where we are
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Ideal Garment is in South City St. Louis. Six blocks south of the Cherokee Street Antique Row.
314-768-0767
susan@idealgarment.com
what we make
Glamorous and casual, comfortable and useful pants for all bodies
Skirts of all lengths, several shapes, and in a variety of fabrics
Easy to wear tops, made to order, to grace the particular shape
Jackets, in all fabrics, many configurations
Shimmery coats & light robes, for all occasions
Clothing for all contexts; professional, festive or intimate.
Everything at once sensible & sensual
Scientific Panties
All sizes & sorts accommodated.
Handmade & Guaranteed
The Best Clothes Ever
(...and the stuff to wear under them)
who we are
We are one person, Susan, designing and making clothing; and another person, Jeff, making sure there is a place to do all that. Susan, me, is not a trained designer, and only learned how to sew in home ec. class, back in 1970-something. And then there were those several summers as apprentice in a college costume shop. And some exposure to problem-solving at an engineering university in the 1980's.
Everyone asks about design training, and the answer is "none".
No, all this is not "fashion", not "design" but rather problem-solving and many years and a great variety of adventures dressing people of all kinds for the gamut of reasons. You name a reason to wear clothing, and we have made clothing for that reason. If we haven't, we want to. We want to get you dressed so you can go on about your day. Ideal garments would love to be pulled off in passion, or slept in after many exhausting hours of wonderful fun or productive work or both, and they absolutely will not give you the fish-eye in the morning, nor make you walk the walk of shame in the bright light of morning. Oh no. Absolutely not. They will just keep on supporting you and telling you how beautiful and powerful you are, and that you should just go do whatever you want to do right now. No, don't even worry about us. We will be fine. Throw us in the wash when you have a chance, but get out there and change the world! You go, girl, they seem to whisper, and that is what clothing should say. Not "you're fat" or "don't snag me! watch the coffee!" or "I want to go to the dry cleaner now, and I don't care how much it costs, you stupid bitch." So rude. Ideal garments would never speak to anyone that way. We did not make these garments to have them be rude, unhelpful and demanding attention-whores. Nope. But you know, like any excellent, uncommon thing, they do draw attention to themselves. But that is never their point or purpose.
Yes. Solutions to modern dress, from underneath to over the top: that's what we do.
Then we try to understand it all and write about it so others can solve their own problems of costume and dress.
The whole operation used to take place in an beautiful, decaying former firestation in the middle of Kansas City. There was a studio upstairs and a shop downstairs, and we even lived there for long while. But now we are in St. Louis. No shop, just a cluttered studio, so Ideal Garment is virtual. You can order things, but you shouldn't worry about where or how it gets made. We make them quietly, in a hidden house in the center of the city, and then traipse to the post office to send them to our treasured clients. It is a tranquil pursuit.
ideal theory
Ideal Garments are just that: ideal. They love you and make you look lovely all the time. They are happy to do anything with you, whether it is gardening or going to a ball. And they don't make you spend money on dry cleaning and don't make you want to go home to get out of them. They want you to have fun and be happy and safe and know that you look good all the time.
We think about clothing alot, trying to understand it, to solve it. Read about this, and other stuff, if you like, the ideal garment bloggy blog: idealgarment.blogspot.com
For best results, always wear Scientific Panties with your Ideal Garments.
handmade
100% guaranteed
Ideal Garments are ideal. If they are not, you must bring them back, either to be adjusted or for a full refund. In any case, no garment is to be left unworn, an error of judgement languishing in the back of a closet. No. It ruins the experiment, destroys the science, and shatters hope that we will one day be served by our garments, our whole delicious selves, rather than be in servitude to them.
Give it back and let us make it ideal. Or send it back and go on your way without us. 100% guaranteed we'll kick your butt if we find out you kept a garment that was not ideal for you.
ideal pricing
Ideal Garment makes everything from panties to winter coats and everything in between.
Prices for Scientific Panties are generally $40., depending on the fabric used. Summer bikini panties, which are hardly scientific at all, are $20. It is best to learn how to make your own Scientific Panties, but we will make them for you if you insist.
Skirts and pants and tops can range from $60 to $250, depending on fabrics and on the manner of construction. A complete ensemble of skirt and top that works as a "dress" generally will add up to $160-$200, depending on the fabric and the demands of construction.
Dresses, which are a little unusual to find here, may be priced from $90 for a summer shift, up to $400 for a long dress in a luxurious fabric. Wedding dresses and other custom designed garments for ceremonial occasions are more expensive than the regular dresses, generally around $400. Ceremonial garments are as easy to wear and care for as regular garments, but more stunning. More fabric, too, usually.
Unlined summer jackets, in cottons, linens and velvets, may be priced from $80-$200. Single layer fleece jackets and coats are similarly priced. Lined jackets, either in velvets and cottons or in furry fleeces for cold winter months, range from $200 to $500, depending on the fabrics used and the method of construction.
Extreme robes, double layers of scrumptious luxury, range from $250-$600, depending on the fabrics used. Single layer long robes in summer and winter fabrics from $140-300.
box parties & trunk shows
Here's how it works:
Ideal Garment sends you a magical box of stuff from the shop and you invite friends over for a very fun party of trying on unusual but lovely garments. People can buy things straight from the box, or order similar things in different sizes or colors, and then you send the box of what's left back to Ideal Garment. For their trouble, the host gets a hundred dollar credit toward anything in the box.
Box parties are fabulous fun, and the at home atmosphere encourages people to try on clothing that is not familiar to them. Because Ideal Garments are so durable and washable, they are perfect for trying on in a festive atmosphere. It is terribly fun, and there is a good chance that someone will find something they need. But mostly it is very fun. Much more fun than going to the mall.
Trunk shows are just box parties in a public place, and can be arranged in any kind of location.
sew 4 yourself
Some ideal garments, the most useful ones in fact, are not very difficult to make. In fact, someone with a vague memory of sewing pillows in Home Economics several decades ago is more than prepared to break out the sewing machine and stitch up a few skirts and even pants.
learn how to make ideal garments for yourself.
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