Butch Attire & Fashion

[Kelt]

Originally Posted by okieblu

Does anyone here know of a site, tutorials, that deals with changing or altering sewing patterns for men's clothes, for a butch dyke? I can't afford $200 or more for a tailored shirt, I can't find anyone who sews I can work out a deal with, so I'm gonna have to do this myself, damned it!

All the men's patterns, even the smallest size is too big and I can't find dress shirt patterns for adolescent boys. They seem to skip right over teens. From pre-teen kids to adult men.

Any advice or info? And yeah, thought I'd post this in the Femme section, as well.

Thanks

Sounds like you may be "stature challenged" like me. If your on the small side both height and width there are a couple of things I've done to save on the $$. If you are handy enough to have a go at building shirts from scratch you may be able to do your own alterations. If not (like me) you might be able to hit a compromise.

I find that in some stores IF you can find a mens small that is actually small (try athletic cut) , they won't be in the folded shirt bin, as long as the shoulders and neck fit the sleeves can be 1-3cm too long and that looks all wrong. Having a tailor shorten the sleeves depending on cuff style isn't very expensive and if you've gotten it off the sales rack the total price will be okay.

The other is to hit the thrift/consignment/vintage shops. Frequently they will have older or european cuts that are smaller, if the shoulders and neck are good you can maybe have the side seams taken in a bit to avoid the baggies too.

If your big in the chest the side and back tapers can be your friend in avoiding the dreaded dart, but always, always, start with the shoulder fit. From there all else can be altered, and if you can do that yourself you're golden!



Oh hey! One more trick I found for myself; if you're looking for just everyday quality and you're good with white/light blue/ and white-light blue stripes then you're in luck. I've found that right about now when the stores are gearing up for back to school you can get really sturdy button ups in the boys department in the elusive big boy/very small man size WITH the right length sleeve. Try size 20. They are for school uniforms (think prep school) and are built hell-for-stout. Not too pricey either.