To Cut or Not to Cut?

“You want me to cut this?”, my tailor Pascha asked me incredulously. I rolled my eyes at him. Am I new to you? I’ve asked this man to cut double-face silk jersey dresses into tops for me and I’m getting questioned about a camisole?

OK, let me explain. Every couple of years I go through all my lingerie (everyday and recreational) and toss whatever has become stretched out and hopeless then go shopping to replenish (yay!) I came across an old Le Mystere camisole that is so old that I think it’s actually being discontinued now. As it was a bra-camisole with sized cups (which I prefer), it cost me some bucks. Problem was, the camisole part kept riding up no matter what type of fabric I wore. I was constantly pulling it down. What a pain! Too expensive to toss, I put it in the bottom of the drawer until inspiration hit. Which was to cut it off and make it into a pull-on bra.

Genius! Although I doubt I am the first one to think of this.

It came out so good and fits so great the seamstress who actually did the job was so excited that she said she was going to do the same thing to all her bra-camisoles. I’m telling you, sometimes it takes awhile but this was the best, most useful and cheapest thing I’ve ever had the tailor do. I was so inspired that I also brought in a very beautiful bra that my husband bought me in France but was just too big. The set was so gorgeous with its hand embroidery and vivid colors and it was depressing that I couldn’t wear it. But I brought it to my tailor who took the wings in, reattached the hooks and made tiny darts on the cups to make it custom fit. Again, inexpensive and I was thrilled with the finished product.

So don’t be afraid to bring in your lingerie for a tweak or a dart or just to remake. They’re the foundation of your wardrobe and sometimes they need to be customized, too. Naturally, if you shop at an intimate apparel boutique, doing these things is part of the service. But if you don’t, not to worry. Bring it to your regular tailor and they can make any adjustments easily and inexpensively.

Now go dig into the bottoms of your drawers and see if you can salvage something!

The blogazine article was written by Jackie Streiker, The Style Coach. Read more from her entertaining blog,

http://thestylecoach.wordpress.com/2010/06/21/to-cut-or-not-to-cut/