It has been an incredible week.

Tuesday morning I drove from New York to Massachusetts to visit the factory that will produce Saint Harridan’s jackets, trousers, and vests. I’ll admit, in the wake of the garment factory collapse and fire in Bangladesh this week, I made this journey with a whole trunk full of conflicting feelings. I am of course determined to choose an ethical production site for Saint Harridan’s garments, but the senseless and criminal death of hundreds of garment workers in Dakha renders me wary of any satisfaction or joy I might take from finding a factory that meets my criteria. I have always been committed to building Saint Harridan as a socially responsible business from the ground up, but even my boldest decisions can’t offer those workers their lives back. Nor can I undo the corruption that killed them.


Listening to Workers

After five hours on the road, the first thing I did when I arrived at the factory was find workers outside in the break area. You can always learn a great deal by talking to workers when their boss isn't around and I was eager to get started before the managers knew I was there. 

I talked with a group of five women. They were all proud of their work at the factory, each telling me her role in the suit-making process. Lidia, who has worked there her “entire life,” was clearly pleased with the expertise longevity has brought her, explaining to me that she is a master craftsperson, not just a garment worker. She explained that while there are some part of the suit-making process that do not require skilled labor, other parts - like the job she does - requires years of experience to know how to "read" the drape of the fabric and its relationship with the inner canvas layer. (Her specialty: the chest piece of a jacket.) 

Factory Tour

My tour of the factory was a thrill. To see the way suits are constructed and understand the precision of the work each person puts into the final product--it was such a rush! We've come so far on this journey. We've worked our way through a hundred tangles on a quest to create a company that honors our self reverence with clothing that not only fits, but feels right. And we’re almost there. But ultimately, its all for naught unless we have someone to make the damn suits!

And here they were: highly skilled, well trained, union-backed garment workers who are paid an average of $24 per hour to perform a job that makes them proud.

Relieved. Confident. With every step I took through that factory, with every person I met, I felt more and more pride in what we at Saint Harridan are building. Not pride because we are providing more business for these workers (which of course I am happy to do). But pride in accomplishing what we set out to accomplish. Pride because Saint Harridan isn’t really about selling suits. It’s is about creating clothes that make you feel like you. Like the best you. Like the you that makes you proud. And you just can’t do that in a suit someone had to risk their life to make.

It became so clear to me, immediately, these garments workers are as much a part of the Saint Harridan story as I am. Because just like Lidia can’t construct a suit without Teresa, Soon-E, Emilia, and Maria, I can’t build Saint Harridan without all of them.

It’s humbling. It’s moving. It’s empowering.


Commitment to Social Responsibility Rings True

Because, yes, right now we are a little speck of lint in the fashion world. I am not puffed up enough to think that the decisions Saint Harridan makes have any immediate effect on the criminal horrors woven into the global garment industry. Nevertheless, we are a part of this industry, and therefore have a responsibility to work towards improving the whole. This has always been a core of Saint Harridan’s mission. Our philosophy is not inspired by the tragedy in Bangladesh, but it has been highlighted by it. We will continuously explore ways we can lend our voice to efforts that bring attention to the change that is necessary. Coalitions, pledges--any effective means we can find to merge our small pool of resources with other like-minded businesses--we will pursue.

And in the meantime, I feel very thankful that I can drive to Massachusetts and meet the people who will sew our suits. Your suits. I don’t believe the US has the market on ethical labor practices, nor do I believe a “Made In the USA” label guarantees that clothes are produced in safe working conditions by people paid a fair wage. But I know that on Tuesday, I drove to that factory. I spoke with the people who worked there. I listened to what they had to say. I watched them work. I watched them rest.

And I will feel proud to wear a suit sewn by their hands.

-Mary

sar·to·ri·al: adj. Of or relating to a tailor, tailoring, or tailored clothing: sartorial elegance.

Now I’ve got one for you: ever look in a magazine and wish your suit fit just like that model's? What you might not know is, you turn that model around and you'll find dozens of clothes pins pulling that suit to its tight fitting perfection.

No suit fits like it came from a Savile Row tailor unless it actually did.

Suits and shirts that fit impeccably have either been custom made for that body or altered to fit after purchase. (There are 7 billion people on this planet after all, and almost as many shapes and sizes.)

So here are a few things you should know when you’re buying a suit off the rack.

Start with the Right Size Suit

First, you want to be sure the suit you’ve chosen is your size. Here’s what to look for:

• Pants: Even if a they’re a bit loose they should, for the most part, cut the desired silhouette. Length and reasonable waist gaps can be easily altered to fit.

• Jacket Shoulders: Put it on and look at how it fits around your shoulders.  If the top of your frame feels either constrained or so roomy you look like you’re wearing football pads under that thing, then you’re in the wrong size. Few tailors will take on the altering of shoulders and the cost is usually prohibitive.
  

• Shirt Neck: It should neither be standing out wide or wrinkled and bunched at the collar.
  

We Saints are used to compromising on shoulder and neck fit to accommodate our chest measurements. But if it’s a Saint Harridan suit you’re buying, you’ll be able to assess these areas (dare I say?) more critically, because the suit will be designed for your general shape.

Alterations

Length
Once you’re sure you have the right size suit, the most common necessary alteration is length: pants, sleeves, and sometimes jacket. When you go to the tailor be sure to wear the shoes you will typically wear with the pants you’re hemming, so you can see how the cuffs of the shirt work and how the pant length falls over the vamp and heel of the shoe.

Cut or Fold?
If shortening, be sure to specify whether you want them to fold or actually cut off the extra fabric. My advice - unless it will take away from the finished look - ask them to leave it. People are human and occasionally make mistakes. If they do, at least there will be some wiggle room for corrections.

Honor Yourself with an Affirming Experience

Now we all know that when you’re hanging out on the other side of the gender line, a tailor shop can be as uncomfortable as that eighth grade graduation dress your parents made you wear. But it doesn’t have to be so unnerving. You are worthy of personal reverence and a little advance work will help set that tone.

Here are some tips for creating an alteration experience that will leave you feeling handsome and bold in your new suit:

• Do your research: Visit Yelp or Angie’s list, or your local “lavender pages” and find a queer friendly tailor. (And if you have a great experience, help your fellow Saints out by posting a review! You're welcome to send us info on good and bad tailoring experiences either by posting on Facebook or sending an email to mr.liz@saintharridan.com. Eventually we may get a list going on our site.)

• Bring along a date: Do yourself the favor of a second set of eyes that belong to someone you love. Or more to the point: someone who loves you. The ideal alteration date is someone who lives to see you looking your finest. And please, don’t skimp on this! Pick the right person and make sure they’re available. If they’re not, change the appointment, not your admirer.
  

• Be critical: Have the tailor pin the proposed alterations on you and look at yourself in a full length mirror. And I mean loooooook. Take the time you need. If you don’t want feminine tucks and darts, make sure they aren’t slipping any in. If something doesn’t look exactly how you want it, speak up. It’s your support person’s job to make sure you’re completely satisfied before you get back into your street clothes and pay your bill.

Now take a deep breath and trust me. You’re going to look fantastic.

        Sheree

We are proud to announce: Saint Harridan suits will be made in Massachusetts (Martin Trousers, Lyon Jackets, and Fein Vests) and North Carolina (Parker Dress Shirts).

“Casual is easy,” I remember Mary saying, right there in our living room, sitting on our second hand couch. “Because the casual gender line isn’t so specific. It’s dressing up that’s hard.”