20100203 A Trip to the Tailor (1)

A Trip to the Tailor

A tailor shares the secrets of his trade

SC: How does one become a tailor?

JL: In the past, becoming a tailor meant completing an apprenticeship with an experienced tailor. I apprenticed with a cutter from Shanghai for six years. Now, there is a system of tests and licenses for tailors.

SC: What questions should people ask a tailor when they are having clothes made?

JL: It depends who the person is. If they are a student, they might want to ask about price. If that is less of a concern, they might ask questions about style, material and quality.

SC: What's the difference between a store-bought suit and a tailor-made suit?

JL: There are a lot of differences. You see, there are many kinds of body types. During fittings, a tailor figures out how to make the suit fit you perfectly, so you feel comfortable all over. They also leave extra material so the suit can be adjusted later if you gain or lose weight. You don't do a fitting when you buy a store-bought suit. They just take your measurements and then select the pre-made suit that is closest to your size. Then you try it on and see if you like it.
That's OK if you are a standard size. But if you aren't, you will always have problems with ready-made suits.



tailor n. (尤指男裝)裁縫師;(尤指男裝)服裝店
=> a person who makes or changes clothes so that it fits you

apprenticeship n. 學徒身分/學徒資格/學徒期/見習期

apprentice v. 當學徒
apprentice with
eg: Greg apprenticed with his uncle, who was a talented carpenter.
=> 格雷戈曾經當過他伯父的學徒，他伯父是一位很有才華的木匠.

apprentice n.學徒/徒弟/見習生
=> a student or a learner who studies on somebody else in order to learn particular skill
eg: He worked for 2 years as Trump's apprentice.

style n. 風格/作風
=> the kind of form/look/appearance that something has

fitting n. 試衣並進行修改
eg: The wedding gown(禮服) fittings took a lot of time but they were fun.
eg: We'll start the play's costume fittings next week.

adjust v. 校正/校準/調整

pre-made 預製的/現成的
eg: These pre-made curtains are a lot cheaper than custom-made ones.
eg: There are many pre-made e-cards for you to choose from at this websits.

ready-made


//== Chat room ==//

rack n. 架子
off-the-rack <=> custom made
off-the-rack adj. 現成的(衣服)
=> 從店裡的架子上拿下來的，指的是現成的衣服
= ready-to-wear adj. 現成的/已經可以穿的

tailor-made adj. 良身訂做的
custom made adj. 訂製的
=> 範圍更廣，任何可以訂做的東西，都可用custom made，也可以說custom-built
=> 還有另一種說法為made-to-order(依照你的指示所製造的)


從小笨霖筆記本上看到的用法說明

I just want to buy some off-the-rack clothes.
我只想隨便買一些現成的衣服。

Rack 指的是一般在商店中用來吊衣服的衣架，所以 off-the-rack 指的是那種由工廠大量製造的成衣，通常暗指很普通、不是特別好的衣服。例如我朋友問我，"Your jacket looks very nice. Where did you get it?" (你的外套很好看，是在哪買的啊？) 事實上那件外套是我在某夜市所搶來的地攤貨，但英文裏沒有「地攤貨」這樣的講法，所以我就可以回答他，"It's just something off-the-rack." (只是件普通的衣服啦！) 相較於 off-the-rack 這種便宜的衣服，custom-made 或是 tailor-made 指的是「量身定做」的。例如，"I need to get a custom-made tuxedo for my wedding." (我必須為了我的婚禮去買一件量身定作的燕尾服。)



//== Grammar on the Go ==//

If that is less of a concern, they might ask questions about style, material and quality.
=> If that is not something to worry about, they might ask questions about style, material and quality.

less of a concern
=> not something to worry about

eg: With the convenience of cell phone technology, being unreachable is less of a concern for most people these days.
eg: Not being able to shower is less of a concern for Kathy than for Susan.