tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872918251244874644.post7118961680523483059..comments2024-03-28T03:40:29.423-04:00Comments on Passage des Perles: A dress that fits, for allDuchessehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09986153653120526776noreply@blogger.comBlogger29125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872918251244874644.post-44838650963068206032012-07-05T05:33:44.724-04:002012-07-05T05:33:44.724-04:00In Australia we are blessed by two wonderful desig...In Australia we are blessed by two wonderful designers who include size 18 in their range. They are Anthea Crawford and Perri Cutten. Both designers include smart casual as well as gorgeous evening wear from cocktail dressed to ball dresses. Sportscraft also make some lovely clothes in XL and 18. Even so, it can be hard to find dresses that fall knee length or below and my fat legs look much nicer hidden than displayed.Melissahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07669497791582808521noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872918251244874644.post-91451594879238620902012-06-26T12:51:40.034-04:002012-06-26T12:51:40.034-04:00M-C: Forgot to add, Marina Rinaldi do have their f...M-C: Forgot to add, Marina Rinaldi do have their fabrics specially milled in extra-width.Duchessehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09986153653120526776noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872918251244874644.post-15479596031770958532012-06-26T12:50:25.009-04:002012-06-26T12:50:25.009-04:00M-C: It's true of retail operations like Marin...M-C: It's true of retail operations like Marina Rinaldi. Yes, you can work in almost indefinitely large sizes by working with fabric *lengthwise", and by piecing (if the pattern will allow) but in fabric where the direction of the grain is essential to the design, this will not work. <br /><br />Small boutiques, busy with standard sizes, are not as amenable to the special requirements of working in length-only, so customers like the woman you describe are lucky to have persons like you.Duchessehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09986153653120526776noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872918251244874644.post-3967709615378570352012-06-26T11:19:55.462-04:002012-06-26T11:19:55.462-04:00Specially-milled fabrics for over size 16? You ac...Specially-milled fabrics for over size 16? You actually believed that?!? I've made size 60 clothes out of 45" wide fabric, on the low side of standard (for a nearly-400lb person). Yes, you may need to use more fabric length, and a customer would have to pay for that. But for a customized operation to pull excuses like that out of thin air is just pathetic..M-Cnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872918251244874644.post-73035894827403292312012-06-20T07:46:51.070-04:002012-06-20T07:46:51.070-04:00Kylara7: Le Chateau's cut is too short and na...Kylara7: Le Chateau's cut is too short and narrow for me, and their quality not what I like. I do have friends who have found the odd piece or accessory there.Duchessehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09986153653120526776noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872918251244874644.post-47325222300638793262012-06-19T07:54:09.145-04:002012-06-19T07:54:09.145-04:00Tiffany: Clothes carry sizes from 2 to 16. If smal...Tiffany: Clothes carry sizes from 2 to 16. If smaller than 2, a woman is indeed real, but sized more like a teen (or even tween) than a mature woman.Duchessehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09986153653120526776noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872918251244874644.post-57440793074639081352012-06-19T07:52:55.535-04:002012-06-19T07:52:55.535-04:00Tiffany: Clothes carry sizes from 2 to 16. If smal...Tiffany: Clothes carry sizes from 2 to 16. If smaller than 2, a woman is indeed real, but sized more like a teen (or even tween) than a mature woman.Duchessehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09986153653120526776noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872918251244874644.post-24619343290413146492012-06-19T04:56:32.213-04:002012-06-19T04:56:32.213-04:00Those dresses - cut, colour and fabric - are gorge...Those dresses - cut, colour and fabric - are gorgeous. I am slightly wounded, however, that being small (5ft4ish) and skinny (inherited from my father) disqualifies me from being a 'real' woman.Tiffanyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11536212906241844509noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872918251244874644.post-77292750834358137022012-06-15T11:31:24.508-04:002012-06-15T11:31:24.508-04:00Wow...many of the comments (and the post!) sound d...Wow...many of the comments (and the post!) sound do familiar to me. I am also tall ( 5'10") AND long torsoed, so finding dresses that fit my proportions is a constant pain in the arse. They are often two short or the "waist" is floating somewhere up near my lower ribs. Larger sizes often mean "wider" so sizing up doesn't help. I've just resigned myself to lots of tailoring.<br /><br />Le Chateau in Canada seems to be a reasonable retailer for fashionable "grownup" clothes that fit the yawning gap between teenager/club clothes and suburban mother/matron clothes. Some of us don't want to be either!Kylara7noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872918251244874644.post-35962425530253755602012-06-15T09:40:37.372-04:002012-06-15T09:40:37.372-04:00pseu: Yes, she also adapts the wasitline as she ha...pseu: Yes, she also adapts the wasitline as she has the patterns- it's not just "alteration".<br /><br />Kristien62: Thanks (but I got it in navy as the brown was s/o.)<br /><br />hostess: These days it's more "dress down" than "up" but that is always a plus!<br /><br />materfamilias: I would love to lure you here!<br /><br />Susan: Great! I am always on the lookout for this rare kind of service, for readers and myself.<br /><br />Fritinancy: Yes!!! Why are there not measurements. Boden excel at that. (And that damn dress still looks an inch and a half above the top of the knee to me.) I find at the knee (so the bend at the back is just covered, or to the bottom of the kneecap far more chic, but if you have cute Nancy knees, do show them! <br /><br />Mardel: Yes, *you* could sew them. There is quite a refinement to her cut, the draping and the little details that do not show as well on the site.<br /><br /><br />Anonymous@ 7:40: See "concept" page. In short: call or e-mail. They will also send you swatches.<br /><br />HB: I toy with the idea of buying a judy, borrowing my old Singer from my son's Gf and ust going for it. But then, I know the kind of 'soft tailoring' Clothes does is deceptively hard. Sigh. Maybe a skirt. <br /><br />Yes, I have found young designers more amenable. The challenge is the fabrics, many of them cannot afford very good ones, or cannot take a chance tying up limited funds in inventory. (Of course we can buy it and bring it to them; I've had mixed success that way.)<br /><br />That's Not My Age: She will adjust the waist, shoulder etc. too.<br /><br />sisty: Absolutely! If you have a local resource like that, you are in luck. <br /><br />Anon@ 2:52: See jgold's (Jessica Gold's) reply to you below and thanks from me, too. A pair of cheap, badly-cut size 12 pants and a pair of well-cut great fabric 12 pants will be totally different. I'm ordering pants later this summer and will report back. <br /><br />Jacinta: Great, thanks! I'll order from anywhere in the world and in fact find that fun.Duchessehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09986153653120526776noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872918251244874644.post-31122416673097393432012-06-15T01:49:45.131-04:002012-06-15T01:49:45.131-04:00You should look at an Australian designer Leona Ed...You should look at an Australian designer Leona Edmiston. Her clothes are so flattering. https://www.leonaedmiston.com/<br />The frocks are lovely. The sale items are fabulous. I am addicted. They are so flattering. My 5'10" friend is a recent convert. Jacinta from AustraliaAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872918251244874644.post-47061994881991204092012-06-14T16:38:48.735-04:002012-06-14T16:38:48.735-04:00Hi Anonymous: You actually caught an error, so Cat...Hi Anonymous: You actually caught an error, so Catherine and I must thank you! The rise of the pants is graded 3/8" front and back on each size. It is true we go by industry standard sizing however the things that make our pants special are the following:<br /><br />- the Italian fabric used by more expensive high-end designers <br />- the overall streamlined cut of the pant and straight legs creates a slimmer silhouette<br />- in the canvas pant (the Stanton) the back button-elastic waistband detail allows for a custom fit pantjgoldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03922018473851154479noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872918251244874644.post-63417324371457737312012-06-13T14:52:09.357-04:002012-06-13T14:52:09.357-04:00The Dobbin fit sounds great, but the actual size c...The Dobbin fit sounds great, but the actual size charts look pretty standard. And the pants have the same front and back rise for every size from 2 -16. This seems very odd.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872918251244874644.post-59010437021049202942012-06-13T14:37:08.188-04:002012-06-13T14:37:08.188-04:00Thanks -- you've provided me with an "aha...Thanks -- you've provided me with an "aha" moment.<br /><br />About five years ago, when I was at the thinnest I've been for a while, I treated myself to a made-to-measure suit from a local dressmaker. It was gorgeous, and I got a lot of wear out of it.<br /><br />Now that I've put on a little weight (OK, about 15 pounds worth) I had dismissed the idea of having another piece of clothing made, wanting to wait to lose weight first.<br /><br />But why? It's more important than ever to have good quality clothes that fit at my current size, since the selection is so much smaller now then it was when I was a size 8sistyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09053105066815670135noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872918251244874644.post-90166219903324596852012-06-13T06:47:07.459-04:002012-06-13T06:47:07.459-04:00Muriel is a very stylish woman and her dresses loo...Muriel is a very stylish woman and her dresses look fab. I'm tall like you and have a long body so, with more fitted styles, my challenge is to find a dress where the waist is in the right place!That's Not My Agehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16052973075052114955noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872918251244874644.post-83879366829714507202012-06-12T23:30:08.479-04:002012-06-12T23:30:08.479-04:00Your selections are lovely! I hope you will treat ...Your selections are lovely! I hope you will treat us with a WIW post. <br /><br />I grapple with proportion and fit issues and am getting to the point of making my own dresses - something I used to do in my pre-professional life. The cost for poor design/fit is endlessly frustrating; as is the relative lack of talented alterations specialists in my city. I think, too, that I tend toward slightly more "classic" styling (not styles) and construction which just isn't available in ready-to-wear at or near my price point. Of course, if I had four figures to drop on a dress, I would be less constrained on that front; funny how the levels of expenditure have such a noticable demarcation of quality in design.<br /><br />As for the to-the-knee description, even with my extensive years in retail, I'd never sell that as a knee length dress. It's soundly above the knee. But every inch of fabric costs so volume sellers skimp here and there on the length of the garment pieces along the grain in order to get more units for the dollar.<br /><br />Enough griping, though! I think a good resource for custom design is in the young graduates of fashion design programs. What I see on the runways, and the ambitious work these designers are doing, is of very good quality for the price; many of them have etsy shops as their virtual storefronts. It's a fast-changing landscape, though.HBnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872918251244874644.post-10808163566224110332012-06-12T19:40:42.397-04:002012-06-12T19:40:42.397-04:00I think perhaps I am blind, because I cannot see a...I think perhaps I am blind, because I cannot see a place on the site to order clothes?<br /><br />Do you just see the item and email or call?<br /><br />Thanks!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872918251244874644.post-51583960507225760712012-06-12T15:17:31.016-04:002012-06-12T15:17:31.016-04:00P.S. Your two new dresses look very chic!
C.P.S. Your two new dresses look very chic!<br /><br />C.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872918251244874644.post-90373281610358306142012-06-12T15:14:33.761-04:002012-06-12T15:14:33.761-04:00Deja Pseu has pinpointed the petite's common p...Deja Pseu has pinpointed the petite's common problem: waist length. It's so disappointing when an otherwise beautiful dress or jacket bunches up at the back because the narrowest part of the garment hits one at the top of the hip instead of the waist.<br /><br />I love it when online retailers give detailed measurements of clothing, though it can lead to some depressing news. Browsing through Net a Porter's sale list last night, I found more than one size 10 dress made for a 30" bust, 34" hip. In what universe do these designers live?<br /><br />C.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872918251244874644.post-13795963331333194312012-06-12T13:07:57.960-04:002012-06-12T13:07:57.960-04:00The problem for tall people, like petite people, i...The problem for tall people, like petite people, is more than just total length. The proportions are often off. The store that I shop in now, that sells the Lafayette 128 NY clothes also provides free alterations for women, one of the few stores I have found to do so.<br /><br />Both of those dresses are stunning, and are great examples of the kind of thing I am always looking for and hope to be sewing someday.Mardelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04850551308931710502noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872918251244874644.post-80589806132511909912012-06-12T12:17:36.892-04:002012-06-12T12:17:36.892-04:00In retail-speak, "to the knee" means &qu...In retail-speak, "to the knee" means "to the <i>top</i> of the knee." So, yes, the J. Crew dress falls to the knee--as does the Dobbin dress. It's a more flattering proportion for most women than mid-knee or bottom-of-knee, which can look dowdy.<br /><br />My own request: that e-tailers include an objective measure of skirt/dress length (center back to hem, waist to hem) in inches/centimeters.Fritinancyhttp://nancyfriedman.typepad.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872918251244874644.post-78041294511254452012012-06-12T10:31:52.115-04:002012-06-12T10:31:52.115-04:00Check out the website for Allie Coosh, a Dallas de...Check out the website for Allie Coosh, a Dallas designer. She designs clothing for all sizes and does lots of custom work. Paulette, the designer/owner also uses designer fabrics.Susanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12756033682201519150noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872918251244874644.post-32801257227561491732012-06-12T10:29:43.459-04:002012-06-12T10:29:43.459-04:00I know you rarely do WIW posts, but I would love t...I know you rarely do WIW posts, but I would love to see you in that Citron dress -- it's marvellous! So simple, elegant, but with the punch of such an interesting, rich colour. (of course, I could just come to Montreal . . . ;-)materfamiliashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16062766947897513369noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872918251244874644.post-23508719191235825022012-06-12T10:29:37.020-04:002012-06-12T10:29:37.020-04:00You've done very well Duchesse. I like both th...You've done very well Duchesse. I like both those styles and they will be versatile options that you can dress up or dress down.hostess of the humble bungalowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06453827257671312902noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872918251244874644.post-46166895215433391142012-06-12T09:21:28.138-04:002012-06-12T09:21:28.138-04:00I love both of the dresses you chose, but the brow...I love both of the dresses you chose, but the brown is stunning and the colors must be so flattering with your hair. I am going to check the web site. Wish I could take a quick trip to Canada, but the agenda is full for the next month.Kristien62https://www.blogger.com/profile/04141776821818167047noreply@blogger.com