How Many Fit Samples are Too Many?
First comes the sketch and then the pattern. A sample is made and reviewed and this counts as a “fit round”. Until the style and the fit are deemed acceptable and approved, these rounds go on.
But how many fit rounds should you expect? If you are working with a patternmaker based on an hourly rate this is definitely something you will want to keep in mind and it’s totally ok to ask about how many fit rounds they would estimate a project would take. However, let’s be clear. There is no definitive number and this can vary depending upon what comes up.
Let’s rewind this scenario and talk about how this came up
I’ve been approached by too many designers lately that have accepted the fact that their process will always require at least 10 fit rounds! Some say this with a point of pride like they are being thorough.
Wait.
Hold on while I faint at the the thought of reaching this number.
I’m just going to say from the point of view of someone who knows what up- when it comes to fit rounds, I will get cranky with myself and others if I go past 3 fits. 4 fits and it’s max frustration. The causes can vary, but more on that to come…
I love you, but I want your project off of my to-do list ASAP, m’kay?
If you are doing 10, or even 20 fits there is a problem and you should stop and call me.
Contact me. Like, right now.
True Story
I once worked for a large retail chain as a fit tech where there was an urban legend that once there was a pair of pants that required 15 fits. There are those in the company that still remember the episode, but the rest of us who didn’t live through it listened and gasped in awe at the number and made appropriate shocked noises when the steps that got it to fifteen fits were detailed. The head pattern maker told a group of us the story and it was verified by his assistant who chimed in “Oh, yeah, those pants…” I returned to my desk to tell my colleague this unbelievable story and she had to take a seat. It’s a horror story for a fit tech who’s job is to make sure the garment looks the absolute best within the least amount of fits.
Let’s not get to this point. Agreed?
How to Avoid Too Many Fits
Sometimes the patternmaker is the problem.
Not all patternmakers are created equal. I know this to be a fact. As a former manager of a tech team, I had the misfortune of being the fire-er of too many patternmakers in a company with a revolving door. The story played out the same each time: the owner of the company was introduced to a referral who she was so excited about and hired on the spot. It was expected that these patternmakers be able to effectively correct patterns made by overseas factories to make sure the next fit round was approved.
More often than not these patternmakers were women who had been around the block in the NYC garment scene. They could crank out a first pattern like no one’s business and drape a beautiful evening gown. However, when it came to improving fit, they really didn’t understand cause and effect. Other than taking in or slimming down, for the most part, what I like to call “fit cheats” were involved. Sometimes the pattern is just structurally wrong but it takes the right eye. (Just to be clear, we did try to train them to see the core problem rather than the symptoms, but it’s a different learning curve to master and it was hard to find a good fit for the company -sorry, bad pun!).
Patternmakers have their own specialities. For myself, I’ve been doing just the fixing/auditing of fit issues for so long that I’m just not into draping. I enjoy a good bit of demolition work on a pattern- kinda HGTV home remodel style with the garment equivalent to sledge hammers and such. I can do the initial drafting and draping but my satisfaction comes from optimization. You give me something that you made that has the right proportions, but the fit is off- I’m in my glory! I want results and I want them fast. I’m sure you do too.
Experience counts. Everyone needs to start from somewhere, but I find a lot of novice patternmakers feel at ease with making the first pattern, but fumble around trying to figure out why something isn’t working. It’s a fine line to me. They need to learn how to figure this out. Let them bump around a bit if you really like them. Just make sure it’s not affecting your bottom line.
Sometimes you are the problem
We have established that you should put forth a bit of healthy skepticism when it comes to your patternmaker. But what about you? Are your decisions affecting the number of fits?
Don’t worry. I’m not here to criticize, just giving you a reality check and a bit of a pep talk to get your shit together so you don’t have to worry if someone is cursing you behind your back.
These are a few things that happen in the design arena that can seriously funk up the works:
Being undecided on the sizing
if you are getting started, make sure you know who your fit model is and what your base size will be. Don’t change it halfway through the fit process as you may incite your patternmaker towards murderous rage- or at least annoyance that leads indifference to your project. It’s ok to pivot as you go, just make sure you are making smart moves, not panicked ones because one customer complained or because the model you wanted to work with is unavailable.
Working with the wrong fabrics
You know the saying “you can’t make a silk purse from a sows ear”. If your fabrics are totally wrong from the get go and will never achieve what you want, the whole process is going to be a headache of redesign after redesign. Experimenting is good, but you should be choosing fabrics based on the performance you are going for, not because it’s “gorge” and you must make it work.
Lack of planning
You need to consider how your customer is going to move and get in and out of your garment. My biggest pet peeve is getting a design that has no thought behind how the wearer is going to get in and out. You need to have a general idea of how things go together so the engineering will go smoothly.
Indecisiveness about the fit intent
The first fit is always a stab in the dark. It gets the conversation going and what needs to change. But if you are doing a third fit and decide that a strapless dress needs to have sleeves. I’m going to give you a look. Yeah, you know the look. You should know in your head what the expectation will be. If the whole silhouette is changing this means a ton more pattern hours.
It’s pretty common to fall into these holes and occasionally fit rounds do rack up. But my point is that it’s up to you to recognize the patterns that happen during the fit process to make sure you are doing everything you can to expedite the process and address it with your patternmaker.
If you find yourself going down the path of too many fit, contact me and we’ll get you sorted and on your way to the next project.