Perfect Clothing Doesn't Exist
Fast fashion has changed the way we shop in more ways than one.
*This Stuff is a newsletter by me! fashion journalist, Alyssa Hardy. Three times a week, I unpack the ways our clothes impact the world through news, essays, interviews and more. Subscribe for free here and follow me on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter*
There is a video of Jane Birkin on the Russell Harty show in 1973. As she sits on a stool singing “Di Doo Dah,” a song about a girl who is flat chested (“it’s me!” she gleefully declares before she performs), she’s wearing a quintessential Jane Birkin outfit. Her hair is in a tousled top knot showing off the butterfly sleeves on her white eyelet tank top. The shirt is cropped perfectly to rest just above her worn- in blue jeans that are casually but purposefully rolled up to her ankle. It’s an outfit fit for a day in the park but made television-ready just because she was wearing it.
Though it’s not all that groundbreaking, it’s an outfit that defined an entire genre of women’s fashion. It appears to be so effortless and yet clearly it wasn’t. It’s got that thing that magazines have been shoving down our throats for the last two decade: the simple *French Girl* aesthetic. Birkin’s appeal came in part because she was attractive and thin no doubt, but there is no denying she had something style-wise that has cross-generational charm. Outside of the clichés about French style, I think the lesson from her wardrobe — and specifically that pair of jeans and dainty top — is not that effortless is innately chic. It’s that quality and tailoring can make all the difference in a wardrobe. Jane Birkin’s clothes fit her the way she wanted them to. Even when the jeans were long or slightly loose on the waist, they were made to be that way to accommodate a cuff or a belt.
Most of us in the U.S. are not shopping like that today. With the majority of people under 40 purchasing most of their clothes from fast fashion brands, it’s a safe bet that custom fit clothing is not even an option, let alone a priority. Even though fast fashion has done a much better job diversifying their size ranges than any other space in the industry, the proportions are all over the place at every size, and different at each brand. What’s worse is that alterations for these clothes are sometimes more expensive than the item itself. As journalist Jane Wells reported in her newsletter Wells Street, the result is that people end up buying two or three sizes and just returning the ones that don’t fit. It’s not great, because returns aren’t necessarily getting resold. Sometimes brands will just give your money back instead, because shipping is too expensive. That leaves us with a bunch of ill-fitting clothes that never get worn, and end up on a resale site — or worse, in a landfill.
Not to mention, it sucks to look forward to an outfit only to realize you’ve been duped by some false advertising (and strategic pinning on the model showing off the outfit).
So what’s the solution? Well, the simplest one is to find a tailor for the clothing you see the value in altering. Denim is a great example of something that’s worth taking the trip to the tailor for rather than spending on something new. If you need new clothing, there are some brands that will do made-to-order apparel like Red Thread Apparel. Some upcycling brands such as Girl of the Earth (read more about her in the 8 Questions series here) create custom pieces upon request. This is a great option, especially if you’re unable to go to stores or tailors and try things on yourself. Outside of that, knowing your measurements and checking sizing guides before ordering multiple pieces is a better – not foolproof – way to make sure you’re getting something that is closer to your fit.