the tailor

The dress didn't turn out in any salvageable way but I really didn't expect it to and it really is about the experience. 250 rupees for the sari ($5.50) + 150 rupees for a tailor made dress = a good time. Louise had the right idea, put the dress on, discuss the alterations to be made, sit and chill while they make the changes - repeat. They went through that cycle about 5 times, I made it as far as one before I pretended the dress was great and called it finished. I don't like shopping or clothes enough to go through the dance any more than that.

Dress-making is where cultural differences I might not normally catch come through. In the land of scooped necks, the deeper v-neck that we tend to prefer is an uncomfortable one, particularly for tailors who tend to be men. When we discuss it at the design stage there's always some convincing to be done "yes, yes, I really AM going to show that much of my chest" and when the finished product is produced it almost always has a line of stitching that turns that 'v' into a scoop-neck anyhow. Although the tailor never says anything, I always feel vaguely guilty - even trampy - when I have to ask them to unstitch more...yes, more please.

My tailors often make the aesthetic decision to attach borders of another colour the the sleeves, neck and trim of the dress and seem a bit incredulous when asked to remove it. More than once I've found myself explaining that I come from Toronto "...very boring...black only...no colour is there". They also automatically use the remaining material to create a shawl to match which is par for the course here but always strikes me as a fun, unique thing to have. Then there's the waist, or rather lack of it. It takes some convincing, and a lot of revisions, before a waist is allowed to make an appearance and, again, there's that sense of discomfort directing the tailor to make it tighter...yes...more tight please.

Given that I gave up well before I got to any of these things, you can imagine what I'm coming home with. A lovely mumu will be accompanying me.