Saturday, December 18, 2010

See what coil has caused oh! Mrs X versus Mr X....

One of the things I love about my job is that I get to meet lots of people. Different kinds of people.

While most of my experiences have been pleasant, there have been some not-so-pleasant ones…. I should do a post about those sometime soon, you’ll laugh ehn!! Anyway, I had an interesting experience today and I’ll like to know what your thoughts are.

I have a client, let’s call her Mrs X. She lives in London and even though I’ve been making clothes for her for about 3 years, I saw her in person for the first time early this year and we just clicked. She’s special because she’s in her 50s. I don’t know her exact age, that’s just my guess.

So what’s so special about making clothes for 50 something year old woman?? Well, first she’s set. As in, she’s got a really great figure…I want to be like her when I grow up J, the only thing coming between me and this goal is my love for all things delicious… I know there’s hope for me anytime I see Oprah sha, cause if she has access ( for free) to all the best of the best cutting edge fat ‘eliminating’ technology which I would have to pay for and I’m still slimmer than her, there’s hope for me… That’s not the point of this post at all… forgive my rambling….

As I was saying, I’m usually excited to find someone in Mrs X’s age range who likes my work because most of my clients are younger than her. What I like the most about her is that she’s the kind of person that doesn’t need to tell you she’s a believer before you know. She just has a sweet spirit and she’s an encourager…I know all this from speaking to her on the phone three or four times and seeing her only once, no twice, if you count yesterday.

I got to meet Mr X yesterday. By the time he had finished explaining how Isaac reaped when he sowed in the land, only because he was in the right location, most of my fears about the relocating were out the window…ok ok back to the point of this post

Her sister had dropped off her fabric earlier and she came to pick her outfit up yesterday. I wanted to make her something that would be age appropriate, while showing her curves, so I went for a classic silhouette. However, I didn’t want to be boring, so I tried the coil effect on the ruffles. I have seen people do this coil thing over the years, but it was my first time and I loved the final result. The coil is what defines the ruffles and makes them stand out....

She loved it! It was different from anything else I had done for her and she was pleased….

Mr X wasn’t. He liked the style, but he thought the whole coil thing was too much so he asked me (nicely) to remove it….

Remove????!!! ME NO THINK SO!!! Me I liked the thing (a lot) and then I thought about the hours my girls spent getting the coil done right. I had really given them a hard time, making them undo and redo till it was neat enough for me…I was in ‘wicked witch’ mode yesterday meeeehn! You see, I can be very difficult to work with especially when I know someone is trying to take the easy way out..I digress, again..

I smiled sweetly and pointed out to him that his wife liked it

His point was that since his wife was dressing up for him to admire her, he’s really in fact my client and so his preference should be the deciding factor. He wanted her to keep it simple because she’s a simple person and that’s one of the things he loves about her. My coil was over the top. Valid point!

Her point was that since she was the one going to wear it and it made her happy, he should let her wear it. Even though her usual style was simple, she liked it because it was different. Valid point!

What do you think? Whose wishes should I obey? Please let me know what you think and why, so we can all learn.

I’ll let you know what eventually happened in my next post J

PS I found it remarkable that they each made their points and explained to each other their reasons. They could have turned it into a shouting match with Mr X insisting ‘I’m the man! You must obey’, but he didn’t. She could also have insisted ‘I like it and that’s all that matters’, but she didn’t … Important lesson there for me.

11 comments:

  1. lol....that's sooo funny... im happy they did not turn into law court because frankly, you'd be shocked at what makes couples fight...

    i cant wait to find out what happened in the end. me, i love the coil sha...

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  2. Wow! Can't wait to find out what happened next. This is something my parent's definately would've fought over.

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  3. lol...couples sha.
    newayz, why on earth does the guy think she's dressing up for him? sometimes, just sometimes, women like to dress up for themselves, its like a confidence booster and at other times, its just to look nicer than the next woman. also, since she's always done it the way he likes, he should allow her this time to have her way jo.

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  4. These men sha! na wa for them?
    If I were the wife, I wont argue. Nice outfit.
    However, regarding the issue, I'll...........
    (a) Smile sweetly at my hubby and tell him I agree with him;
    (b) In front of hubby, I'll tell you to remove in front of him - with a wink
    (c) Pass a note to you (Gbemi)saying - DONT REMOVE COIL!!!
    (d) Call you back later to remind you -'do not remove the coil'
    (e) Come back alone to collect the outfit as it is
    (f) Wear it as it is and tell hubby that the tailor could not remove the coil because it would rip the fabric!
    Finito!
    PS - Women dress first to make themselves happy; secondly to impress other women; and lastly to boost their partner's ego!

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  5. Beautiful piece!

    Your first duty is to your client. She told you to make the cloth, she 'll be the one wearing it. And I believe, the dress would look nice on her.

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  6. The wife is wise in the way she handled the matter.

    I will talk to my husband when we are alone. Na me get my thing and I know how to take care of business later!!!

    He is the head but no doubt I am the neck.

    I cant wait to find out the outcome.

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  7. @ Temi
    lol @ law court... It would've really been awkward if they had put me on the spot

    @ Nike
    My folks would probably have fought too, with my mum winning just cos my dad just loved to keep the peace.

    @ Beautiful
    "at other times, its just to look nicer than the next woman"
    GBAM :)

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  8. @ Naijamum
    I looooooove your solution. A win-win option that makes all the parties happy. May God increase your wisdom in Jesus name xxx

    @ Dee
    My thoughts too oh, until he flipped things and said he's the client... He did have a valid point though...

    @ Buky
    Yes oh! The neck is VERY crucial, and knowing how to take care of 'business' later is an invaluable tool ;)

    I'll tell you all what happens in my next post... You know how busy this season gets for us designers. thanks for you patience..

    PS I'm feeling like a writer learning to keep her audience in suspense *cheeky grin*

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  9. u write well, design nicely! And i sensed such a cool attitude from ur blog :D

    P.S : I flew to your blog from Temiville's. Will visit again ;)

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  10. awww.. Thanks VW.
    I'm glad you came and I'll be looking forward to your next visit xxx

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