R’acquel!’s Boutique - Now Open!
I have a special offer for all *cruisers* on the deck!
This is a conceptual draft of an original piece i’m working on for a dear friend, who’s body has very voluptuous curves and she also faces the challenge of having one leg bigger than the other (so this makes the journey of finding pants that fit well on her really difficult!). The goal of this project is to model an elegant evening dress based on the Disney character known as “Ursula” from “The Little Mermaid” movie. As you can probably gather, i have a particular passion in designing for “other-bodied” figures that live outside of the conventional norms you see parading down the catwalks on TV all the time!
In Search of Fine Fabrics From Around the World!
My chief problem here in Australia, is being able to source good quality material that’s original & refreshing. As we’re located in the Asia Pacific, a lot of fabric is imported from Asia. It’s not that Asia isn’t capable of producing nice fabric, not at all - but sourcing it the shops *here* - well, what else can i say but the collections can be fairly mundane & boring so i’m keen to source nice fabrics from around the world! Moving out of Sydney hasn’t helped me either, as gaining access to the material stores here is equally difficult due to transport issues. A long term dream would be to travel the world to source the finest yarns, but for now - the dream remains a distant goal until life finds a way of sourcing the funds for travel overseas.
As i’m currently stranded on this continent, maybe there’s a way i can still travel the world in a virtual way and still be able to source nice material from around the world!
The Offer!
I would like to offer the construction of a tailored, custom-fitted outfit for anyone, for the exchange of 2x the material it requires to get the job done, and a photograph of yourself wearing the garment through a post on your blog online when the garment arrives. You get the garment, while i can get the opportunity to receive fabrics from around the world by using the leftover material to make other unique & original pieces. I’ll also take photos & link to your blog as i proceed with the journey of making something for you too.
So - does the deal sound fair? Interested? If so, then please start shopping for your desired garment by browsing the online Burda Main Collection and search for something you like! If you can source the pattern where you live (in English), that would be great - but if not, i can see if i can find it here.
Initial details required:
This offer is open for both men & women!
I’m very passionate about the use of ergonomics in my design work, so I highly value the end result of a good fit with great comfort and look forward to the challenge of getting the detailed measurements to create something that will fit well on you!
If you’re interested in taking up this offer, please feel free to comment, let others know about this, or send a direct email to mrs_smith @ akaracquel dot com with the details!
I can still probably manage some special alterations to match something you’d like from another photo if the design is close to an existing pattern I can find, so feel free to forward any pictures to me by email if you’d like me to review if it’s possible!
Irish Church Lady said,
March 26, 2007 @ 10:46 pm
Sounds like an interesting proposition!
R’acquel: Glad to hear you think so!
Captain Baldie Lifecruiser said,
March 26, 2007 @ 10:49 pm
Excellent deal and thoughts, I’ve updated my latest post with a link!
I wish i had the time to look around for something for myself. Life is kind of hectic now, but I’ll have it in mind defenitely!!!!!
I seem to be one of those “other-bodied” for sure. To skinny for my length with long legs too and too big boobs to be this skinny obviously. I’m not particularly skinny either. Very problematic body this one to find clothes for, even though I don’t think my body is that strange
People very often get surprised when I say that I got problem to find clothes. They think that everything is done for models - yes, it is, but how many models has boobs? *lol*
….and the clothes in the stores are not done for long people! I’m only 176 cm (about 5,7 feet) and still most clothes are too short for me! Even here in Sweden. It seems like they are done for the length of 170-172cm, about 5,5-5,6 feet.
Even the proportions of the body seems to be for the shorter persons, so dresses never fit me. The waist is i the wrong place kind of.
The producers don’t know what they are missing, it’s sooo many times that i haven’t been able to buy their clothes and I’m sure I’m not the only one!!!
WHY don’t they do like with the male clothes, with several widths and lengths?
R’acquel: Thank you for the link
Are you smooth Down Under yet Baldie Captain? *lol*
I had the same problem in my teens with the long leg issue. It was always hard to find jeans/pants that fit well - and the problem was solved when i began to take up sewing in my early teens, because it always fit so well (and turned many heads too! :D)
I’m 173cm, but it was considered very “tall” here - towering over my classmates made me feel self concious. It wasn’t until a work colleague of my husband’s from Amsterdam gave me a pat on the shoulder and told me that my height would’ve been “average” in his country in my early 20s. It was a really healing experience for me to think of it that way, so feel somewhat “normal” or OK for being as I am. The guy was nearly 2m tall too - he found it hard to find a *car* that he could fit into here. We have his car now. There’s good reasons for why i often refer to it as the family “boat” because it’s so big!
It’s the same for me with dresses - i can never fit well into them and the boob department has always been the key problem. I’m only a small cup B too. Sounds like i could possibly find a good fit in Sweden!
I’ve felt the same way as you do about men’s clothing that comes with more specialised measurements - wondering why on earth they haven’t designed things like dresses with cup sizes for women because the breast size is such a pivotal factor with a good fit for women. I’ve met many women who’ve been really petite with the larger breasts - especially after childbirth, experiencing a hard time finding good bras. I suppose that’s the whole mass market thing driving it - they aim for a “one size fits almost all”. I guess somewhere around the corner, there’s always going to be that hidden little boutique somewhere that caters for the folks that live on the outer limits of the bell curve.
Life’s hectic for me here too with a house move to secure in the next 3 weeks, so there’s no rush to go shopping for an outfit online! Better to take a leisurely cruise with it until you find the style or piece that makes you go bang!
RennyBA said,
March 27, 2007 @ 8:36 am
Looks like an offer it’s hard to refuse, but I have to think about it. Hard to find the right fabric for a man maybe?
R’acquel: It depends on your taste. With my own clothes, i prefer plain fabrics without prints & patterns for things like shirts & pants and tend to go for the ones with nice textures that feel really good against the skin
hth
aka R’acquel » …At The Table Again said,
March 27, 2007 @ 9:55 pm
[…] experience to sharpen up my skills on custom-tailoring outfits for the individual. Please visit my R’acquel!’s Boutique post to for more details if you’re interested in taking up the […]
Debbie said,
March 28, 2007 @ 9:41 am
I love this idea and have found a pattern I like. style no.: 8134 It is a sleep set! I will see if I can find it here and what kind of material I would like. Email me more details and we can go from there!
R’acquel: The first challenge has arrived! Yay Debbie! Thanks a bunch! I look forward to following it up further with you so you’ll hear from me via email soon!
Sunshine said,
April 10, 2007 @ 1:20 am
What a lovely idea. Sadly I too am in Australia. I’m not sure how far from Sydney you are or in which direction, but there is a very cute “boutique” store that sells products only from France, including gorgeous fabrics. It’s in a small town called Camden, located SW of Sydney.