I don’t do alterations, but they are central to my philosophy, and here’s a pile I did last week.

Let me explain.

For one of my long-standing clients, Janet, 2020 has had the opposite effect to what many of us are calling the ‘Covid Kilos’ experience, and instead of gaining weight with all the wine and emotional eating, Janet’s actually lost a substantial amount of weight.

In theory, it’s what most of us want most of the time, but since losing weight, Janet has a wardrobe problem. She owns seven pairs of Julie Goodwin Couture trousers and at least a dozen Julie Goodwin Couture shirts and blouses, all of which now fall off her.

Instead of pushing them to the back of the wardrobe and heading out to impulse buy with her new-found new figure, Janet was determined to find a way to continue wearing and enjoying some of the most beautiful and confidence-inspiring pieces she owned. Janet’s collection of Julie Goodwin Couture pieces is an investment, and each piece is a story unto its own – far too good and much too special to sit unloved and unworn at the back of the closet.

 
So, I altered them. And by altered, I mean pulled them apart, trimmed them down, and reassembled them to fit perfectly. There were no nasty cheap quick fixes here, because when it comes to altering bespoke fashion, you can ruin a garment in seconds if it’s not done right.

It took me days and days, and yes, it was a hefty alterations bill, but it was less than the cost of replacing just two of those items, and much less wasteful too.

That’s what I’m all about; constructing pieces to last, from fabrics that will live on, in styles that won’t date – heirloom fashion. I routinely re-line jackets, trousers and coats, I change over buttons and replace zips, and I do anything and everything I can to extend the life of my clients’ garments. When a Julie Goodwin Couture piece fits their body and their body alone, and they can pull it out in one year, five years, ten years, and step into it with confidence, it’s an indescribable feeling, and it’s magical.

 
Alterations are central to my philosophy, and if I’m going to spend the time and energy making you an heirloom Julie Goodwin Couture piece in the first place, I’ll gladly take the time altering it if your body changes in the future.

You can bring back anything I’ve made for you, and if there’s a way, I’d be thrilled to breathe new life into it. If you’re yet to own your own little piece of Julie Goodwin Couture, pop into my Albert Park studio and let me show you just how good ‘a size you’ can feel.