Susan's Place Transgender Resources

Community Conversation => Transsexual talk => Female to male transsexual talk (FTM) => Topic started by: Dane on December 13, 2011, 09:35:11 PM

Title: Altering clothes
Post by: Dane on December 13, 2011, 09:35:11 PM
So I have this trench coat I bought online, not knowing that when on, it would make me look very...curvy. The top hugs my torso kinda tight, and the bottom poofs out like a dress. Is there any way I can like, cut and sew it to make it look better? I haven't worn it yet, because it freaks me out how it looks. It also curves to match the curvature of my back (which goes in really far). I can post pictures if that's not, like descriptive enough. I just want it to go straight down.
Title: Re: Altering clothes
Post by: Nygeel on December 13, 2011, 09:44:18 PM
Pix?
That sounds kind of like just how a trench just looks.
Title: Re: Altering clothes
Post by: ForWantOf on December 13, 2011, 11:05:47 PM
Yeah you should probably post pictures. I know absolutely nothing about sewing. My only experience is making a shirt a little smaller so it wasn't so big on me, and it was pretty simple as long as you have a sewing machine.

If you post pictures and someone gives you the okay to do a certain procedure on it (if it can be done) you can always look up tutorials on how to do it on youtube.
Title: Re: Altering clothes
Post by: lilacwoman on December 14, 2011, 02:52:12 AM
Robert Taylor in his US army trench coat had exactly the look you describe in this film if you can bear to sit through it.

D-Day The Sixth of June (1956) A (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i0bzWdemQE8#)
Title: Re: Altering clothes
Post by: lilacwoman on December 14, 2011, 02:56:39 AM
Bradd... we TS must always try clothes on to be sure we get the look we want and not what fashion designers think we want.

I end up nipping in lots of my stuff to show off my figure while you want the opposite.


You wanting the straighhtdown look is what Gertrude Stein wanted so go surf for pix of her in the plain raincoat.
Title: Re: Altering clothes
Post by: GentlemanRDP on December 14, 2011, 11:24:29 AM
Pics would help.
Something else that might help is what you wear underneath it.
Try padding your lower back and your sides a little more.
Then it'll help the fabric drape straight down rather than cling to your curves.
Title: Re: Altering clothes
Post by: Maya Zimmerman on December 14, 2011, 11:34:24 AM
Bradd - Sounds like a very nice, fashionable trench coat that would be appropriate for a man, but I'm guessing you specifically don't like how it fits you.  The style of straight trench coat you're talking about is generally pretty loose, so you probably can't achieve the look you want by bringing in the bottom and unless it really flares out at the bottom, I don't know that you'd have enough material to work with to let it out at the top in a way that give you the result you want.  GentlemanRDP's suggestion of working with your clothes underneath seems like it would probably work the best for your situation.
Title: Re: Altering clothes
Post by: anibioman on December 14, 2011, 11:31:56 PM
i would just return it. altering things is a difficult if you arent an experienced sewer and you might end up ruining it and wasting your money.
Title: Re: Altering clothes
Post by: TreyLeeGamer on December 14, 2011, 11:54:46 PM
Seconding returning it. Altering without experience is hard. Either return it and buy a different trench coat or hire a tailor to do the altering. You could poke around some sewing communities for advice.

Here's some tailoring advice for getting men's clothes fit female bodies better without looking feminine.
http://www.dapperq.com/dapperq-tv-how-to-tailor-mens-shirts/ (http://www.dapperq.com/dapperq-tv-how-to-tailor-mens-shirts/)
http://www.dapperq.com/queering-the-workplace-suits-pants-and-tailoring/ (http://www.dapperq.com/queering-the-workplace-suits-pants-and-tailoring/)
Title: Re: Altering clothes
Post by: N.Chaos on December 15, 2011, 02:04:24 AM
Thirding the 'just return it' option. Altering things is a bitch, especially with certain fabrics that like to unravel unless you've got a serger, and its almost impossible to make something bigger without a lot of work (Unless I'm understanding it wrong, if its fitting your top half tightly you'd have to make it larger or let it out, probably under the arms or something).