A day in the life of

- Saga Widen -

Designer Alterations’ Senior Fitter and Wardrobe Stylist

At this time of the year us girls at Designer Alterations spend a lot of time on the floor achieving the perfect length for our clients figure hugging sequin gown or LBD. The Autumn/winter season has kept me in good shape as I have been running all over London from Hampstead to Sloane Square just to make sure our clients have the perfect outfit for their VIP Parties and premiers over the Christmas a New Year.

My days can be very varied. One day I am designing a bolero jacket and wrap for someone to cover their upper arms from the cold, another day I am updating a ladies fur coat to this decades shape. Yesterday I made a beautiful redesign of a wonderful well-kept 70’s fur into a stunning modern streamlined coat to wear open or closed with jeans and heels. Our fur tailor, Svetlana has been more than busy the past month.

“redesign of a wonderful well-kept 70’s fur
into a stunning modern streamlined coat”

I’ve also spent a couple of days in the stunning West Sussex countryside helping a client transform her wonderful wardrobe.
This is our Wardrobe Detox service where everything in your wardrobe gets put in order, we make a seasonal swap over, and out of season items are labelled and packed away. The wardrobe space is re worked so that it will work to enlighten and inspire you rather than drain you as you step into it.During the autumn and winter months I’ve also made regular visits to our customers that have requested some Wardrobe Styling. As my background is working as a stylist for celebrities, films and TV my experience mixed together with Julia Dee (Designer Alterations Owner for 20 years now) we are able to give you what seems like a brand new wardrobe! You will end up with a seasonal look book for your own wardrobe, in your own style.  In your personal look book you will find outfits including everything from the right shoes and bag to make a complete outfit. This will minimize the time it takes to get dressed. So all in all saves our clients both time and money and avoid the gruelling question ‘what to wear ‘, as the look book serves as a personal little dressing bible. The session also works to create your own trademark style and silhouette. Many times during the sessions we end up using less items to create more outfits. Although this can be a time consuming task it works wonders for every wardrobe regardless of size. It also helps with making the ultimate versatile packing easier for those weekends away.

At the end of the day I am exhausted from all the pinning, buttoning, tacking, lifting and sewing but the look on my clients face when they have their favourite jacket fixed or their wardrobe detoxed is priceless.

If you want to get in touch with our Wardrobe Stylist Saga Widen, need a fitter or some alterations please contact us on 020 7498 4360 or send us an email to info@designeralterations.com.

www.designeralterations.com & www.bridalalterations.co.uk

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Get into the Christmas spirit with London’s Christmas Fairs!

Christmas is just around the corner and as usual we are busy setting up stall for The Christmas Fairs in and around London.  The Total Wardrobe Care team have been working hard;  packing, bowing, folding and polishing all of the Total Wardrobe products just for the fairs.  Our first Fair was The Spirit of Christmas Fair in Kensington Olympia. 5 days packed full of talk about moths, cashmere care and storage boxes all lead by The Total Wardrobe Care owner Julie Dee. Julia who is full off knowledge has worked in the industry for over 25years was chatting away to her satisfied customers.  Overall we had a great time and we hope everyone that attended did too. Of course you can also find lots of other wonderful gifts from Christmas tree decorations to stocking fillers!

To be the first to test and get our brand new products or just to have a little chat with owner Julia Dee please come and see us at the Christmas Fairs! Have a look at the below for up and coming events or click HERE.

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Mirrors

Do you have to contortion yourself in to a corner squashed up against a bed to get the best view on the back of a wardrobe door, or do you have to stand on a toilet seat to see your feet, is the mirror about 18 inches wide and you fill all of the mirror.

How many times do you go into a boutique try something on and think, this is a trick mirror and makes me look slim. When clients come into our fitting rooms at Designer Alterations, they say the same, what’s the secret, why are your mirrors so flattering, where do you get them from?

Answer – they are BIG ! You get to see yourself in relation to your surroundings, and in relation to other people, this is how you appear to others. Think about it. Is your mirror, 6 feet tall and 4 feet wide , well lit with natural day light and can you stand back 4-6 feet and get a good look at yourself in relation to the room?

Answer NO

Do you have to contortion yourself in to a corner squashed up against a bed to get the best view on the back of a wardrobe door, or do you have to stand on a toilet seat to see your feet, is the mirror about 18 inches wide and you fill all of the mirror.

I have been into houses of the rich fab and famous all over London and I have had the privilege to go into mere mortals homes as well and it’s always the same. It’s got nothing to do with money but everything to do with space. I just don’t understand why interior decorators and architects repeatedly get it wrong, I understand everyone else but not those who are paid to design the best use of space.

So please treat yourselves. It will cost the best part of £200, depending on how extravagantly you want the frame to be. Buy it 6 feet tall and four feet wide. Try to find a wall where you can stand back to get a good look. Make sure you can see your feet. Also its ideal to have natural daylight behind you. Or good electric light.

Key to hanging a mirror. If it lays flat against the wall it slightly foreshortens your image and you look as though you are falling into the mirror. The solution is to bring the bottom of the mirror out by 1 -2 cms at the bottom , you can do this with a wooden batton. I have been known to stuff tissues behind as this is a pet hate!

Back view- This is very important and a small hand mirror is just not big enough. If there is space, get a cheval mirror on wheels, Morplan.com have a good chrome one for £170.00. This you can position for a good back view. If space is a problem get a hairdressers back view mirror, these can be bought from hairdressing suppliers for about £10.00

 Have fun!

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Finding Treasure in Your Wardrobe

Welcome to my blog. I have been involved in Fashion in one way or another since doing a fashion design course at art college in the late 70’s. Even before that I was begging Mum for an old sheet that I could tie dye in the jam making saucepan and cut up and make something that inspired me.

Mum says she knew I was going to do something like that as the first time she put scissors in my hand I was 2 and a half. She was at a sewing machine and I wanted to make a coat for my dolly. So I cut out a rectangle and cut two holes for the arms then she helped me cut out a little half belt for the back and threaded a needle and helped me sew on two buttons to the belt, I was so chuffed and that’s really where it all started, so I have always had a sewing box and had something on the go.

I went off to the Middle East Bahrain after college and went to work for an Arab who manufactured uniforms and increasingly was looking after the booming expat society. What they needed was a designer that understood Western styles. It was there that I cut my teeth. I learnt about customer expectation, service, finance, cash flow, employing staff and designing to suit all body shape and interpreting clients wishes and then fitting the garments to all body shapes

I had a great team of Philiipino Thai and Indian seamstresses. I was in Bahrain for 8 years and had a lot of fun. I was always going into the fabric souq, buying some mad cotton prints and getting my dresses made by the team. We really became great at clothing the expat community as there were no shops and boutiques to speak of, but great fabric markets.

There was one fashion faux pas as I made a gorgeous, bustier fitted dress with a big frill at the hem and wore it to an outside pool party at a Hotel and there must have been 20 huge tables round the pool with table cloths that matched my dress, embarrassment!

I went on a trip to Bangkok and went to the fabric store Jim Thompson which is the big tourist stop. I knew they were famous for their silk but I didn’t know they did lovely cotton as well. Beautiful prints almost like Leonardo and Pucci of the 60’s.
I made a lovely boned dress with full skirt which I wore a lot. When I came back to the Uk in 1990, all my gorgeous mad prints got stored away.20 years later I am slowly revamping them. Unfortunately I am no longer a size 10 but an ample 14.

I showed my team at Designer Alterations. We decided to remove the pockets, make straps so hold up the big boobies, and insert 2 inch gussets either side of the bodice, the skirt was gathered and full, so just needed letting out at the waist. Hey Presto and a new dress.

Every week at Designer Alterations clients bring us their treasure and ask us how we can restyle and revamp, there is always a solution and some are easier than others, but we do like a challenge.

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