Really hemmed in!

Seams aren't the only part of a garment you need to check before you buy. Just as contentious is the hem. If a hem isn't well sewn, it can easily unravel, just when you need it least.

Many years ago, back in the days when women were encouraged to purchase "power suits" for the office, I had made such a buy at my city's top ladies wear store. Nothing fancy, just a navy blazer and white skirt, this being for summer.

I took my "power suit" with me on a business trip and got up the morning of my meeting, got dressed and was ready to go down to breakfast when, low and behold, my skirt hem caught on something and completely unraveled. So there I was, looking at my watch, wondering how I would find time for breakfast and to fix my hem. Obviously, I was a long way from the store so storming in there to complain about their shoddy merchandise wasn't an option. It quickly became clear that I would have to order breakfast up from room service and sit in my room to mend my skirt - luckily I had a sewing kit with me.

This initiated two trends in my life: one, I never ever purchased clothing from that supposedly top-notch store again and two, I began a lifelong addiction to room service!

When hems are sewn by a machine at lightning speed and not by hand, there is always the risk that the threads aren't finished off properly and that the hem will unravel at an unfortunate moment. Better quality clothing usually has hand-sewn hems. Certainly, my company, Harobed Designs, always hems by hand. We also never use the dreaded clear plastic thread, as this rarely gives a firm finish. (See the photo of the red jacket hem at top, which is hemmed in clear thread.)

Another aspect of hems that can be maddening is if you are slightly taller than average but not tall enough for the clothing category known as 'Tall". If only the manufacturers allowed slightly more generous hems - 2 inches being a reasonable amount - it would be easier for all above-average height people to let down their hems slightly if they wanted to. Usually, what happens, is that people have to buy clothing that is bigger than they need and have the hem taken up to where they want it rather than letting down a garment of the right size. This is one of the nuisances that has come into clothing with the advent of total factory production.

That's another thing we always do with Harobed Designs clothing; we always allow generous enough hems for both the outer jacket or "shell" and the inner lining, plus we include a generous amount of trim, so if someone wants to lengthen one of our jackets slightly, they can. The center photograph of the apple green jacket - actually, it's what is known as 'shot silk', meaning it has a blueish cast in certain lights - shows the depth of the outer hem as well as the depth of the lining hem and the amount of trim available. The final photo shows this jacket on the runway.