Tailoring is not a pain in the tush.

In fact, it can make your bum look better. Invest the time and money in some nips and tucks, and it will allow you to create pieces that fit you Freakin’ Fabulous-ly.

We already know that clothes that fit well look like they cost mucho moola. My tailor’s name is Ewa, and I would never look as fabulous as I do without her needle and thread. Find a skilled tailor and cling to him or her for dear life. A good tailor will be able to re-create pieces to mask your trickiest body parts. It’s best to buy clothes that fit your most “difficult” body part and then have them altered in other areas. For example, if you carry your weight in the midsection, finding clothes that fit can be particularly difficult, just because clothes are generally designed on an hourglass dress form and that tummy is really the opposite of an hourglass. So, when it comes to tailoring, you’ve got to work around your middle.

Let’s say that your belly causes you to be a size 14, but the rest of you is an 8. When shopping for a jacket, you’ll probably have to buy a size 14, and then have the shoulders taken in or reset and the sleeves shortened.

Don’t get confused! Here is a simple guide to what can and can’t be done to the most essential pieces of your wardrobe.

Put Your

BEST BREASTS

Forward

If you haven’t already done so, go get a professional bra fitting. I wish I had a nickel for every time a woman emailed me asking where to get a professional bra fitting. I don’t know, because I don’t know where you live! Use Google. But I do know that you should have it done by someone who fits boobs for a living, not some high-school chick making seven bucks an hour at the mall after school. Ideally, the majority of your bust should rest halfway between your shoulder and your elbow. That’s where boobs are designed to be, in clothes. If your boobies aren’t where they need to be, clothes will never really fit you properly. Invest in a well-fitting bra and your wardrobe will take on new value, because suddenly clothes will sit on your body that much better. If your boobs don’t land halfway between your shoulder and your elbow naturally, don’t feel bad about yourself. That’s the whole point of bras. If every woman had breasts that naturally floated between the shoulder and the elbow, no one would need a bra, and heterosexual men would walk around all day praising the Lord.