How it works
- You pay once.Card, Apple Pay, Google Pay or PayPal. No account and no subscription.
- The book opens.A download link comes up straight away, and it arrives in your email within a minute.
- It stays in your email.Read it on your phone, tablet or computer, or print the page you need and take it to the tailor. Nothing ships.
The math
Ten good pieces you feel old in, two ways
Replace them
- A new wool coat and raincoat$340
- A new blazer, two pairs of trousers, jeans$295
- A new dress, skirt, silk blouse and cardigan$260
Re-fit them, the fitter’s way
- Coat and raincoat sleeves$85
- Blazer sleeves, two trouser fixes, jeans hem$110
- Dress and skirt hems, blouse seams, cardigan sleeves at home$85
You keep about
$615
And ten pieces that fit the woman wearing them. The book costs $27, once.
The right-hand column is the worked closet re-fit on page 18 of the book, at neighbourhood-tailor prices. The left-hand column is typical mid-range department-store prices. Both are October 2026 figures; your town’s prices will differ, and it only works on pieces whose shoulders already fit.
What you were told, and what a fitter does instead
“At my age you just have to dress older.”
There is no age in a hem. Set it at the narrowest point of your leg, never the widest part of the calf. p. 120
“I’ve always been a size 12.”
Measure again once a year. The number on the label has moved too, so shop by your tape. p. 22
“Anything a bit big can be taken in.”
Almost anything, except the shoulders. Fit those when you buy and alter the rest. p. 28
“Alterations cost more than buying new.”
A trouser hem is about $20. New trousers are about $60. p. 86
“Black goes with everything.”
Next to silver hair, navy or charcoal reads softer and keeps the eye on your face. p. 181
“Comfortable shoes have to look clunky.”
A clean line and a block heel of 2 inches or less do both jobs. p. 210
Real pages from the book
Look inside
What’s inside
| # | Part | Page |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Measure Again. Your size today, and a whole closet re-fitted | 16 |
| 2 | Blouses and Necklines. Neckline depth, ease, sleeves and cloth | 52 |
| 3 | Trousers and Jeans. Hems, waists, pleats, rise and creases | 83 |
| 4 | Skirts and Dresses. Your hem point, waists, linings, evening length | 116 |
| 5 | Jackets and Coats. Sleeves, back fit, length, pads and buttons | 148 |
| 6 | Colour and Cloth. Colours next to silver hair, and cloth care | 179 |
| 7 | Shoes and Stockings. Comfort with a clean line, hosiery, cobbler | 207 |
| 8 | Around the Face. Frames, scarves, earrings, collars, necklaces | 236 |
| 9 | Bags, Jewellery and Finishing. Bags, belts, pressing, hanging, small mending | 267 |
| 10 | Underneath. Bras, slips, camisoles, static and tights | 298 |
A few things you’ll find
- The half inch that makes a coat sleeve look right over a jacketp. 151
- Why your jeans should keep their original hemp. 107
- The hand’s-width rule for an open collarp. 54
- The one alteration that is almost never worth paying forp. 28
- What to say at the counter so the tailor gets it right the first timep. 49
- The frame line that pulls the eye down at the corners, and the one that doesn’tp. 242
- How to stop a skirt turning round as you walkp. 135
- The sit, reach and step test before you pay for anythingp. 37
- Where a bag strap should endp. 272
Plus a printable measurement card, a tailor’s-counter sheet with the exact words to say, a one-page quick reference of every length, an index by garment, and an index of the cheapest fixes.
Get The Sample Book
The Sample Book
- 100 fixes in 10 parts, each with the measurement, the steps, the cost and the time
- One closet re-fitted: ten pieces, every alteration and price shown
- A line from my aunt’s sample book or my own beside nearly every fix
- The exact words to say at the tailor’s counter
- Printable measurement card, counter sheet and quick reference
- PDF + EPUB, for phone, tablet, computer or e-reader, large clear type
- Every future edition free
🔒 Secure checkout by Gumroad · Card · Apple Pay · Google Pay · PayPal
Coming next: The Mending Box, small alterations you can do at home with a needle and thread. Buyers hear first.
How the book was made
My aunt kept a sample book
I learned to sew at twelve in my aunt Carla’s workshop, in a wool-mill valley in the north of Italy. In 1946 she began a book of cloth swatches, hem samples and pencilled notes on fit.
She gave it to me in 1971, the day I left for America. For 38 years in department-store fitting rooms, most of them in Manhattan, I kept writing in it.
After I retired, women from my parish began bringing me clothes they felt old in. It was almost never the woman. It was a sleeve, a hem, a shoulder.
So I wrote the book out for them, fix by fix, at today’s prices.
Nella Ferraro
What this book won’t do
It doesn’t change your body.
It is about clothes: where they end, how they fit, what they are made of. Nothing in it promises to make you look thinner or younger.
Some fixes need a tailor.
About half the fixes are done by a tailor, at a cost the book shows. The rest are free, or a needle and thread, or choosing differently in the store.
Not everything is worth altering.
If the shoulders don’t fit, or the fix costs more than half a new piece, I tell you to let it go.
Prices vary by town.
Tailor charges and store prices are October 2026 figures. Yours may be higher or lower.
It isn’t about hair or make-up.
I am a fitter, not a hairdresser. I stay with clothes, shoes, glasses frames and what you wear with them.
The Second Fitting Promise
In my aunt’s workshop, if a garment wasn’t right, it came back for a second fitting. Read the book and try a fix. If it isn’t for you, email within 7 days and you get every cent back. No questions. Keep the book.
Questions
What exactly do I get?
A digital book of 100 fixes in 10 parts, about 346 pages, as a PDF and an EPUB. It includes the closet re-fit worked example, a measurement card, a tailor’s-counter sheet and a quick reference.
Can I read it on my phone?
Yes. The type is large and the contents are clickable: tap a fix and you are there.
Can I print it?
Yes. Every fix fits on about two pages, so you can print the one you need and take it to the tailor or the store.
Is there a paper copy?
No. It is a digital book only, so nothing ships and there is no postage.
What happens when the clock runs out?
The $27 price is held for you for 90 minutes from your first visit. After that, the book is $37.
Is this a subscription?
No. You pay once. There is nothing more to buy, and future editions are free.
I can’t sew. Is it still for me?
Yes. Most fixes are done by a tailor or by choosing differently in the store, and the book tells you exactly what to ask for. The few home fixes need only a needle and thread.
I lost the file. What do I do?
Look for the receipt email from your purchase; the download link is in it. If you can’t find it, write to contact@nellaferraro.com and we will send it again.
Is any of it medical advice?
No. It is about how clothes, shoes and accessories fit and look. If your feet, balance or eyes give you trouble, see your doctor first. The shoe fixes keep heels low and soles non-slip.
Who is it not for?
Anyone looking for trends, brands or a shopping list. It is about fit, length and cloth, for women who want the clothes they wear to suit the woman they are now.
Take one piece to the tailor this week, with the right page in your hand.
100 fixes, each with the measurement, the cost and the words to say, so your clothes fit the woman you are today.
Clothes must serve the woman. Always.