Had a talk with a tailor that made me rethink zipper placement

I was getting a jacket altered last week at this little shop on Elm Street, and the tailor, an older guy named Sal, pointed out how I'd placed the zipper on a design I was working on. He said, 'You're hiding it in the side seam like it's a secret. But a zipper can be a line, a shape, part of the look.' That hit me because I've always tried to make zippers disappear, thinking clean lines were better. He showed me a jacket he'd made where the zipper ran diagonal across the front, and it totally changed how the fabric fell. Now I'm looking at all my sketches differently, wondering if I'm fighting against hardware instead of using it. Has anyone else had a craftsman call out something you thought was a rule, but really it's just a habit?

2 comments

2 Comments

allen.ivan16d ago

Sal really opened your eyes there. That's a cool moment.

caleb26215d ago

Oh man, that totally clicked for me too! I had a similar moment a few years back when a friend pointed out I was way too hard on myself about small mistakes. It was like a light bulb went off and I started actually listening to that advice instead of brushing it off. I still catch myself slipping up sometimes, but I can hear their voice in my head now when I need it most. Honestly, finding that one piece of advice that sticks with you can change everything.