Printed Pants

Last week I went to the tailors with 6 meters of fabric I bought in Kedougou. After a crazy drawing session, I came up with a few designs that I thought might work. It was a bit difficult to explain them to the tailors, considering they were very detailed and very...western: a dress with a sweetheart neckline and bootleg pants. He said that he would try and have them done by Saturday, but it would be difficult considering Tabaski (Eid al Fitr), or Fête des Moutons is this Tuesday and everyone is getting new clothes made. But Robin stopped by yesterday and said that everything was done.

We went over before dinner to pick up the clothes. They had done the dress pretty well, though it had to be taken in a bit more and shortened. The pants however...lets just say they needed several adjustments. If I was to wear them where the crotch was, the band was around my waist. But it wasn't even that they were highwasted pants, because the band was too big. So then I pulled them down to my hips, but then the crotch was mad low. Gangsta low. And of course, the pant legs were then too long. Oh and the pant legs were also made to fit an elephant.

So I explain how I would like him to change it and he nods and starts cutting and sewing away. I try to tell him I want the pants to be straight (toutdroit) but it's clear as he starts that he doesn't get exactly what I mean. So I put the pants back on and try to show him a little better. He looks at me like I'm crazy, shrugs and says ok. As he's sewing he shows me the pant leg opening and says, Are you sure you'll be able to fit your foot in there? I wiggle my little size 6 foot and say, I think I'll be ok.

He finishes making the adjustments and before I can make another comment he folds them off and hands them to me with the dress. They look a lot better than before (as in they might actually fit) and I'm happy I was able to do something with all that fabric. When I get back to the apartment, Jamie insists that I model my new clothing.

I start to pull on the pants and realize that he's done a good job making the legs smaller, but the crotch is still almost above my knees. So I pull the pants up where they fit, and now the I have flood-style pants (you know, that akward length right above the ankle that was cool for a month in 7th grade). And the waist looks like pants from a weight loss commercial because it's so big.

But hey, I have some sick african print pants to take home. Even if they fit a little strange...