Finding a Needler in A Haystack

Is the search wearing a little thin for a jacket that doesn’t constrict like a boa? Has the hunt gone cold for the perfect party dress? How often do you stare into your closet and question your judgment?

Leaving no department store or boutique unturned, many women and men still cannot find the well-fitting, quality garments they want for work and leisure. An alternative to this off-the-rack roundabout is having clothes custom-made.

Tailoring and dressmaking have never gone out of vogue, but in recent years dressmaking in particular has begun achieving a new professional status. It is marked by individuals educated in design and in communicating effectively to meet clients’ clothing needs and desires.

In North County, dozens of custom clothiers work out of their homes or small shops and create everything from work clothes for men and women to special-occasion ensembles. Finding a custom clothier who fits personal notions of style and uniqueness and provides value for the dollar takes some effort, but the rewards can well be worth the expense and time spent.

Kathleen Spike, founding chairwoman of the year-old Professional Assn. of Custom Clothiers in Portland, Ore., said women have long been attracted to wearing custom-made clothes. The time has come, she said, to develop national standards and elevate the status of people who sew for profit.

“Dressmaking has been done since the beginning of time, it’s not a new thing,” Spike said. “But the garment manufacturers have totally trained the public to think that (dressmaking) was not an arena to buy in.

“The public needs to know how to hire and how to pay a dressmaker and understand the skills of a dressmaker,” Spike said. “Our main message is that custom clothiers are an alternative to the ready-to-wear industry and it can be a wonderful service.”

A consumer who knows what to expect from a custom clothier can only benefit from the experience, Spike said. Yet, even with this awareness to professionalism still in its infancy, Spike said, she and her colleagues have had no problem making a living from dressmaking.

“I’ve been in business 20 years and I’ve always had plenty of work,” she said. “I’ve never had a problem getting $300 for a jacket.”

Spike said people who enlist the services of a dressmaker come from a broad spectrum, but she acknowledged that people used to paying bargain-basement prices for clothes would probably not consult a professional dressmaker.

She said some customers use a dressmaker for all their clothing, while others choose to budget a trip to the dressmaker as a special gift to themselves once or twice a year. Some consult a dressmaker only for special occasions, such as weddings.

Here are a few North County dressmakers and some guidelines on what to look for in a professional custom clothier.

Diana Hamper

Escondido Calls: 743-7346 A dressmaker’s mannequin, a Pfaff sewing machine, several yardsticks and a large cutting table make up Diana Hamper’s studio in an unassuming room in her Escondido home. Here she measures, cuts and brings to fruition custom clothing.

Image enhancement--helping clients determine their best look--is a large part of what Hamper does. Beyond whipping up a dress or blazer or party outfit, Hamper has been schooled in design and knows what styles look good on different body types.

“In order to service my clients, I do need to know about image, what types of styles look good on my clients,” Hamper said. “So I can go to a client and say, ‘Look, I think with your particular figure type, this jacket will enhance your looks,’ or ‘This style is going to detract and draw the eye where you don’t want it.’ ”

After the initial consultation, where measurements are taken and a pattern chosen, Hamper always makes a muslin mock-up of the intended garment. The client then comes in to try it on to determine if the fit is right and to voice any changes she would like in the pattern before the real garment material is cut.

“The reason why dressmakers use muslin is there is no color, no print, nothing to take the eye away from the business at hand,” Hamper said. “I have the client put the muslin on in front of the mirror so they can see what I’m doing and they can see what the garment looks like on them, and then we go from there.”

Hamper said involving her clients in the fitting process is essential because not only does it give her the opportunity to catch potential design flaws, but it also lets the client notice if something is amiss. Even clients with no knowledge of sewing or design can contribute significantly to the end product, she said.

“They catch on quick, they really do,” Hamper said. “When I take them through the process, I say, ‘How does this shoulder line look to you? Move your arm for me. Are you feeling any constriction any place?’ The client sees that, ‘Oh! I’ve got a say in this.’

“The first time a lot of my clients are kind of quiet and not really sure what they should be saying, but I encourage them because I won’t cut from their fabric until they OK the muslin.”

Three fittings, including the muslin mock-up, are the average number Hamper’s clients can expect. If the garment is exceptionally fitted, a second fitting in muslin would take place before Hamper begins work with the real fabric; a looser garment would not require that extra step.

One of the subtler fringe benefits of having clothes custom-made is that not a lot of fuss is made over size. Although clients are measured from head to toe, the size numbering system used by the ready-to-wear garment industry is absent here.

“I tell my clients not to worry about the numbers. Chances are, most people are more than one size,” Hamper said. “They may actually be one size in the shoulder area because they have narrow shoulders. If they have a real full bust, they may be a different size there, and then their waist and hips may be another size still.”

If a client is still concerned about size, Hamper tells them to look at themselves in the garment. When they see themselves in an outfit that fits properly--perhaps for the first time in their lives--size is no longer a consideration, she said.

“It lies in the fit,” she said. “That’s a big difference between buying clothes and having them custom-made.”

Hamper has made men’s clothing, but she works primarily with women. She designs special-occasion outfits and mix-and-match career pieces that extend a minimalist wardrobe.

Unlike some dressmakers, Hamper will accompany a client to a fabric store if the person is not comfortable with selecting a pattern or material, and often Hamper goes alone and gets swatches of material for her client’s perusal. Even people more versed in sewing will get Hamper’s opinion about fabric and pattern before venturing to a store.

When working with a dressmaker, it is important to be up-front about when a garment is needed. It takes Hamper an average of three weeks to complete a garment after she has cut out the mock-up, but the time depends on the complexity of the piece.

To avoid “surprises” when the client comes in to try on the finished garment, Hamper spends a good deal of time in the beginning with the customers, discussing what they want and taking copious notes. Hamper has her clients sign off on the muslin mock-up, stating that everything fits and is the desired style.

“Customers need to recognize that, in many instances, dressmakers will do everything in their power to correct a particular problem,” Hamper said. “If it’s a problem with fitting, then generally a dressmaker will correct it at no additional charge. If it’s a design change, like a lapel, I would charge the customer to correct that.”

Hamper said consumers unsure of employing a dressmaker should ask themselves some basic questions: How many clothes do they have in their closet that they don’t wear? What is their frustration level when they go shopping in a department store or specialty store? What type of clothes are they looking for?

Clients interviewing a prospective dressmaker should also ask to see a portfolio of the dressmaker’s work, as well as a garment in progress. Like many dressmakers, Hamper sews her own clothes and is a living showcase of her work.

Price is another consideration.

“Consumers should know (that) if they are looking for custom-made clothing, if they are going to compare price, that that price should not be compared to bargain-basement prices or mainstream prices,” Hamper said. “They are getting a higher-quality product.”

Angela Pouliot

P.O. Box 3296, Vista 92085-3296 Calls: 941-1625 Angela Pouliot prefers working with natural fibers because they mold and shape better and retain their quality longer. She tells her clients that if they can afford to spend money for dressmaking, they might as well go the extra step and buy natural fabrics.

Pouliot’s clients are primarily retired women who travel and are active in the community. Besides making new clothes, she gives old garments a face lift.

She is also an instructor in advance fashion at Palomar College. She finds that dressmaking is not only a viable alternative for women looking for clothes, but for women looking for a career. As a single mother for years, she raised her four sons and was able to work from home based on her dressmaking services.

“My main source of income comes from the retired people who are at a stage in life where they do have the money to buy the quality fabric and get quality work done,” Pouliot said. “They usually travel a lot and buy fabric from around the world, and they want to have it made into something they’ve dreamed of.”

Pouliot says people turn to dressmakers because they want something different, not necessarily because they are frustrated with the fit of ready-to-wear clothes.

“I find my clients want the clothes made because they want something unique and something they are proud of,” she said. “They want to put the best fabric together with their ideas and have something designed that’s just for them.”

Although most of Pouliot’s clients know what they want--and sometimes bring in their own sketches and designs--she is equally comfortable with working with people who have never been to a dressmaker before and don’t necessarily have an idea of what they want beyond knowing they need a dress or a suit or some other type of clothing.

Like Hamper, Pouliot has full discussions with her clients about what would look best on them. She also creates a muslin mock-up before she begins work on the actual garment to ensure a proper fit and to avoid over manipulating the fabric.

Pouliot also does fur restyling, a project not many dressmakers are willing to take on.

“I’ve done furs since 1989,” she said. “Before, I thought it’s too risky, but it’s like anything else, you just have to know what you’re doing.”

Pouliot has been dressmaking for 20 years and received her professional training at La Grand Chic Fashions in Sicily. Her mother and sister are also dressmakers.

“In Italy, it’s almost like part of the training to become a woman,” Pouliot said of attending fashion school. “It’s part of the tradition; the majority of the women who attend don’t think of it as a career, but at least they are able to do it for themselves and for the home.”

Pouliot stops short of going fabric shopping for her clients, but she will accompany them if they request it. She said she doesn’t want to deprive her clients of that part of the dressmaking experience.

“Most people think they don’t know what they need, but they know what they want,” she said. “I tell them to do research on their own first because I think most people already know what looks good on them. They just have to apply their mind to it.”

On their own, clients should schedule time to visit three or four fabric stores and look at different fabrics and pattern catalogues, Pouliot said. Then they should narrow their choices down to a few styles, then to just one.

“Sometimes they can’t make up their mind between two and three different fabrics,” she said. “They already know what they want, they just don’t have the courage to desire it.”

Once clients get into the process, they can use that knowledge for future projects.

No matter what the project, planning is key, Pouliot said. She suggests that people plan one season ahead. If a wedding or other special event is in the autumn, clients should go see their dressmaker in the summer.

Pouliot requires a minimum of eight weeks to complete a garment because she works on one project at a time in several stages, including the consultation and the first and final fittings. She wants her clients to have the garment in their possession at least one month before any special event so they have time to model it and match shoes and accessories.

Like her contemporaries, Pouliot believes a garment made by a professional dressmaker is not an extravagance but an investment that can stand the rigors of wear and time better than off-the-rack clothes.

Golden Needle

1105 Camino Del Mar, Suite B Del Mar Calls: 755-1312 On any given Saturday, as many as five people (employees and clients) squeeze into the small shop Inci Sekerkiran has kept for the past seven years in Del Mar, and at least nine people line up outside the door. Brides-to-be try on formal wedding gowns with long trains, men stand patiently for fittings, and all the while, six sewing machines zoom through fabric.

In addition to her regular dressmaking and alteration services, Sekerkiran makes leather purses, home furnishings such as dust ruffles, curtains and pillows. But her specialty and her passion lies with making beaded and sequined evening gowns. It presents the biggest challenge, she said.

Sekerkiran’s clients include Del Mar and Rancho Santa Fe lawyers, doctors, horse owners and guests of the nearby Inn L’Auberge. A large part of her business is altering clothes people have bought from high-end department stores.

“Looking for a quality job is the most important thing,” Sekerkiran said. “Most of my clients shop at good stores and bring their clothes to me to be altered because they want the quality fabric and color and style they could get from the store’s clothes, but they don’t always fit them exactly.”

Sekerkiran said it is common practice for her clients to pay hundreds of dollars for a ready-made garment and then pay her more to make it right for them.

When a client does request a custom-made dress or suit or wedding gown, usually they provide fabric imported from Italy or France, she said.

Sekerkiran doesn’t have time to go fabric shopping with her clients, but she will give her opinion on material swatches and encourages her clients to buy extra fabric for any style changes. Her clients can expect two fittings.

Sekerkiran got her formal education from a fashion design school in Turkey. For six years, she learned how to make clothes for men and women, how to needlepoint and crochet and how to make beaded and sequined clothes.

She employs two male tailors who make men’s suits and pants. Prices start at $450.

Wedding dresses require a minimum of six weeks or at least two to three months if bead work is involved. Sekerkiran likes to allow about three weeks for the client to have the dress before the wedding to match shoes and accessories.

Simpler dresses take between a week and 10 days to make; a man or woman’s suit would take three weeks. Sekerkiran does not turn away even the smallest assignment--frequently, she hems blue jeans for men and sews buttons on shirts.

At prom time, the shop really heats up, with many orders coming in from Torrey Pines High School. Last spring, Sekerkiran and her staff made more than 20 dresses for the dance.

Alterations Center

191 N. El Camino Real, Suite 109 Encinitas Calls: 942-7299 As the name states, alterations are the mainstay here, but owner Pat Haghani and her employees are kept equally busy making men’s suits, career wear, prom dresses and other special-occasion dresses. Her clients are business people and homemakers from Carlsbad, La Costa, Rancho Santa Fe and Del Mar.

Haghani received specialized training from a fashion school in Iran. She began sewing her own clothes when she was a teen-ager, but never considered sewing professionally until necessity called when she came to America.

“In Iran, I didn’t work because my husband was with an oil company there, but when we came to America because of the revolution (in 1978), we had to leave most of our belongings,” Haghani said. “I was able to open a shop and I sewed to support us.”

Although Haghani hasn’t much time to sew these days, she handles all the fittings and taking measurements. She readily dispenses opinions about fabric and patterns, and often her seamstresses and tailors work from pictures or old clothes.

Haghani doesn’t go fabric shopping with her clients, but she makes regular reconnaissance visits to local fabric shops to keep abreast of what is on the market.

Quick turnaround is important to Haghani. Often, simple alterations like hemming can be done the same day, and more complex alterations can be completed within a week. If a person brings in a shirt lacking a button, Haghani will sew one on herself.

People with busy schedules would rather pay a couple of dollars to have the work done than have to deal with it themselves, she said.

For dressmaking, Haghani prefers at least two weeks, but remembers times when clients have given her just two days to complete an outfit for a wedding or party. Still, it is the simple requests that amuse Haghani the most.

“You’d be surprised the things people bring here to be done,” Haghani said. “Even a simple thing like taking a dart out of a shirt to make it looser, it’s so easy, just pull the thread out of the dart and it will be loose, but people are intimidated. They want someone else to do it.”

Finding the Right Dressmaker, Tailor

Finding a suitable tailor or dressmaker is like finding the right hair stylist or auto mechanic. Here are some points to consider as you look:

* Decide what you need. Are you looking for someone to create one specific garment or someone who can work with you to build an entire wardrobe?

* Shop around. Visit fabric stores and see if they refer to tailors or dressmakers on a regular basis. Ask relatives and friends if they can recommend someone.

* Before enlisting the services of a dressmaker or tailor, make sure they can do the work. Some dressmakers, for example, do not make wedding gowns or work with leather or knits.

* Ask to see projects the person is currently working on as well as a portfolio of completed garments. Photographs cannot adequately show the construction of a garment.

* Ask for names and numbers of satisfied clients.

* Communicate clearly with the custom clothier throughout the process. Let him or her know immediately if something doesn’t feel or look right or if you would like to vary the style of the pattern. Find out upfront how much time and how many fittings it will take to complete the garment.

* If a price list is not available, make sure all fees are discussed thoroughly before any work begins. Be candid about how much you are willing to spend.

* Find out the policy on correcting any flaws in fit after the garment is made, and what charges there are for design changes.