How To Get Dressed: A Costume Designer's Secret... Apr 2026

Freer draws on her experience on high-pressure film sets to provide a "magical bag of tricks" for everyday wardrobe malfunctions.

One of Freer's primary "secrets" is the use of professional tailoring. She advocates for buying pieces that fit the widest part of your body—such as the hips for a skirt—and having a tailor add darts or take in the waist to achieve a perfect silhouette. How to Get Dressed: A Costume Designer's Secret...

The central thesis of Freer’s work is that . She emphasizes that clothes should be made to fit the person, rather than the person struggling to fit into the clothes. Freer draws on her experience on high-pressure film

Freer encourages readers to ignore standard body-type "rules" that limit what they can wear. For her, any garment can be made to look intentional and flattering through proper adjustment. The Costume Designer’s Tool Kit The central thesis of Freer’s work is that

In her book, How to Get Dressed: A Costume Designer's Secrets for Making Your Clothes Look, Fit, and Feel Amazing , veteran Hollywood costume designer Alison Freer challenges the conventional wisdom that looking good is about following rigid trends or possessing an innate "sense of style". Instead, she argues that the true secret to looking like a star lies in technical precision, maintenance, and the art of faking it when necessary. The Philosophy of Fit