Atelier 1919

One of the things I consistently stress is the importance of fit. It's pretty much everything and can literally make or break an outfit. There are two ways to guarantee a great fit. One is to have your clothes tailored. The other is to have a garment custom-made to your measurements. That's what Atelier 1919 is all about.

Atelier 1919 is an online luxury fashion brand based in Philadelphia, that specializes in made-to-measure blazers. You input a few measurements, design and customize a perfect fitting blazer that is both well-made and stylish, and it's shipped right to your door in under 2 weeks. Atelier 1919's goal is to tackle the problem of fit within women’s fashion in a meaningful way.

"Our brand is about empowering creative, interesting, and amazing women. It’s for women who love themselves, know what they want and go after it. They aren’t defined by their age or stereotypes." Founder Udom Umoh says the idea for Atelier 1919 was really borne out of a friend’s frustration with the lack of properly fitted clothing from popular retailers as she was preparing for job interviews. "As a petite woman, she often has to alter her clothes so she can have something both stylish and appropriate to wear that fits her. The majority of tall, petite, and full-chested women feel that retailers today aren’t listening to them. This is even more exacerbated in the luxury space and we think all of this presents a wonderful opportunity for us to create a meaningful brand by being accessible to all women."

Because they are an online-only brand (in fact, their website launch is today) Atelier 1919 is able to forego the overhead incurred by many traditional retailers and offer their blazers in the $300-$600 price range. That may seem expensive, but the perfect blazer is a wardrobe staple that never goes out of style so it's an investment that pays off over time. In case you're wondering, next month they're sending me my very own made-to-measure blazer to review so you'll get to see an honest assessment of their work. If you'd like to order your own, use the code "loveatelier25" (without the quotes, of course) and get $25 off your first purchase.

Speaking of honesty, 2018 is going to bring a new slant to the blog. Because Fashion is for Every Body's focus is inclusive fashion the emphasis on Spashionista will lean more towards adapting and adaptive fashion for people with disabilities. I'll discuss acquiring basic pieces that work for wheelchair users (like blazers) and put it all to use in a year-long styling project. Look for more video work and more of a "real-life" point-of-view. I'm still a huge proponent of Nashville fashion and I've got some goodies from new designers to show you throughout the year.