by Tiff -

The importance of having someone who truly understands you

I don’t want to put down my family and friends because they’ve helped me immensely, but they can’t do what the dozens of women in wheelchairs I’ve befriended through the years have done for me. These special ladies are my war buddies…only they know the shit that I’ve seen. From dating discrimination to losing a heel in public, they know exactly how hard this life can really be….for more click here.

by Tiff -

Ordering my first (adapted) custom suit

Everyone dreams of getting a custom-made suit, and my perfectly tailored suit to fit my seated frame is soon on it’s way! I just ordered a custom-made suit from LegaWear, an adapted clothing company for wheelchair-users. I had to take about 2 dozen measurements (34-28-38, baby! And 6″ round wrists FTW!) and was able to choose everything from the color, pattern, cut, down to even how many buttons and breast pockets I’d like. I cannot wait to recieve my creation in the mail!

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The quite rad David Lega, a Paralympian swimmer hailing from Sweden (and his accent is adorable), began LegaWear a few years ago. Last week they just launched their brand new site that includes a cool “Design Your Clothes” area, that has a Flash widget so you can see your clothing creations as you move along in the online design process. I partiularly love this new addition to their site, as it really makes you feel like you’re a fashion designer. Maybe not a designer from Project Runway, but close. Also, LegaWear may be based in Sweden, but they’re a truly international company with many close ties here in the USA, and are looking to expand here as well.

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After purchasing a measuring tape from Target for a cool $2, I had my attendant help me do the measurements. LegaWear’s site includes a handy “How to Measure” area that was a lifesafer in this process…because my attendant and I were clueless on any measurements past measuring the bust (afterall every girl knows how to measure that!). It was actually quite fascinating seeing all the measurements that are required to get a suit fitted, from the hip to ankle measurement (a smart way to get a proper inseam measurement for a wheelchair-user) to the “bottom” measurement. But I’m all about putting in the effort for the desired results, and I know that the more exact measurements they ask for, the better the fit. It only took about 10 minutes to get them done, and I input them into my profile.

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LegaWear sells suits for both men and women, and will soon be offering a skirt option. I ordered a BEAUTIFUL grey suit (with pants), and made it as simple as possible because I want my suit to be the easel, the perfect backdrop for the shirt and accessories I plan on additing to it. Grey is also versatile and will let me “change it up” style-wise. They do offer fun colors. My friend Madonna Long at Chloe Magazine ordered a hot pink suit from LegaWear recently. Yeah, she’s awesome 🙂

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All of LegaWear’s suits are made in Thailand, which is why their prices are so reasonable (crazy good). This suit is definitely an investment piece and will certainly last many, many years. Maybe I’ll even pass it on to my future daughters? 🙂

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Look for more blogs about my first experience ordering a custom suit (and LegaWear’s other custom clothes) in the coming weeks!