By Corina – July 2025
Before I was a dressmaker, I was a civil engineer.
It’s a part of my story that often surprises people — but for me, it makes perfect sense. My journey from technical drawings to tailoring wasn't about abandoning structure. It was about building something softer, more personal, and just as intentional.
In this post, I want to share how my engineering background shapes the way I design, cut, and sew every dress here at Cori Tailor — and why that technical mindset makes all the difference in slow fashion.
👷♀️ From Blueprints to Bodices
I studied civil engineering because I’ve always loved structure, logic, and solving problems that require both hands and mind. Working with materials, understanding how they move, stretch, resist — that knowledge didn’t disappear when I switched to fabric. It became my secret weapon.
Designing a dress, especially one that fits perfectly on a unique body, isn’t just art — it’s engineering.
When I’m drafting a pattern, I treat it like a scaled architectural drawing. When I’m fitting a bodice, I analyze angles and force the way I once studied beams and tension. Fabric drape? That’s fluid dynamics in cotton form.
📏 Engineering Principles in My Dressmaking Studio
Here are just a few ways my engineering background still lives in every dress I make:
1. Precision Pattern Drafting
Just like a blueprint needs exact measurements, so does a pattern. Every dart, seam, and curve in my handmade designer dresses for women is drawn, adjusted, and tested mathematically — not guessed.
2. Dressforms as 3D Models
In engineering, we build models to test structural integrity. My adjustable dressform works the same way — a scaled version of your body that lets me test fit, balance, and proportion before cutting final fabric.
3. Iterative Fitting = Prototyping
When I design a new silhouette, it rarely works perfectly the first time. I test, refine, and retest — just like engineering a bridge or building. It’s a slow, thoughtful process that ensures quality and longevity.
4. Measurements Are Sacred
I treat every body like a unique site survey. Your bust, waist, shoulder slope — these numbers are my coordinates. That’s why our made-to-measure dresses fit like no ready-to-wear ever could.
💡 This is why we ask for precise measurements — it’s not about being picky, it’s about building something that fits perfectly.
🪡 Engineering Meets Emotion: A New Kind of Fashion
Some people think technical minds can’t be creative. I disagree. In my studio, precision and emotion work hand-in-hand.
My technical training gives me the confidence to build custom-fit vintage-style dresses from scratch. My heart helps me make them beautiful.
That blend is what defines Cori Tailor:
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Thoughtfully engineered to last
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Created slowly, with deep care
This approach sets us apart from mass-produced fast fashion. We build pieces to honor the body, not to fit a chart. We don’t follow trend cycles — we design like engineers: to solve problems and last through time.
💬 From Concrete to Cotton — And Why I’ll Never Go Back
I may have left my engineering job behind, but the mindset came with me. When I make a dress today, I’m still building. Still solving. Still thinking like an engineer — only now, my materials are lighter, and the results feel a little more magical.
If you’ve ever wondered why a Cori Tailor dress fits like it was made for you — it’s because it was.
With intention. With structure. With skill.
And maybe just a little blueprint behind the seams.
🔗 Keep Exploring
🧷 Curious how I take your measurements?
👉 How to Send Your Measurements
🌸 Want to know what tools I use every day?
👉 The 10 Tools I Use to Craft Your Dresses
🪴 New to slow fashion?
👉 What Slow Fashion Really Means