Fit model: what a fitting is and how the work goes

A model does many kinds of work: castings, magazine shoots, posing in new collections, walking them in shows, or becoming part of how the clothes are made by working fittings.

Ieva Skruzdytė, a model with Supermodels Model Management, has worked fittings for houses such as Valentino, Bottega Veneta, Etro and Pinko. She describes what goes on behind the scenes and how the work differs from one designer to the next.

What is a fit model

A fit model is a person a designer or manufacturer uses to check a garment: its size, whether you can move in it comfortably, how it hangs on the body and how it falls when you walk. In effect, a living mannequin. A fit model has to match the designer's criteria or the manufacturer's specifications, which usually cover height, bust, waist and hip, arm and leg length and shoulder width.

A fit model does more than wear a garment for inspection: the model becomes part of the creative process.

Two kinds of fitting

	Fitting while a collection is made	Fitting before a show or shoot
What happens	Garments are built, corrected and checked on the model	Looks are assigned to models and adjusted
Where	The designer's studio or the house's atelier	The show venue, a studio or a showroom
How long	A few hours to several weeks of daily work	15 minutes to a couple of hours
What counts	Exact measurements, patience, feedback	Your walk, posture and how the look moves
Pay	By the hour or day	Usually included in the show or shoot fee

When models say "I have a fitting tomorrow" they usually mean the second kind: after the casting, the chosen models come in to try the looks, the designer decides who wears what and the seamstresses adjust the clothes. More on castings: model casting: how to prepare.

How a fitting with a designer works

With some designers the model tries on clothes that are already sewn. She shows them to the creative director and the designers, who correct the garment on her body: cutting, pinning, gathering, or removing the piece from the collection altogether.

Other designers work differently. "I especially liked watching a garment being made from nothing, from a plain piece of fabric, directly on me," says Ieva. Plain jumpers, T-shirts and lengths of fabric are cut, pinned, tied and gathered on the model, and that is how shapes and designs are born. "When a garment comes to life on your body in front of you, you feel part of the team and part of the design." A dress can be created on you in an hour; it is then shown to the creative directors and photographed, and the designers discuss which collection it belongs to, whether they have made anything like it before and whether it reflects the brand.

How long the work takes

Hours depend on the house. Sometimes the model is needed for a few hours, sometimes for the whole day on a strict nine-to-six schedule. With other designers there are no set hours: the model works through the night if needed, until the design or the whole collection is finished.

Fit model measurements

A fit model is chosen because their body matches the size the collection is cut for. In a fashion house that is the sample size used for show pieces; at a mass-market brand it is the average customer size. So fit models include tall runway models and people whose measurements simply match the brand's size chart exactly.

• Stability matters most. If your measurements change by half an inch, the garment sits differently and the brand has to find another model.
• More than three measurements are taken. Height, bust, waist, hips, shoulder width, arm and leg length, sometimes neck and thigh.
• There is no single standard. Each brand hires to its own size chart, in every size range, including petite and plus.
• Fit model pay. Fit models are paid by the hour; published rates run from about $75 to $150 an hour depending on the market and the brand.

How to measure yourself accurately is in our clothing size guide, and a composite card is a convenient place to keep your measurements.

What makes a good fit model

• Patience. You stand still for a long time while the garment is pinned.
• Feedback. The designer needs to know whether it pinches, whether you can raise your arms, sit down, take a step.
• Punctuality and discretion. You see a collection nobody else has seen. Take and share pictures only with permission.
• Movement. You are often asked to walk, turn and show how the garment falls. A good walk and posture help; Supermodels teaches both in its model training.

How to prepare for a fitting

1. Wear seamless nude underwear: it does not show under clothes.
2. Bring heels unless your agency says otherwise.
3. Come with clean hair, little make-up and no strong perfume, so you do not mark or scent the clothes.
4. Skip body oil and self-tanner: they stain fabric.
5. Be on time and be ready to wait.
6. If something pinches, pricks or feels wrong, say so calmly and at once.

Pictures from fittings

Ieva shares pictures taken during fittings, from her personal archive.

How to get fit model jobs

Fitting work, like other jobs, comes through an agency. In the fashion capitals designers need many models for fittings before fashion weeks, and these are often a new face's first jobs abroad: you get to know a house from the inside and are seen before the show castings. Brands also hire fit models directly for year-round work on their size ranges. How the contract and payment work is in our guide to the modeling contract. Just starting out? See how to become a model and the Supermodels open call.

Frequently asked questions

What is a fit model?

A fit model is someone a designer or brand uses to check how a garment fits, hangs and moves on a real body, and to say how it feels to wear. The garment is corrected directly on the model.

What measurements does a fit model need?

Measurements that match exactly the size the brand cuts for, and that stay the same. Height, bust, waist, hips, shoulder width and arm and leg length are all taken.

How much do fit models make?

Fit models are paid by the hour. Published rates run from about $75 to $150 an hour, depending on the market and the brand.

How long does a fitting take?

A fitting before a show takes from 15 minutes to a couple of hours. Work on a collection can take the whole day, and late into the night before it is shown.

Is a fitting before a show paid?

It is usually included in the show fee. Work on a collection in the atelier is paid by the hour or day.

What do you wear to a fitting?

Seamless nude underwear, simple clothes that come off easily, and heels. Keep make-up and perfume to a minimum.