Carl Remick wrote:
> I say bring back tailored clothes. Most people are going to be
> overweight in any event, and fat folk definitely look better in dress
> clothes than in leisure duds (nb, Sidney Greenstreet).
Sure, that would be great. The problem is that tailored clothes require....tailors....or fairly substantive sewing skill. Many things militate against this:
-- continual fashion changes make it difficult to invest in a classic wardrobe; and if you're going to have to change clothes often and you're not super rich, you will need to buy cheap ones. -- the simpler/boxier the cut of clothes, the cheaper it is to manufacture. Cheap fabric also makes for cheap clothes. That's why clothes look so very terrible these days. Forget those beautiful, flowing bias-cut clothes: they require too much fabric and real tailoring skills. Forget beautiful fabrics. Forget seams and darts and clothes that fit...too much to customize. -- women have to work full time now. I've been sewing since age eleven and find it relaxing/enjoyable. But after a full day's work and then the child care/house care that follows, I have little or no time for sewing. Neither do most women.
This is all another example of how "progress" is not much progress...and how planned obsolescence (continually changing fashions combined with inferior quality) translates into the poorest consumer experience and choice possible.
Joanna