CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Two Charlotte women are trying to change the way other women shop after spotting what they say is a gaping hole in the fashion industry.
The women, a lesbian couple who got married last year, say men can get tailored suits but women really can't. It's been a growing problem as more women want power suits for the office and more. Until now.
Margaret Hodge couldn't wait to get to the altar to marry Morgan, but she faced a major hurdle.
"I wanted to wear a white wedding suit," she said. "I was never a dress person and could not find a women's suit to save my life."
Instead, she wore a men's suit that had to be altered 10 times.
"I did have to go to a men's big box store and get a men's suit tailored to a woman's body, which doesn't work," Hodge said.
Her wife Morgan felt terrible.
"It truly broke my heart," she said. "I talked to her and said we can do better than this. This is ridiculous."
So the couple created M & M Suit Shop. They create custom-designed suits for women. Everything from the fabric to the lining to the length of the sleeves. The kind of thing they say men's tailors have been doing for decades.
"As we talked to female friends, we realized this was a problem across all business wear and formal wear," Morgan said. "Everyone was like, 'I don't have the right body shape.' Your body is not the problem, it's the clothes we're trying to find."
Their wedding may have sparked the idea but the women say they've realized women executives need custom suits as well.
"As more and more women are in positions of power and confident with their bodies, I think it's a market that needs filling," Margaret said.
The couple says watching customers find just the right fit is the best part of their latest joint venture.
"Seeing them try it on, and that moment of 'This is even better than what I thought it would be,' makes us so happy," Morgan said.
The women say they're the only company in Charlotte that designs and creates suits exclusively for women.
Contact Michelle Boudin at mboudin@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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