Can you make my suit fit better?
Absolutely I can. A well fitted suit is very important and it is one of the jobs that I do best.
Most suit jackets and dress pants are made to be altered. Like I’ve mentioned in the past, very few of us fit perfectly into off the rack clothing and suit manufacturers know this so they usually make allowances for it. Having said that, there are, of course, limits to what can be done and how easily I can achieve your fitting goal.
Here are some things to consider:
Bigger/longer/larger is limited.
The shoulders are untouchable
Pockets are a limiting factor
Style and fashion are always changing
Let’s look at each of these in a bit more detail.
There is rarely any extra fabric within sleeves or trunks of jackets making it very hard to make them bigger or longer. I can usually squeeze a centimetre or two out of the waist measurement of a jacket and I can make sleeves a bit longer by adding a new piece inside the cuff but that is about it.
Pants are often made to be adjusted both in and out, which is nice. I can usually make them up to four centimetres bigger around your waist and a couple of centimetres bigger around your thighs (for all the cyclists out there).
It is not worth messing around with the shoulders of a jacket, they are measured and made very early in the jacket construction process and they usually do not survive being taken apart and rebuilt. It is also hard to match the armscye (arm hole) with the sleeve head when alterations are made.
Get a jacket that fits your shoulders!
Many jackets and pants have double welt pockets and they definitely cannot be moved. Altering the size and shape of a jacket or pants will affect where those pockets now sit and it could cause them to look out of place, or a bit silly. Because of this there are limitations to how much alteration can be done.
We’ve all watched The West Wing and seen the boxy, flowing suits that were fashionable in the 90s and today most people, and designers, are going for a much tighter, snugger fit for their suits. This means that if you have a suit from decades gone by then bring it to me and let’s chat about what I can do before you rush out for a fresh, snug new suit.
Drop into the shop with your suit, new or old, to discuss what you’d like to do and what is possible.
