Dec 12 2008
Disadvantages to Having a Costume Custom Made
While the idea of being able to wear something you imagined or saw in a movie can be appealing, there are also many drawbacks to making the costume yourself or hiring someone else to make your costume. This is extremely important for those wishing to hire clothing makers for large events such as theme weddings, conventions, and theatrical productions. Never hire a tailor or seamstress that does not come highly recommended from a close and personal friend.
Learn from my tale…
Back when I won the Halloween award (”Best Nurturing Witch” at The Melting Pot), I was actually not wearing the dress I had intended to wear initially. Months earlier at the Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire, I’d ordered a leafy green, custom fit bodice. I asked to receive it by Halloween. Sure enough, the holiday rolled around and I was without a bodice. The seller, who lived in another state, took a week to respond and was catching up on faire season orders. Fortunately, I had an oversized dress that worked well enough to win, but the costume would have looked better with the new bodice.
Here are the main issues with having a costume custom made:
Time constraints and deadlines. I’ve heard nightmare stories of brides who have hired someone to custom make their wedding gowns, only to find the seamstress turning up empty handed just days before the wedding.
Mental picture versus actual piece. Sometimes we envision glorious looking gowns in our minds or see them on movie stars and think they’ll look great on us. This isn’t always so. If a dressmaker in particular doesn’t do multiple fittings, chances are it won’t look quite right on you. Furthermore, if you fail to try on the cut of the garment before you have it made, the entire style of the outfit might look bad on you to begin with.
Accuracy. For movie and television costumes (as well as historical garb) accuracy is incredibly important. A costume maker must be told not to use shortcuts like zippers if you do not want them.
Cost. Having anything custom made will really cost you, mainly due to the costume maker’s time and the expense of fabric. If you skimp and hire an inexpensive designer or use cheap fabric, you run the risk of having a costume that really looks like you bought it out of a bag.
That said, there are some beautiful custom made costumes and wedding gowns out there, as well as some very reliable costume makers. Best of luck!
I also HIGHLY recommend that you not use a friend to make a custom piece. It will only end badly. Pick someone local, who isn’t a friend, and use a formal contract.
If you do have to go with a seamstress make sure she knows what it means to have a garment flow.
Lets just say that I ended up with dress sleeves that looked like sausages when my arms were in them. Not soft and flowing at all.
Drawings and pictures really help