Reading · While I was knitting

About 10 years ago, we had recently moved to the United States. My children were younger and I was still doing a lot of mom duties like school pick-up and drop-off, evening park time, and carting them around to various classes. I was also figuring out my day-to-day wardrobe. (Honestly, I still am, and I’ve accepted it will probably always be a work in progress.)

There was a monthly flea market close to where we lived, and I loved exploring it whenever I could. I picked up a few pieces there that quickly became wardrobe staples. To me they were simply comfortable clothes, until one day a friend casually remarked, “You wear only expensive pieces!”

Years later, as a knitwear designer who spends a great deal of time thinking about garment construction and grading, I realize my friend and I were talking about exactly the same thing. When I described those clothes as comfortable and she described them as expensive, we were both recognizing one quality: they fit well.

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It took me a while to grasp the concept of fit. The thing about good fit is that it often hides in plain sight. It lives in the things we don’t immediately associate with the word “fit.” It is also very personal and subjective. So fit can be better described as a collection of characteristics than a single definition.

When I started knitting for myself, I learned to look at the various aspects of fit and gain some knowledge about what works for me. I consider myself a learner and I am merely sharing my notes and thoughts about fit in this post.

Comfort comes first. A garment that fits well should allow us to move naturally without feeling restricted or distracted. Whether I am exercising or giving a presentation, I am able to focus on the job at hand without worrying about what I’m wearing.

Good fit has a certain subtle visual quality. A well-constructed garment hangs naturally on the body and emphasizes the features it was designed to highlight. Poor fit is often easier to recognize. Fabric may pull, twist, or sag, and the garment ends up drawing attention to itself instead of the person wearing it.

Fit is also related to ease. Ease is defined as the space between our body and the garment while we wear it. But the same amount of ease will also look different on people with different body shapes. This way, ease influences the fit, but the two are not interchangeable.

Fit can be very personal and unique. Our choice of fit can result from a general preference for close-fitting or loose-fitting garments. Apart from that, cultural conditioning, fashion trends, lifestyle and the specific occasions we dress for all influence what feels like a good fit to each of us.

Oh, and my friend was right. Well-fitting clothes never fail to create a polished, put-together look that reads as expensive.

I’d love to hear how you define good fit. Feel free to share your observations, experiences, and lessons in the comments. I always enjoy learning from your perspectives.♥️

Understanding fit beyond the numbers

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