to be entirely dead here in another decade, no new blood is filling the places left by those who have retired or have been driven out of business.

There is a new niche opening up in the guise of on-line sellers who do semi-custom work, but those inevitably involve overseas work being done with a corresponding "carbon footprint problem (for those who believe in such things). All we can do is wait and see what emerges. What will emerge, though, will look nothing like what were familiar with.

[0] With me on a pedestal in the glare of spotlights experiencing as much cognitive dissonance as she must have been! I've been in some strange situations before, but that one's in the top five.
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Happy-N-Skirts
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Re: Vendor question

Post by Happy-N-Skirts »

Most seamstresses, dress makers, and designers are used to making skirts and dresses for women. Few of them can make one to fit a male's proportions. They add curves that we don't have. I finally found a lady who understands what a simple skirt to fit a male should be. She has made some skirts that don't stick out in back and are very comfortable and fit well. I like skirts to look like shorts as much as possible and this lady knows how. She designs and makes costumes for my wife, who is an amateur singer who enjoys it as a hobby.
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Kirbstone
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Re: Vendor question

Post by Kirbstone »

Rob,

There's a crowd called CrossdresserNL, Dutch who will make a bespoke anything but they're not bargain basement. If you google them it'll come up with their website. Being this side of the Pond and not in the Far East your goods from them shouldn't carry a customs & excise loading.

Tom
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weeladdie18
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Re: Vendor question

Post by weeladdie18 »

Tom , Thank you for your information re skirt making in Holland . I would hope to get a skirt made locally , if I chose to follow that route.
With out the need for that style of skirt at present , I am intending to avoid that cost. The skirts in my wardrobe fit .
If they did not fit , I would not purchase them.

I would assume that a professionally trained skirt maker should be able to make a skirt for any shape of the human form . All one has to do is to make
a garment to the dimensions of the customer . I would assume that if there is a difference in the ratio of the dimensions of the waist and the hips ,
then there would be a difference in the shape of the curve of the garment to fit between the dimensions.

I would assume a skirt maker could explain how they intended to make a skirt to fit their customer. Some designs may well be a better shape with certain
shapes of the human form.

Did Carl get into this type of discussion wit his skirt maker ?
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crfriend
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Re: Vendor question

Post by crfriend »

weeladdie18 wrote:Did Carl get into this type of discussion wit his skirt maker ?
In my case, I was dealing primarily with the computers. However, given accurate measurements, garments can be accurately constructed.

For me, as I was ordering a dress (pictures of which have already been posted) the key bits were shoulder-width, chest size bust size, underbust size, waist size, and the vertical dimensions from the top of the shoulder. Since I am an average (mostly) guy, the horizontal measurements went continually downward for all of them. The dress I am wearing at the moment still has the princess-seams in it but they serve no function as my bust-size is sightly smaller than my chest size and slightly larger than my underbust size (having no bust to speak of).

I am merely much taller than most women, and vastly "flatter" than all but the most anorexic or waif-like. It works surprisingly well.

I have a floor-length dress and a palazzo jumpsuit on order that the last time I looked was in Leipzig, Germany on their way to the New World.
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weeladdie18
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Re: Vendor question

Post by weeladdie18 »

Thank you Carl...I can imagine two computers chatting away whilst making a skirt
Would they suddenly blow a fuse if they realised they were making a skirt for a man ?
............L.O.L.............
rivegauche
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Re: Vendor question

Post by rivegauche »

Another boost for the dressmaker option here. I got involved in this first from getting clothes altered. I had skirts that were slightly too long and got them shortened to my preferred length of 21" - I hate anything between 21 and 34" - it has to be long or short. I eventually settled on one about 30 miles from me and she was remarkably skilled. She seemed to know instinctively how to shape a garment for ME, because I got her to make a few skirts and a dress for me. Unfortunately she retired and I have now found a rather upmarket one with a few employees 30 miles in the other direction. I haven't got this new one to make anything yet but they have been very helpful. I also crossdress and one boutique owner said that a dress I had chosen really needed to be altered for me to make the most of it. I took it to the dressmaker, who pinned it on me, and the difference it made was quite astonishing. I have been to at least four dressmakers and none of them ever thought it strange - in fact my current one has another male customer who gets skirts made for him.
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