Tailor Me This

I am not a shopper nor fashionista. Yet a favorite annual excursion is the trek across Delhi to HP Sigh in Nehru Place. On a recent Saturday morning, four of us ventured out to this three-story shop where there are about a thousand gazillion fabrics on display. As customers, we just have to pull a bolt of fabric off the shelf and ask the assistant how much is needed for the project in mind (usually a meter or two gets the job done).

After an hour or two in the store, we each left with a bag (or two) of material. The next step is to call trusted tailor, Mr. Bagga. This kind gentleman has been creating costumes for school theater productions and getting families outfitted for Halloween for many years.

Since I don't have designer skills or creative vision, I usually opt to have copies made of things I already have. Sometimes they need a tweak (Mr. Bagga tends to oversize), but ultimately the end result hits the mark.

Below are a few samples of what I've had made over the past couple of years (original on the left, copy on the right). As an aside, the distracting shower curtain was not custom made in India; it hails from China, purchased at Target last summer.

Here is one of my favorite dresses (left) that was purchased at a small boutique in a Maine ski town nearly fourteen years ago, and it's copy (right):

Anokhi is a well-know store in Delhi (with locations all over India), that is popular with both local and expat customers. One can buy a native style shirt off the rack for about thirty bucks, or have a copy (or six) made.

A beach dress from Athleta on left, copy on right:

Low-waisted, comfy skirt (also from Athleta) on left, copy is a bit longer for the workplace:

And this reading pillow was picked up at a yard sale in Maine a year or more before we moved to Delhi. Over the years it has gotten much use, shuffling between the kids' bedrooms. The seams were coming apart, stuffing was falling out.....but why just fix the one we have? 

Shouldn't we also have two more made?