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Suiting Myths Part 3

A while back, Katie 1 told you about her fashion disaster. At 5’4”, perhaps that tall suit wasn’t such a great idea. But this foray down memory lane gave us a great idea for our next common suiting myth: a tailor can fix anything.

Fact: tailors are miracle workers. Katie 2 has seem some miraculous work on some pretty janky bridesmaid dresses that turned out to be downright flattering when nipped and tucked in the right places. And there have been many a pieces that didn’t fit quite as well after a few pounds appeared overnight and a tailor was able to let out just a bit to keep that classic piece in rotation a while longer. But not everything can be saved. We want to take this opportunity to not only let you know that a tailor can’t fix some things, but also let you know what can be done so if you fall in love with something that doesn’t fit quite right or if you find an amazing deal at Nordstrom Rack/Good Will/eBay, you may be able to snag it. [Note: We do plan to have an entire post dedicated to using a tailor to score some amazing deals on eBay, so this is just an introduction. Come back later to learn more!]  With this post, we hope to let you know what can/cannot be fixed with the help of a good tailor. 

Things that can be fixed:
Generally things that don’t affect the structure of the garment can be fixed.  Think hemming pants/skirts and taking in pants & skirts. Because we like lists, here’s our list of easy fixes that most tailors can do:  
  • Skirts/Pants should fit the biggest part of you. Gaping waistbands are fixable
  • Hemlines are fixable (this applies to skirts, pants, and dresses)
Things that are trickier to fix:
  • Long sleeves on a jacket COULD be fixable. Something to note: if there is a detail on the cuff (usually buttons), this gets a little tricky. The best tailors will shorten a sleeve from the top, not the bottom to preserve those details. HOWEVER, if the sleeve of the jacket fits or is even remotely tight on your arm, this won’t work because by pulling up the sleeve from the top, the tailor is cutting away the roomiest part. Note that this is what caused Katie 1’s fashion disaster so proceed with caution. 
  • Dresses… depending on what alterations are needed.  If a dress just needs to be hemmed, that’s an easy fix (see above).  If it needs to be taken in, that’s another story, especially depending on the structure of the dress and the experience of your tailor.  Proceed with caution. 
  • Things that are more than 2 sizes too big or too small. No matter how good of a deal the item may be, the further it is from your normal size, the trickier the alterations.
Things that absolutely cannot be fixed:
  • Button stance. Katie 2 plans to write a post on finding a jacket that fits you. Just know that the salesperson who says you can move a button vertically is an idiot.
  • Jackets more than 2 sizes too big or too small.   The alterations to the structure of the garment are just too much at this point. 
  • Any other alterations that significantly alter the structure of the garment.  Unless it’s a wedding dress being altered by an extremely talented and experienced tailor or seamstress do not try it.  Ever.  It just won’t work. 
The moral of the story? Just because you found a beautiful navy Armani suit at a great price doesn’t mean you should buy it. 
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