Jian Yichi inherited a tailor shop left by his father. On the very first day, he measured a customer wrongly: the sleeves were a section too long, and the trouser legs were a section too short. Instead, after wearing them, the customer felt it was convenient to move around and became a repeat customer. He made the wealthy benefactor's wife's skirt into an apron. After the wife wore it, the apron was mistaken for a new style of skirt, and noble ladies all over the city followed suit. He made the county magistrate's official uniform into a costume. The county magistrate wore it to attend court, and was praised by the emperor as "creative." Jian Yichi said that this skill of his relies entirely on mistakes.