There used to be a big debate about which designer is actually a designer, and which is a “styliste” in French, meaning someone who tweaks the proportions and details of existing clothes.
Real designers are fluent in tailoring and couture. “Stylistes” give you dresses.
If dresses are less technically rigorous than suits, then we can generalize that tops are even simpler than dresses.
Nonetheless, tops suffer a lot of quality shortcuts in the favor of trends and size flexibility. Here are the top issues I’ve observed:
1. Smocking
2. Strap attachment
3. Messy binding
4. Satin
5. Sequins
6. Front ties
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