Melbourne label Friends with Frank is introducing an intimate tailoring service because one size doesn’t fit all

Ill-fitting pants no more.

How many times have you found a great pair of power pants, only to be wracked with post-purchase regret as they trail the grimy pub ground? It’s likely to be ‘too many’, or maybe just once after you refuse to give nice pants a punt ever again.

I grabbed a brilliant pair of white wide-legs recently, only to realise I had to reserve them for wearing exclusively with heels as they dragged along the Swan Street sidewalk. ‘Just go get them tailored’, you say. Yes, I could. But I will never be bothered to. It’s a basic life admin task that I’m sure to avoid at all costs.

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Melbourne label Friends with Frank (FWF) is offering an intimate tailoring service in its lofty Richmond showroom to coincide with the release of its Classic Trousers – an elegant, year-round heavyweight linen pant. This is not made-to-measure per se, as customers purchase their trousers then have their adjustments taken in by a professional on the team, but it offers an extension of the slow fashion experience FWF has focused on over the years. 

The trousers themselves are made just minutes away in a family-run Brunswick manufacturing house, run by dedicated pros. 

This tailoring service is an opportunity to purchase the pants online/in-store and alter the length if they’re not quite right. It’s all overseen by the team of expert women who have coordinated the end-to-end production of the Classic Trousers. They know the materials, the hem, how the pants should sit and how they can be styled. It’s an additional $25 for the personalised tailoring, which is a small price to pay for having the job totally taken care of for you. 

It’s nice to see a local brand pre-empting that its garments might not work for every set of limbs. Some legs are longer, others are shorter. Some torsos carry pants differently to others, so the idyllic design may only work on a sample size. This frustration is what the tailoring service was born from.

After your pants are pinned, FWF liaises with an expert tailor to get the job done, and your freshly-steamed pants are ready to be collected (or posted off to you). The whole process brings shopping for longevity and feeling good in a bespoke fit to the forefront of local fashion. Here, Friends with Frank Founder Julia McCarthy explains the new service and strategic fashion planning.

How did you find your local manufacturer?

We were lucky to have been recommended to our Northside manufacturer by our production manager Nat, who has great knowledge and experience with creating gorgeous clothing locally in Melbourne. We visit the makers frequently, dropping off the odd button or watching Japanese twill being cut for trench coats. It’s both fascinating and reassuring to watch these professionals breathe life into the design concepts we’ve meticulously planned.

Who makes these trousers? 

Our local team of makers work collaboratively from start to finish, each with their own area of expertise. From pattern-making to cutting the fabric, and then sewing — the making of the trousers works like a production line of sorts, with everyone playing their individual part. Many of our makers have been in the industry for years and take a lot of pride in their craftsmanship.

What makes these trousers special?

The high-end fabric and expert tailoring that has gone into these trousers, make them a truly special forever piece. The heavyweight linen gives a beautiful structure and fall to the pant, tailored into a wide-leg silhouette with pressed pin-tuck detailing along the front. Finished with a generous 8cm hem allowance, this allows easy custom length alteration to ensure the perfect fit. Every woman needs a well-fitting, beautifully tailored pair of wide-leg pants in her capsule wardrobe. 

Why is the option of tailoring important? 

With our Classic Tailored Trouser, we set out to make the best fitting pants in your wardrobe. Nothing is chicer than beautifully tailored wide-leg trousers. For us, it was important to be able to design a pair that could offer a feel-fantastic fit to women of varying shapes and heights.

Without being able to offer a full made-to-measure model, we decided to offer the next best thing, with complementary fittings for pant length. Most women would appreciate the difficulty of finding a pair of pants, and we wanted to educate our customer on how a little effort goes such a long way. Investing in taking the time to tailor your clothes will make all the difference in how you feel and how much you wear them. This is the beauty of buying less but choosing well – building a capsule wardrobe of quality pieces that can last a lifetime, unbound by changing seasons. 

To view Friends With Frank’s full range and find out more about its tailoring service, head here.