Costume fit model Taylor tries on a new outfit before it hits the hip hop catalog.

We have a small but important rule here at The Line Up: every sample garment that leaves the building MUST be tried on.

Every day at 1pm sharp, you can find our team at Fit Session, where a costume fit model tries on all of our new designs.  Whether its a custom design for a client or new product going up on our store, we like to make sure every pattern is right and fits a REAL body. Putting it on a mannequin is helpful, but a real body is best in order to move and dance in it as intended!

This leads to one very unique job at The Line Up: a Fit Model.  These ladies are our real life, size small mannequins, and often get poked and prodded as they test out all our sample garments.  

We sat down with Pam and Taylor, our past and present fit models, for our new employee spotlight series. Check out what they had to say about their highly unusual but very important job!

How’d you get that job?!

Pam:  In the old building, the receptionist desk was right next to the changing room, where the daily fit session was. One day, the team was looking for someone who was a size small and asked if I would try on a few garments. Then it became more and more frequent and the team asked if I could be the official fit model.

Taylor: I have been a website model for TLU for multiple years. When they were searching for a fit model I thought it would be a fun gig! I started coming into the office a few times a week just for “fit session.” It turned into me becoming a TLU employee, and now I am here for fit session whenever they need me!

Pam (right) tries on a custom costume, also shown  on our mannequin forms (left). 

Out of all the costumes you’ve tried on, what was your favorite?

Pam:  There have been so many fun costumes over the past 4 years, it’s hard to pin point a particular one!  It’s always fun to see the crazy concepts that the high kick teams come up with- there’s always a theme! Or whenever I got to try on a dress with a long, flowy skirt- I usually have to turn and/or dance in it to see how it moves (sometimes the account managers take a video to send to the customer to let them know how it’s moving)- a mid-day dance party!

Taylor: My favorite costumes to try on are all the pro teams! It is so fun to watch these costumes on TV, and then have them on in real life! I feel like a star! J Theme costumes are a treat too! Examples: Dorothy, Cleopatra, Where’s Waldo, 80’s workout, Rock star, and even a dress with the skyline of New York sublimated on the front, BEAUTIFUL!

Do you have any funny stories or costume mishaps during fit session?

Pam:  Walking out with a costume on backwards- that’s a small brief on the booty when it’s on wrong!

There was a week when I had to try on swim suits- one day, there was a group getting a tour of the office. I walked out (it was winter time) in a tiny bikini in the middle of our office. Welcome to The Line Up!

Taylor:  Funny things happen on the daily during fit session!

• There’s always a few Child sized costumes they want me to squeeze into, that’s always interesting!
• Definitely have put leggings, dresses, and leotards on backwards without even realizing it!
• I am very ticklish so whenever they are trying to adjust a costume on me I can’t help but giggle!
• One time our owner Deb was adjusting a pro style top on me. She pulled it down a little too far and the designers got a little show! We could not stop laughing!! They have literally seen it all.

Pam tries on West Fargo's custom unitard, and the product develpment and customer service team discusses the fit.

Any advice for an aspiring model or fit model? What can you expect?

Pam:  Something I learned over time is GIVE FEEDBACK. If it feels extra tight somewhere, be sure to tell the designers. I remember one particular garment that was really difficult to get in to. I found a way so I thought it was fine. If I would’ve mentioned it to the designers that first day, we could’ve fixed it immediately and wouldn’t have had to go back and forth with the customer once they had their girls try it on. Since then, I always let the designers know how easy/hard it is to get into a garment!

Taylor: Definitely ALWAYS give feedback. The designers want to know everything so that their customer is happy with the final product! Be open to try on anything :) Being a fit model has made me so much more aware of how clothing should fit. It has made me a very picky costumer.

Any other fun tid-bits?

Pam:  Make sure you have thick skin- every now and then you might feel a little poke of a pin! Haha!

Taylor: It is so fun playing dress up every day!! I absolutely love trying on sparkly girly things! A few tips: never be embarrassed, like I said the designers have seen everything! It is okay to laugh at yourself and a poke of a pin every now and then will just make you stronger!

You can catch Taylor at her day job as our receptionist and lovely voice on the telephone!  When Pam's not busy teaching dance at her studio, raising her son and two bulldogs, or leading Matrixx Pro, she also works in our sales and marketing departments!