Choosing the right sewing pattern may be related to individual bones

Press, 3 September 1986, Page 21

Choosing the right sewing pattern may be related to individual bones

Sewers who have sewn up a pattern only to find the finished product does not suit them could consider visiting the Colours people who have a new scheme called “Your Style” to tackle such annoying “too-late” discoveries.

Working from length measurements of a person’s body — such as the hip to shoulder, hip to legbreak, leg-break to knee measurements — Colours consultants can then determine which areas should be accentuated to give a balanced view of the person. “Once we have worked out the shape of the in-

dividual, we can then tell

them the shapes of clothes that they can wear to give the effect of total proportion,” said Miss Deborah Bower, the marketing manager for Colours in Christchurch. The consultants say they do not work on the actual bust and waist measurements because these can change with weight fluctuation. They consider actual bone structure and only see women over 18 years of age because they say a woman’s bones do not stop developing until after that age. The neck-line is considered by Colours so a person can know whether they suit a scoop, square

or other types of neckline.

Intensity and density of suitable patterned fabrics are also tested — whether a person suits scattered large prints or intense polka-dots. Jewellery is also considered, as well as the different fabric textures and how these relate to the individual. Some may suit satin, while others look better with chiffon. Everything from soft wool to the hardest denim is tried. This helps people who may spend $3OO on a ball grown only to find that the fabric does not look “quite right.”

A total wardrobe is planned for each client whereby different shaped hats; hair styles for your shape of face; glasses to suit that face; shapes of

jackets to look for; what sort of belts one can wear; and even the sorts of panty-hose and height and styles of shoes that one may wear are included. Everything is worked out for you and made into a port-folio which one can carry around in a bag when shopping. “Your style” works on illusion to make a person look proportioned by the beauty of clothes. These should accentuate the necessary areas while hiding the bad. It allows one to know exactly what to buy to suit and what to avoid.

The scheme, which is now only three months old in Christchurch, has already attracted many hopeful clients and, according to Miss Bower, is proving a great success.