Seamstress initially having skill and independence in exam about tailoring (9)
I believe the answer is:
sartorial
'about tailoring' is the definition.
(relating to clothing or tailoring)
'seamstress initially having skill and independence in exam' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite see how this works, but
'skill' could be 'art' (both can mean a talent) and 'art' is located in the answer.
'independence' could be 'i' and 'i' is located in the answer.
'exam' could be 'oral' (spoken academic test) and 'oral' is found within the leftover letters.
A single letter 's' remains which might be clued in a way I don't understand.
This explanation may well be incorrect...
(Other definitions for sartorial that I've seen before include "Styled" , "About tailoring men's clothes, may possess elegance" , "Relating to tailoring" , "Pertaining to dress" , "for a fitting person" .)