Hello, Tailor!

The Topic: Saving money while staying stylish with VegNews Managing Editor Elizabeth Castoria

The Dish: I am what you call short. At 5'3", most people tower over me, stepstools are a constant fixture in my kitchen for reaching the top-shelf goodies, and I can stand up straight in most airplanes right under the luggage compartment. I'm not bragging here, per se, but just try to restrain your envy when you learn that finding a pair of (non-capri!) pants that doesn't completely cover my feet is something that happens with the frequency of leap years.

What do my stubby legs have to do with saving money? So glad you asked! You see, when the vertically inept among us go looking for clothes, it can be a bit tricky. Pants are typically miles too long, skirts hit at awkward lengths, and don't even get me started on jackets. As is true for any Savvy Vegan, my first shopping stop is almost always a thrift store, which is great for the environment and my wallet, but tends to limit sizes further. But! There's good news: Tailors exist. And they can alter things.

This means that my pants need no longer be oddly rolled up inside themselves and stuck there with masking tape (which definitely happened more than it should have in high school). The gorgeous silk-free dress that is exactly what I was hoping to wear to an event, but happens to only be available in extra large? No problem! (This is precisely what happened with the dress I wore to the Genesis Awards this year!)

The Final Word: Finding a tailor in your area means that every $10 non-wool suit in your local thrift store is fair game, and the alterations are likely to cost less than buying a new item off the rack. Even if you're not of the diminuitive sort, the world of stylish vegan wear opens right up when you stop worrying about an errant hem.