Comment by timerol | Hacker News Reader

Comment by timerol | Hacker News Reader

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> Of course, you can get around production problem by buying used items. I could go to thrift stores and consignment shops and try to find the few things with all natural fibers, and just wear those, and I could learn how to mend and patch them so they don't have to be tossed as they start to wear out, as natural fibers so easily do.

> I could do that, but I have not done that. Why not? I could say I've been busy, a stock answer that is also true, but I think the real reason goes deeper. The truth is that I avoid natural fabrics because I think they won't look good on me.

> Natural fibers are mostly non-stretchy. I'm not super curvy, but I am moderately curvy. My experience with natural fabric clothing is that it either hangs like a giant pillowcase over my body or it bunches and binds in the ugliest way around my breasts, hips, and stomach.

The thing about the complaint that natural fibers are ill-fitting is a bit odd. It's true that less stretchy clothing is more forgiving, but it's also true that the ill-fitting aspect is because of the cut, not the fiber. The problem can be easily and (relatively) cheaply fixed by having the garment altered to fit you.

> Now, I know the answer to this as well: tailoring. You read any serious piece about fashion and fit and they will tell you that to look good, you have to get your clothes tailored to fit your body by someone who knows what they are doing.

> I can imagine a world in which that is a standard activity that I could engage in, but our world is not that world. Last time I wanted pants made shorter, most places I went wanted me to have pinned them up myself beforehand. I found a place that would do the fitting part, and it took weeks, a couple of follow-up nudge calls, and several trips there to get it all done. Plus, what if I gain or lose a few pounds? Am I going to get things perfectly fitted around my torso then be unable to wear them a month later? Ugh.

For some reason, I missed that part.

It sounds like she lives in an area lacking in in tailors. That's too bad. Perhaps an alternative is to learn how to do it herself?

> Plus, what if I gain or lose a few pounds? Am I going to get things perfectly fitted around my torso then be unable to wear them a month later?

No. A good fit will easily accommodate gaining or losing a few pounds without requiring another round of tailoring.

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