I Refuse to be Intimidated by Mannequins: DIY CLOTHES TRICKS For People With Different Body Types and Dressing Ideas

Every woman deserves to carry herself and feel like the queen she is.

My best quote: The strongest actions for woman is to love herself, be herself and shine.

I have always been small – and by small I mean short (5ft) and weightless. Okay. Not weightless as such, but, let’s just say if there was a wind whose speed was a few knots, I would probably be flown-up like a kite.

As you proceed, you can already start your Fashion Design 101 here: How to make/ customize your OWN gorgeous, fitting dress

My History with Mannequins

Anyways, my small body size meant that few ready-made clothes fit me as they fit my age mates or the mannequins on which I saw these clothes first. And my age never allowed me to wear those cute onesies or little flowered clothes that toddlers wear. You know what I mean.

So, for a long time I refrained from shopping. I refused to attend events because I did not want to dress like a 12 year old when in my 20s and 30s, and I did not want to look like the clothes were wearing me instead of vice versa.

Maggie’s DIY Fashion is Born

Then as luck would have it (good or bad luck; whichever way you look at it), I got more time on my hands than I needed, and limited finances to buy the clothes that already did not fit me.

My few fitting jeans (faded by now) and a few tops gave me that look ‘oh c’mon, give me a break today’ whenever I looked in their direction for what to wear. I was also tired of having the same look over and over again.

I remembered that once upon a time, I did Home Science, and we had worked with some needles and sewing threads. SO… I found me a needle and some coloured threads, ripped all my faded jeans from the seams, and sat down on to turn them inside out.

Yes, do not give me that look. We all know that jeans fade from the outside way before the inside fades, and that the insides of long worn jeans may actually look really good. After some time, I had a new set of jeans.

I also loved wearing ankara/ vitenge dresses those days and had a couple. For these ones, which were oversize, too many colours/ print, and make me look like I was floating inside them, I came up with a plan. With a pencil and paper, I sketched what I thought I would want to look in great ankara. I came up with a few designs, and some required getting rid of the excessive prints/ colours, in which case, I cut some pieces and replaced with plain colours. Let us just that at the end of this project, I had fashionable and fitting (FITTING being the KEY WORD) clothes.

Lessons Learnt: DIY Clothes Tricks Learnt

At the end of these projects, and the beginning of my FASHION DESIGN Career, I learnt that I could turn fabrics and or existing clothes into what I want; fashionable and FITTING.

Today, after 30+ years of feeding in this world, I have attained a weight of 50kgs – go ahead and clap for me. I am very happy about this achievement by the way. Maybe I should design/ make me a sculpture I can always look at decades to come.

Wind (hurricanes, those spiralling ones we had a funny name that I won’t mention here) still terrify me, but not as much.

When I walk or cycle along the roads, I stop and move far from the road when those huge buses or trailers pass by me at ungodly speeds; I would rather find myself in a ditch than close to the road where I ran the risk of the draft (created by the speeding vehicles) sucking me right on the road…

Okay, let me focus … My point is, even with my 50kgs, those gorgeous clothes on mannequins and super models and other people, do not always fit me perfectly at first trial.

“I know most of you will identify with this. Whether you are plus size or minus size, some ready-made clothes just make you feel you are the wrong size. NO, you are the right size.”

Now I know better. It is the clothes that are the wrong size; and you can easily fix those clothes accordingly.

Clothes Shopping: My Dillema

• When I find the right size around my chest, tummy, etc., the length of the dress/ top/ trouser is too much for me.
• When I find the right length, I need more material to increase around my body
• On an on it goes.

Solving my Clothes shopping dilemma: My Clothes’ Shopping Trick

I have a secret:

• I buy own fabric and design/ make my own fitting fashion, in the design I want. Feel free to consult with me, or check out my YouTube Videos Here. OR
• I go ahead and buy one or several of those clothes displayed on mannequins – only as long as they are the right colour and fabric for meand fabric texture (did I forget to mention I am picky when it comes to the fabric and colour, and design too?) – then,
• I go home very fast. AND
• I assemble:
• My packet of pins
• Scissors
• Coloured chalk
• A sewing needle (thankfully, I recently acquired a mini-sewing machines from kilimall at ($20- shipping included)
• Colored sewing thread
• I try out the new dress, top, trouser in front of my mirror
• I mark (with the chalk) the areas that need adjusting- whether reduction or increment
• I pin the areas that need adjustment
• I take off the garment
• Use the needle and sewing thread to sew together the adjusted areas of the garment

FINALLY

The dress, top, trouser fits me as I desire all my clothes to fit me. In fact, at this point I could be a mannequin by myself.

DIY Clothes’ Tricks: How to avoid getting frustrated

I could choose to get overly frustrated over those mannequins for being too perfect and making all the clothes look great.

I could choose to hate designers for focusing on a ‘standard-sized’ body that I am not

I could choose to ‘hate on’ (like some people on social media – I think hating on others for whatever reason is absurd) the people whose bodies make all clothes look amazing.

I could choose to immerse myself in a drum of foodstuff in the hope that I gain enough weight and height so that standard-sized clothes fit me.

All the best in looking great.

BUT

I choose to appreciate those gorgeous clothes.

I compliment everyone who looks great in what they wear, then I go home and do what needs to be done (see my long list above) to have fitting clothes.

In the end

When I step out in the streets, I could easily compete with those mannequins – who is looking great now?

When we all step out in the streets, we all look great regardless of our body shapes and sizes.

We cannot all be the same shape or size. But we can all look great only if we appreciate what we are first, then make the clothes obey us.