Made to Measure: custom clothing
Have you ever wished you had a friend on the ground in Italy to help you find the places Italians for for their tailored clothing?
Are you hard to fit and discouraged with what’s in shops and department stores? Are you taller than average? Are you shorter than average? Are you tired of the cookie-cutter look of business clothing and do you want more choice and more style?
Would you like guidance on what styles and details suit you and your life best? Do you have special needs and are you looking for clothing that works better for those needs?
If you have a clear idea of what you want and what your budget is, you can get what you want with just two visits, usually a week apart, in Umbria and for about the same price as a department store. This is not outlet shopping, although there are those opportunities, too. This is a chance to have one of a kind clothing made to your measure, in your choice of fabric, lining and style.
I am Judith Greenwood. I live in Umbria, where many of the clothing producers have their homes. From classic made to measure tailored trousers, jackets, skirts and suits to the best handmade fashions in any style and any fabric, it is available here.
I have studied couture techniques for fitting and ease of movement. I know how the great cutters and tailors have evolved garment fit to every kind of body. You may have seen my columns about Italian street fashion on the Slow Travel website.
I am not average height nor average build and so I have had my own clothes made to measure – clothes that last for years and are made of fabrics that are exactly suited to my climate, my lifestyle and my own sense of myself.
I am fluent in Italian and can help you discuss your needs and your concerns with the fitters. Having worked thirty years as a designer in the United States, I can also be helpful in choosing fabrics and colors to suit you.
Custom shirts, made to measure separates or suits, what do you need? Or perhaps you’d like to fill out your wardrobe with a few surefire pieces that you can trust to be exactly the right thing for travel or work? Isn’t it a grand idea to know it’s right because it is absolutely made for you?
How is it done?
The service is by appointment. We will meet in Umbertide to keep an appointment with the sarto, or tailor, who is the right choice for your needs and budget. You should bring with you the kind of shoes you will wear with the finished garments. Length and fit depend a great deal on shoes. If you need garments that will work with both heels and flats, this is the time to say so. You and I will select the fabrics from among the many available and I will describe what you want to the fitter. If necessary, I can make sketches to clarify your ideas.
The fitter will measure you according to the fit you prefer, although the tendency with made to measure clothing is an eased fit because it holds up better. Discussion will follow of special needs if you have them, and the darts, pleats and seaming that will make your garment right for you. At that point you will make a deposit for the fabrics and the garments you are ordering. We will go over the contract for work to make sure they are correct and that any necessary drawings are attached to it.
In about a week, but not less than a week, you will return for a fitting. The partially sewn garments will be tried on you and adjustments will be discussed and pinned or basted into place. A final length will be decided.
If you are in Italy for a longer time, a final finished fitting can be arranged. If you cannot return for a final fitting, I will take an extra set of measurements and use them to check the garments when they are completed. You will pay me for the balance of the contract and estimated shipping at this time.
When the garments are finished, I will return to the workroom and check the clothing, pay for it if it is correct, and then pack and mail them to you at your home or office. It’s possible, if you live in a non-EU country and depending on what other purchases you make during your trip, that there may be customs due on all or part of your shipment. If so, the customs department in your country will collect them.
How am I paid?
My services are paid as an hourly fee at €25 per hour. The minimum fee reflects the amount of time expended for the basic services. That minimum fee is six hours, or €150.
I take no commissions and receive no discounts from the tailoring firms. I want to be free to take you to the best place for your needs rather than just to tailors who will pay me. Not every shop does everything, and so if you want a variety of garments, it could mean going to more than one shop. The amount you will pay for the tailoring and the clothing will be precisely what an Italian would pay.