The process
Toile. Fitting. Finished.
The Process
Five steps, and the second one is the one that decides everything.
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01
The Conversation
We talk about the occasion, the date and the cloth, and I take your measurements.
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02
The Toile
I cut a full version of the garment in plain cotton, and we mark it and take it apart until the shape is right.
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03
The Fittings
You come back three times for a couture piece, and more often for a wedding dress, and each time the garment moves closer to your body. Three fittings are part of the price. If you want more than that, we add them and I tell you first what they cost.
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04
The Finishing
The last work is the slow work. Hems, closures, linings, everything you only notice when it is wrong.
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05
The Handover
You collect the finished piece at the atelier, and try it on one last time before it leaves.
From the first conversation to the finished piece takes one to six months, depending on the model, the design and the cloth.
What a piece costs depends on what you ask for and how difficult it is to make. Three fittings are included. I would rather tell you properly, once I know what we are making.
That is the whole of it. Step one is a conversation.
By appointment only 路 Currently Amsterdam 路 Online meetings welcome
Questions people ask
How long does a made to measure garment take?
One to six months, depending on the model, the design and the cloth. A wedding dress asks for more fittings than anything else, so start early if you have a date.
How many fittings are included?
Three fittings are part of the price for a couture piece. A wedding dress usually needs more, and any extra fittings are agreed and priced before they happen.
What does a made to measure garment cost?
It depends on what you ask for and how difficult it is to make, so there is no list price. The first conversation is free and nothing is decided in it.
Can I have a dress made to my own design?
Yes. Most commissions start from something you have seen or pictured rather than from a drawing of mine. Bring images, a description or a sketch, and the first conversation is about turning that into something that can actually be cut.
Where does Alexandra Scillasdotter work?
In Amsterdam, by appointment. Online meetings are welcome, and clients come from the Netherlands, Belgium and Sweden.
Does she make clothes for men?
Yes. Most of the work is for women, but a pattern is drawn from a body and not from a category, so tailoring for men is part of the atelier.
What is a toile?
A full version of the garment in plain cotton, made to be marked, taken apart and cut again. It is the stage that decides how the finished piece will sit.