A few weeks ago, a reader asked about tips for altering a suit. As often happens, this great question came up in the comments section of a post.
Of course, if possible, I always recommend buying a suit that fits properly off the rack. Minor adjustments to the jacket’s waist or the length of the trousers can make a significant difference.
Previously, I shared advice on how to buy a suit if you plan to alter it and some possible modifications. Today, I want to highlight some important tips for this process. If I miss anything, please add your thoughts in the comments.
1. Avoid Cutting Buttonholes
Buttonholes on the jacket sleeves are one of the biggest challenges when altering a suit. If they are functional (meaning the fabric has been cut to allow buttons to pass through), the sleeves can only be shortened or lengthened to a limited extent before they start to look awkward. The buttons will either be too close to or too far from the end of the sleeve.
This is why bespoke suits often have only two buttonholes. This means you can adjust the sleeve length if you pass the suit down to your son or nephew. Of course, you can also alter the sleeves from the shoulder, but this is more expensive, more complicated (and easier for a bad tailor to mess up), and impossible on a patterned jacket.
So, when buying a suit that needs alterations, check if all the buttonholes have been cut. Ideally, one or two of them should not be cut. If you have the option to pass the suit on to someone else, leave one or two buttonholes uncut.
2. Bring Something You Like
Style-wise, altering a suit is almost as challenging as tailoring one. How narrow do you want the trousers? How short do you want the sleeves?
A simple way to guide your tailor is to bring a jacket you like. This gives them a good sense of the desired fit and helps them understand why you think the sleeves are narrow when they’re actually not. Perhaps the lapels are too wide for your taste, but this might be more about the narrow shoulders.
Another good idea is to remember the measurements you like, whether they are numerical or shorthand. For example, I know that the jacket sleeves should always stop at my wrist, while shirt sleeves should stop at the base of my thumb. My trousers’ size is 18-15—18 inches at the knee and 15 inches at the hem. If you like your history, remembering these numbers is not difficult.
3. Know Which Brands Have Good Seam Allowance
If you want to make any part of a suit larger, you need seam allowance—extra material inside the seams that allows them to be let out.
The amount of seam allowance can vary significantly between different brands. There are countless ways for brands to cut costs, and reducing seam allowance is one of them. You might not think it would save any money, but over thousands of suits, it does.
There’s no easy way to check the amount of seam allowance, but if you have a suit altered and it has good seam allowance, remember that. (If anyone has encountered brands with poor seam allowance, please let us know.)
4. Don’t Overdo It
Altering and tailoring clothes is great. It can make you look better and feel better. But don’t overdo it.
Typically, you can reduce a jacket’s waist by four inches before the overall look starts to change fundamentally. Ideally, you shouldn’t go beyond two to three inches, but this varies with style.
When considering how much to alter a jacket, look at its side from top to bottom—from the shoulder, through the waist, to the bottom of the skirt. That should be a smooth, elegant line. Changing too much—or pinching the waist too sharply—will disrupt this line.
5. Alter the Waist and Legs, Not Shoulders and Waistband
A reader mentioned this in a previous post, but it’s worth repeating. When you have to choose between trousers that fit the waist and those that fit the legs, choose the former. (Similarly, choose a jacket that fits the shoulders rather than the waist.)
Think about what’s easiest to alter. The waist of trousers is much more complicated than the legs. There are curved seams, linings, and pockets that can look odd. The legs are just long seams.
