New Duds

One of the things that I’ve been adjusting to is the wardrobe changes that have come with my new life. Part of the expectation here is that I wear a skirt all of the time. When I go to lots of places like the market, a village, or to a church, I also need to wear a head-covering. I brought some skirts with me, but they are definitely not “Nigerian” skirts. To compound that, I didn’t have any head coverings, so I’ve been wearing an assortment of bandanas in my head. That’ll make you feel pretty on a Sunday morning. So, I was excited to have some clothes made that were “normal.”

Of course, this is no simple task. First, we had to go to the market and buy the cloth. They sell it in 6 yard cuts, which is the amount that you are supposed to have to make your skirt, matching shirt, and head-tie. There were so, so, so many options. In the small area that we walked, we saw at least 25 fabric vendors. Like everything in the market, it’s not as simple as seeing it, liking it, buying it. You must ask the price, insist that it is too much, banter back and forth, and then finally either settle on it or walk away. We were exhausted when we finished that adventure.

Next, we had to find a tailor. Actually, everyone recommended that we find several tailors. Apparently, it’s best not to put all of your eggs in one basket when it comes to having clothes made. There are 100s of tailors here. Many of them are talented and brilliant. Others, not so much. The trick is finding one that you like. We started with 3 different tailors. The first one I found by asking someone who had on an outfit that I really liked if she would give me the name of her tailor. She was kind enough to take me to her tailor’s “shop.”

I wish you could have seen it. Really, you can not imagine. It was one of my many, “Oh my word, I live in Africa.” moments. We walked through a series of dirt alleys in the middle of our city to her shop. It was no larger than an average American powder room. It consisted of a foot-pedaled sewing machine, some stacks of fabric from current orders, and a pile of “fashion magazines” that you can flip through for ideas.

I went through a magazine and picked some pictures I liked. Then, she sketched a rough drawing of my order. This skirt, these sleeves, a neckline like this., etc. She took a few measurements, laid my fabric in a pile on the mud floor, and then I paid her 1/2 of her fee. There was no pattern, no fitting room, that was it.

10 days later, I went back and picked it up. Actually, I ordered 2 pieces from that tailor. One of them turned out great. The other, not so much. I’ll be taking it back for some alterations. But, I was thrilled to finally have something to wear to church that didn’t involve a handkerchief on my head!

Headed to church last Sunday. The girls actually have their own Nigerian dresses now too and I'll try to get pictures soon!