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Okay, so I'm playing in this opera thing. Today I get an e-mail from someone in the performance department asking for my measurements because it turns out we'll be sitting on stage in costume to play. Um. Okay.
So, to make this costume, they want my height, waist measurement, bust measurement, dress size, and shoe size.
Height, waist measurement and bust measurement are not a problem. I'm pretty sure I haven't gotten any taller recently and I have a measuring tape.
Dress size is a problem. Dresses do not fit me, because they are never long enough in the body, or because things that fit in the shoulders don't fit in the waist, or becuase things that fit in the waist won't go over my hips. They haven't asked for hips at all. This is a bad sign. My 'size' is anywhere from 12 (would be pushing it these days) to 18 (usually too big but sometimes fits beautifully). There is no consistency in British sizing. None. I don't really want to be on stage in something that is so big it is falling off, so I daren't say size 18, but anything else runs the risk of being too SMALL.
Shoe size is not quite as bad as that, except that there doesn't seem to be much provision for narrow feet in this country. I have shoes that are size 8 and fit fine but are a bit wide, I have shoes that are size 8 and are really too small for me. It depends on the shoe, it really does, some size 9 shoes are too big and others are fine. Occasionally I get a size 7 shoe that will fit me. I want to be comfortable on stage, and this means they aren't going to be able to simply order a pair of shoes in size 8, because there is no magical guarantee that they will fit.
The proper way to do this would be for me to meet with whoever will be making the costumes, so they can look at me and at the pattern at the same time and measure the bits that will actually be important. They'll need extra fabric, for example, and may not be able to lay the pattern out the way they thought they would if they are going to make a long skirt long enough. I have no idea whether this is actually going to happen. Certainly there's no indication of it, and there really ought to be by now. I can see things going very badly, getting a costume three days before the performance opens and there being a mad rush to find something, anything that will fit me.
I will e-mail back and explain my concerns about not being a standard size and shape. That is all I can do. If they choose not to heed my warnings, it will not be on my head if things go wrong.
This could all get very interesting.
So, to make this costume, they want my height, waist measurement, bust measurement, dress size, and shoe size.
Height, waist measurement and bust measurement are not a problem. I'm pretty sure I haven't gotten any taller recently and I have a measuring tape.
Dress size is a problem. Dresses do not fit me, because they are never long enough in the body, or because things that fit in the shoulders don't fit in the waist, or becuase things that fit in the waist won't go over my hips. They haven't asked for hips at all. This is a bad sign. My 'size' is anywhere from 12 (would be pushing it these days) to 18 (usually too big but sometimes fits beautifully). There is no consistency in British sizing. None. I don't really want to be on stage in something that is so big it is falling off, so I daren't say size 18, but anything else runs the risk of being too SMALL.
Shoe size is not quite as bad as that, except that there doesn't seem to be much provision for narrow feet in this country. I have shoes that are size 8 and fit fine but are a bit wide, I have shoes that are size 8 and are really too small for me. It depends on the shoe, it really does, some size 9 shoes are too big and others are fine. Occasionally I get a size 7 shoe that will fit me. I want to be comfortable on stage, and this means they aren't going to be able to simply order a pair of shoes in size 8, because there is no magical guarantee that they will fit.
The proper way to do this would be for me to meet with whoever will be making the costumes, so they can look at me and at the pattern at the same time and measure the bits that will actually be important. They'll need extra fabric, for example, and may not be able to lay the pattern out the way they thought they would if they are going to make a long skirt long enough. I have no idea whether this is actually going to happen. Certainly there's no indication of it, and there really ought to be by now. I can see things going very badly, getting a costume three days before the performance opens and there being a mad rush to find something, anything that will fit me.
I will e-mail back and explain my concerns about not being a standard size and shape. That is all I can do. If they choose not to heed my warnings, it will not be on my head if things go wrong.
This could all get very interesting.
