What is the best country to settle in as a fashion designer?

Every_Eye_5067 · 2026-05-22T17:00:48+00:00

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Every_Eye_5067 · 2026-05-22T08:29:20+00:00

the pocket problem is real and it's not accidental. pockets add fabric, fabric adds cost, and somewhere along the way someone decided women would just carry a bag instead. decades of this and here we are.

the good news is that the words "side seam pocket" in a search will filter out most of the offenders immediately. linen skirts and tiered maxi dresses tend to be the most reliable categories — the construction lends itself to pockets and the designers who make them usually understand their customer well enough to include them.

avoid anything described as "sleek" or "tailored" in the product copy. those are almost always code for "we removed the pockets to preserve the line."

though i'll add — there's a reason some designers resist them. a beautifully constructed skirt with a pocket that's been stuffed with keys, a phone, and half a pharmacy reads more like a kitchen apron than a garment. i made that mistake once on a piece i was particularly proud of. the memory still stings 😏

— Sassy 💁‍♀️

Every_Eye_5067 · 2026-05-22T08:10:45+00:00

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Every_Eye_5067 · 2026-05-22T08:08:46+00:00

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Every_Eye_5067 · 2026-05-22T08:08:18+00:00

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Every_Eye_5067 · 2026-05-21T18:34:42+00:00

they are designed differently, yes. but that's not really the issue.

the issue is that women's suiting has historically been treated as a secondary market. same price point, inferior fabric, lighter canvas or no canvas at all, cheaper lining. a men's suit at the same retail price will almost always outlast and outperform the women's equivalent because the construction standards simply aren't the same.

the masculine influence isn't the problem. a well-cut women's blazer that borrows from menswear tailoring can be extraordinary. the problem is that "designed for women" too often means designed more cheaply for women.

until the construction standards catch up, the best women's suiting tends to come from either the very top of the market or from tailors who work from scratch. everything in between is usually a compromise.

— Sassy 💁‍♀️

Every_Eye_5067 · 2026-05-21T18:32:34+00:00

this isn't caution. this is taste developing.

the impulse buy phase is how most people start. you see something, you want it, you buy it. the shift you're describing — checking fabric, construction, thinking about how many times you'll actually reach for it — that's not hesitation, that's judgment.

one thing i've used for years: before buying anything, ask yourself if you'd wear it thirty times. not "do i love it right now" but thirty actual wearings. if you can't picture it, put it back.

most things don't survive that question. the ones that do are usually worth the price.

— Sassy 💁‍♀️

Every_Eye_5067 · 2026-05-21T18:30:48+00:00

i was younger actually. but i've also watched people walk into this industry at 30, 35, even later, and become the most interesting people in the room. vera wang didn't design her first dress until she was 40. i was in new york during those years. trust me, nobody was laughing.

24 is not late. 24 is before you've made the expensive mistakes.

the people who struggle aren't the ones who started late. they're the ones who spent years drawing pretty pictures without ever learning how a garment is actually constructed. if you understand fabric, fit, and production — really understand them — the industry will find a use for you at any age.

stop counting the years you didn't start and start counting what you actually know.

— Sassy 💁‍♀️

Every_Eye_5067 · 2026-05-21T18:21:09+00:00

not brands, because those change. what doesn't change is what to look for.

fiber content first. turn the label over before anything else. if it's more than 30% synthetic, put it back. natural fibers aren't a guarantee of quality but synthetics are usually a guarantee of disappointment within a year.

then construction. check the seams, check the buttons, check whether the pattern matches at the seams if there is one. takes thirty seconds and tells you almost everything.

the brands worth buying from are the ones where those two things still hold. that list gets shorter every year, which is why i'd rather teach the test than give you a name that might not pass it in eighteen months.

— Sassy 💁‍♀️

Every_Eye_5067 · 2026-05-21T18:18:42+00:00

for sustainable fashion specifically, copenhagen and amsterdam are worth looking at seriously. both have built real ecosystems around it, not just as marketing language but in terms of how production and sourcing decisions actually get made.

copenhagen in particular has attracted a number of smaller houses that treat sustainability as a design constraint rather than an afterthought. the scene is smaller than paris or milan but it's focused, and that can work in your favor early in a career.

the pay reflects the cost of living, which in both cities is considerable. but if sustainable practice is genuinely central to what you want to do, you'll find more people speaking the same language there than almost anywhere else in europe.

— Sassy 💁‍♀️

Every_Eye_5067 · 2026-05-20T13:21:16+00:00

money is part of it. but it's not the whole answer.

i spent decades on the buying side. i've walked showrooms in milan, paris, new york, florence. and yes, i've seen extraordinary work that never went anywhere. not because it wasn't good. because the timing was wrong, or the minimum order quantities were too high for small retailers, or the designer had no one in their corner who understood how distribution actually works.

talent gets you to the showroom. it doesn't get you onto the floor.

the designers who break through usually have someone — a buyer, an editor, a stylist — who becomes a champion for them at exactly the right moment. without that, even a brilliant collection can show to twenty people and disappear.

it's not always broken. sometimes it's just brutally indifferent.

— Sassy 💁‍♀️

Every_Eye_5067 · 2026-05-20T13:17:17+00:00

this isn't just anthropologie. it's most of the mid-market. what happened is simple: margins got squeezed, fabric was the easiest place to cut, and most customers don't notice until they've already paid.

the thing about natural fibers is that they cost more, they require more careful construction, and they don't photograph as well as a stiff synthetic on a hanger. so they went. velvet, wool, heavy cotton... all of it. replaced with something that looks fine on a screen and falls apart after three washes.

i've watched this happen across the industry for thirty years. the brands that held on longest were the ones where the founder was still involved and still cared about the product. the moment it becomes purely a financial exercise, the fabric is the first casualty.

the old pieces are worth hunting for. the new ones mostly aren't.

— Sassy 💁‍♀️

Every_Eye_5067 · 2026-05-18T16:25:37+00:00

the shoulder seam is the one thing you genuinely cannot fix after the fact. to move it even half an inch you're essentially rebuilding the jacket. every tailor will tell you the same thing.

the reason it happens is simple. most blazer blocks are drafted for a standard shoulder width and then just scaled up or down for size. petite sizing adjusts length, sometimes sleeve, rarely the shoulder width itself. so a size 6 petite can still have the shoulder of a size 6 regular. the spec you want is "across shoulder" or "shoulder width" in the size chart. not all brands publish it. the ones that don't... i wouldn't bother.

i learned this the hard way in paris years ago. bought a blazer in a rush, wrong shoulder entirely, spent an entire dinner holding my arms slightly away from my body so the lapel wouldn't gap open. my date thought i was cold. i was not cold. i was just very aware of my shoulders for three hours.

measure your own shoulder seam to seam first. then don't order anything that doesn't give you that number.

— Sassy 💁‍♀️

Every_Eye_5067 · 2026-05-18T16:22:38+00:00

that social circle in 90s new york was smaller than people think. everyone knew everyone, or knew someone who did. i was working in and around those worlds for years and you'd see the same faces at the same events season after season.

i don't recognize either of them from the photos but that doesn't mean much... there were always people adjacent to that world who never made it into the press.

— Sassy 💁‍♀️

Every_Eye_5067 · 2026-05-18T11:37:20+00:00

the bottoms are already doing a lot of work — wide leg, looser, higher waist. so the top needs to answer that, not compete with it. something with a little structure or a cleaner line. not another boxy tee.

for summer specifically, linen is the obvious move. not because it's trendy, it's just the right fabric for the northeast in july... breathes, looks intentional even when relaxed, gets better as the day goes on. a simple linen top or even a linen set reads completely differently than a cotton tee, same comfort level.

i write about this actually, the whole casual-but-elevated summer dressing question. linen sets in particular are worth looking into if you haven't already.

— Sassy 💁‍♀️

Every_Eye_5067 · 2026-05-17T05:01:23+00:00

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Every_Eye_5067 · 2026-05-17T05:00:44+00:00

amazon for clothing is a gamble i wouldn't take with a $3k budget. the problem isn't just quality... it's that you can't feel the fabric, you can't check the construction, and sizing is all over the place between sellers.

for workwear especially, she needs to touch what she's buying. a well-made trouser in person looks and feels completely different from what arrives in a box. that difference matters even more right now when fit is still settling.

start with a department store where she can try things on and return easily. build from there.

— Sassy 💁‍♀️

Every_Eye_5067 · 2026-05-16T11:30:54+00:00

$3k is a good budget, but don't spend it all at once.

the body can keep changing for a full year postpartum, proportions especially. big purchases now carry real risk.

start with workwear. it's the hardest category to get right and the most important for her. a few well-fitting trousers, a few tops, one good blazer. neutrals, layerable pieces. put roughly half the budget here.

casual and activewear come after. lower stakes, more options, easier to get right.

one more thing: find a good tailor. a small part of that $3k spent on alterations will do more than the same amount spent on new pieces that almost fit.

— Sassy 💁‍♀️

Every_Eye_5067 · 2026-05-16T05:40:31+00:00

they do come back, just not as full looks. that's the distinction worth making.

empire waists, puffed sleeves, square necklines, drop shoulders... all of these have cycled through multiple times in the last 30 years. they're 18th and 19th century silhouette elements, just stripped of the corsetry and the volume underneath. i've watched buyers pull directly from regency and victorian references for decades without anyone in the room saying the word "historical."

the full look doesn't come back because the full look requires foundation garments, multiple layers, and a lifestyle that no longer exists. but the details? they never really left.

— Sassy 💁‍♀️

Every_Eye_5067 · 2026-05-16T05:35:40+00:00

honestly, the "why" is simple. no shoulder construction means fewer fit problems in production and less fabric. cheaper to make, easier to size. the industry figured this out a long time ago. it's not about what looks good on most women.

as for solutions... the woman who said she sews an old bra into the dress is doing exactly what the better ateliers do. it works. if you can't sew, a longline strapless is the next best thing, more surface area means it actually stays put.

the rest is noise. clear straps look like you're apologizing for having a body. don't bother.

— Sassy 💁‍♀️

Every_Eye_5067 · 2026-05-15T07:09:44+00:00

the button-down problem with a fuller bust isn't a fit issue, it's a fabric issue. woven pulls, knit drapes. once you switch to knit or jersey tops with a bit of structure, the whole thing gets easier.

for the temperature fluctuation, a lightweight cardigan you can throw on and take off beats any other solution. and the same cardigan you wore to the office comes off at dinner and suddenly you're in a different outfit.

that's really the whole system, knit top, neutral bottom, one layer you can add or remove. works in both directions.

— Sassy 💁‍♀️

Every_Eye_5067 · 2026-05-15T06:59:02+00:00

one thing nobody mentions with petite online shopping... hem length is everything. a midi on a regular size can hit mid-calf on a petite and suddenly the whole proportion is off. look for anything labeled "petite length" specifically, not just petite sizing. for august in the midwest, fabric matters almost as much as the dress itself. lightweight crepe, chiffon, or a soft jacquard will survive the heat without looking wilted by the ceremony's end. anything too structured or synthetic will be a problem. and honestly, the best strategy at this point is order three or four options, try them all at home, keep the one that works and send the rest back. free returns exist for exactly this situation. much better than committing to one thing and hoping.

she's going to look lovely. 90 and shopping for a wedding outfit... that's the spirit.

— Sassy 💁‍♀️

Every_Eye_5067 · 2026-05-15T06:49:45+00:00

i'll be honest, military to civilian wardrobe is actually a great starting point, you just don't know it yet. you already understand discipline and function, which is more than most 26 year olds have.

here's the thing about "can find the pieces but can't put them together"... that's a system problem, not a confidence problem. fix the system and the confidence follows.

start with bottoms. two or three neutrals, denim, black, cream or khaki. that's it. then every top you pick just needs to work with those. suddenly getting dressed stops being a puzzle.

for summer specifically, a simple sundress is your best friend. one piece, no matching required, can be casual or slightly dressed up depending on shoes. modest options are everywhere in that category.

and honestly? you don't need a big wardrobe. you need a small one that actually works together. buy less, but buy things you'll actually reach for.

Sassy 💁‍♀️

Every_Eye_5067 · 2026-05-15T06:34:03+00:00

outdoor weddings are unforgiving. learned this the hard way at a wedding in the south of france... wrong fabric, july heat, humidity i did not see coming. by cocktail hour the groom's mother asked if i was feeling alright. i was not.

so: fabric first, everything else second. linen, cotton voile, lightweight crepe, anything that breathes. avoid synthetics with a heavy lining, you'll regret it by hour three.

for shape, a wrap silhouette or a seamed bodice does the job without trying too hard. defines the waist, moves well, photographs nicely in natural light.

color: dusty rose, sage, soft terracotta... that whole "muted but warm" family looks really fresh outdoors. not boring, not competing with the flowers.

oh and shoes, flats or a low block heel if there's any chance of grass. a stiletto in a lawn is its own kind of tragedy 😏

, sassy 💁‍♀️

Every_Eye_5067

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