About Uptight Clothing

Why Uptight over others??

I have run Uptight Clothing, officially sine 1999, from collage in Liverpool, but I have always made clothes, as a short arse goth in the 90's, It was my only option...but I lived and still  do, to create, to see something in my mind and then hurry to bring it to life, I just need to see what it could look like! 

 It still excites me 20  years on...

Some days I'm literally busting with an unstoppable excitement to make things come to life!

 I love that look on peoples face when I dress them and they light up, and feel as beautiful as they look, but never feel.

 I want people to feel like that, we all deserve it, and not just for weddings, all days, as I know it is hard to feel like this.

 Which is why I offer free dress up days and all consultations are free too,  I literally live to dress people up and make them feel happy, it makes me happy too.

There are days when its hard to just lift my head or get out of bed, get dressed... For all the people who hate the thought of coming to a random place just to get a dress, to get your clothes off, to feel embarrassed, who are terrified at the very thought, I get you , I feel you, I am you. 

But please don't let this feeling take away the good things you can have in your life. 

When you book an appointment with me, you will only ever deal with me, and I am shy, and patient, I am happy to listen to all your thoughts, worries, plans, that's why I'm here. 

You will never be too much, or too weird, or too quiet or too loud,  I will not rush you , or pressurize you, I want you to be comfortable.

I don't do labels, and I'm not woke, I don't even know what that means, but I will never judge you.

I love clothes, corsets, period, fantasy, fabrics, but not in a way to restrict , bind you, to hide you, but to drape you in joy, celebrate you and make you feel like the utter Goddess you are.

You are this Goddess everyday, in jeans, in sweats, in your PJS,  the love of your life, will always think of you like this and see you like this,  that's why you are getting married, you don't need a dress for that, you all ready are that.

My job, is to take all that you are, that you sometimes cant see, and spend time with you, to make something, just for you, to fit just you, to have every thing you ever wanted in a dress, no compromises. 

Something to make you feel confident enough to go out there and do what you want to do, celebrate your love in public with others... but often the overwhelming , crippling fear of everyone seeing you , photographing  you, can take away the joy from this.

 I want to enable you to harness this feeling, with the dress on , but then long after its off, the feeling stays, that you are enough, just as you are, as dress can do that, a second skin, an armour to protect you until it becomes you, and you no longer need it.

How often do we get to do this? It should not just be for weddings either...having a bespoke piece  of clothing can be for any  time in your life. 

Its an investment in yourself.

How many times, have you bought a dozen different cheaper dresses, that are not quite right, lovely, bit not quiet right. You like this sleeve, this length, this colour, this fabric, this beading...

Our super fast fashion 'now' society, has taken away our patience, I think  the , 'we all might die'  covid pandemic added to the 'fuck it' let just do it , buy it, now, part in us too, which is natural.

But here at Uptight, its a  slow, process, its an art, it takes time,  it takes times to create things,  but its worth the investment of your time and your hard earned money, it will last you.

 I've had customers wear their dresses again and  again over many years, and it still bring them joy.

My work takes time, as does it take time to reply , respond to messages, it can t do it immediately, and  I think it important that I express this here, to say, please be patient in life with people.

A bit about me, Janice, Uptight Clothing...Update 2024.

I'm one person, making a living making beautiful dresses, by hand, with love. and I am human, not AI, I have to  look after myself too,  which means  I take days to look after myself, to exercise, to rest, on these days I will not reply and in a world that demands instant reply's,  this does not always go down well.

But when I give you my attention, it is my complete and full genuine attention, it's not to get your cash and run, I want to get to know you, I want you to be happy with your Uptight garment for years to come, no regrets.

I'm writing this as I realized,  my last 'about Uptight' was written about 20 years ago, and life has changed a lot since then, weddings, buying, the clothing industry, amazon,  social media, and I have changed a lot since then too.

I am writing this as a static post, Oct 4th 2024, no comments, no reviews, just static, re readable information, something I feel had been lost in this disposable  world, but something I hope we are slowly coming back to. 

To do or write something not for a response, for likes, but just because. Probably just because I need it, something static in an ever moving world, a rock to hold on to. 

It is autumn, frantic wedding season has just finished and Ive finally time to reflect, catch up...sort out this bloody website!

I've been in the place when I started, 25 years ago,  where we had to write as  a 'we', a company to get accepted, but I have only ever been a me, and this was hard. 

When I started doing coloured dresses over 20 years ago, I got the , no one wanted coloured dresses, but I stuck with it, I used curvy models,  tattooed models, magazines refused to use, they all use them now... the world has changed, in a massively positive way.

....but what this does mean, the market I filled  had been saturated by mass production, coloured wedding dresses available from every shop.

This is a great positive for consumers, the variety of shapes, sizes, colours, style, is vast, and so much more affordable than bespoke. 

Which leaves the original small business like mine, struggling. But I honestly believe there is room for everyone, we just need to find our place in the world.

This is where I am at now :)

So, then in recent years....the transition...

Social media arrived and I , lets be honest, I overshared, it was an exiting time to be allowed to be so honest, direct with customers, but then it became a machine and was overwhelming, especially for small businesses, wanting to be feed every day and we just can't keep up!

 It took and is taking it toll on peoples mental health.

Life then hit me hard, with illness, with infertility, with a failed adoption which broke my heart, with the divorce that followed, not a good ad for a wedding dress maker.... With the passing of my Dad in 2022...

....then last summer a heart attack, age 44. 

This change me to my core.

I think I shared too much, I'd like to think it helped other see the humanness in me, allowing us to relate to others and feel less alone, on subjects less spoke about, but it made to me vulnerable, and maybe I just didn't understand the world too much.

... I tried to fit in to other peoples boxes, so I could have a family. this didn't end well, In was working against my soul, my gut.

... for a few years, grief, medical drugs side affects, made me want  to never sew or make  again, I felt empty,  I had nothing left and I was lost for a while.  

If I'm not a mum,  if I'm not a dress maker, if I'm not a wife, if I'm not doing doing 

doing....

who am I? How do I validate my existence, my purpose?

Then, slowly over time, I let go, I let go of the 'your too much'... 'your not enough' 

I cried for what felt like an eternity,  then, I was silent for what felt like an eternity.

I came full circle, when I was young I was free and true to myself, as I got successful, I became bound by expectation, from others, from myself, from life.

 I stopped listening to myself, my instinct, my inner voice, my intuition, as there are always people telling you they know better, for you, than your gut.

 Your gut knows, it knows you. Listen.  Make your mistakes, but let them be yours, to learn from, it's all learning, and I've learned a lot. 

I've found peace.

So I'll start again, 

Hello, My Name is Janice, I run Uptight Clothing. 

 A small, just me, independent UK, dressmaker.

I am trained in fashion and period costume, and have used these tools to make alternative corset, coloured bespoke wedding dresses for the past 25 years. 

I love my job, I do it enthusiastically, with passion, I'm  a great dress maker, but I am very dyslexic, ( probably ADAD, as many arty types are) I struggle greatly with paper work IT, emails, phone calls. I do it, but please bear with me on this side of things, I get there in the end, but the main thing is, 

I get you dress done on time in time and to your satisfaction, this is my only concern.

I  feel I can be honest about all this now, as these things are no longer considered shameful, embarrassing, or a need to be hidden.  

I'm also 45 now and have no more fucks to give.  

So, this is me, Janice, Uptight Clothing,  if you like my dresses and think we will get on, please come say hi, dress up, see if I can help you, if you don't like my dresses, my words, my style, that's ok too, there's  a million different place to get clothes from, what is right for you will come to you.

 I have no wish to battle. I only need enough work to get by and live a simple life, that's all I ask for.

I make dresses, most things in my life are turquoise, it brings me peace,  I grown veg, my mum is the most important thing to me, I like swimming in the sea, I get hot..., I've a rabbit and have gained a dog and new partner in my life, Phil, he makes me laugh every day, for this I am truly grateful.

I am Uptight Clothing, just me, and I am happy.

Janice-Uptight Clothing xx