Spring Cleaning

It's safe to say most occupations employ a vernacular all their own — fashion speak, legalese, and medical jargon immediately come to mind — so it goes without saying that heading to the tailor requires a certain level of terminology know-how too. That is, unless you want your pant leg to be darted instead of hemmed. No need to be embarrassed about your current tailor-talk knowledge: this is a glossary safe zone. Is there a difference between bespoke and custom pieces? What is a vent? No, it's not an air filter we're referring to. When do you "take something in" as opposed to requesting darts — or do you do both? Is a cutter something scary? Read on for tailoring-term enlightenment and insurance against any further miscommunications.

• Baste — Basting is kind of like the bread and butter of tailoring and altering a piece of clothing. It describes the action of sewing long, easily removable stitches that are used to mock up a fitting, hold into a zipper into place, and keep slippery fabrics from moving. The next time your tailor is stitching you into something, chances are they're basting.
• Bespoke — A bespoke piece of clothing refers to a garment made from scratch to fit a customer's specific measurements and requirements. Its origin dates back to the days of London's Savile Row, when a customer ordering a garment would select and reserve a cloth or fabric, which automatically made it "bespoken" or "spoken for." Thus, there's no difference between bespoke and custom wares, as both speak to a totally personalised experience. More often, people get confused between bespoke and made-to-measure goods. Made-to-measure pieces are tailored from a standard-sized pattern mold; while the end result can be tailored to fit your body, the initial piece of fabric was not made especially for you.
• Cutter — Contrary to the sound of it, a cutter is the person who measures and fits the customer. From there, he or she makes a pattern from the measurements and observations of the customer's figure and posture.

More tailor talk after the break.

What better time to refresh your what not to wear guidelines than the start of a new year? In our years on the job, we've seen some pretty bad stuff: nip slips, visible underwear, exposed bra straps, and far, far worse. But beyond the more obvious missteps, like revealing too much, there are a handful of other fashion blunders that can wreak havoc on your style. We're breaking them all down below — and giving you the cures to correct even the most dreaded of fashion faux paus. Read on:

1. Those dreaded, yellowing underarm stains. After a certain amount of wear, it becomes almost inevitable that our white button-downs and t-shirts start to yellow under our arms (come on, it happens to everybody) — and it's not caused by what you think. Sweat is not the culprit, but rather the reaction of your sweat with aluminum, a common ingredient in most deodorants. The Solution: While the best solution is to toss our tops when that starts to happen, we can be a little more diligent about cleaning our whites to ensure the process is, at the very least, a little slower. We recommend investing in some special detergent or good old OxiClean or Preen for the best results. Whatever you do, steer clear of bleach, which can cause more harm to the garment's fabric and colour.
2. Sizing up/sizing down. One of the worst (but easiest to prevent), sizing can make or break a whole look. Case in point: those gaping holes between buttons on a button-down that's much too snug across the bust, seaming that hits too high or low (or anywhere it's not supposed to), long sleeves that are too short/too long, or pants that are far too tight. These all add up to outfit mistakes that can cheapen your look — but they're easy to avoid. The Solution: Pay attention to fit and fabric when you're shopping. No matter how deep the discount, it's never a bargain if it just doesn't fit. The only loophole is a good tailor — if you score a great designer find that's just a little too big, tailoring can do the trick. Just be warned: it's easier to take in a garment than it is to let it out.

For the rest of our fashion blunders and solutions, keep reading.