How much can a suit be altered?
From a second hand buying perspective, how extensively can a suit be altered, assuming a good tailor is doing the work? How close does it need to be to your actual measurements? I don't know how much extensive tailoring costs, but it seems like it might still be worth it for an otherwise out of price range suit.
3 Replies
depends on the suit and alterations needed
you can't really make a suit bigger and you can only realistically make a suit 1 or 2 sizes smaller before it messes with the structure of the suit
the most notable thing is you can't widen the shoulders of a suit jacket, so it's worth taking the time to find one that fits at the shoulder and passing up ones that don't even if it's a good deal
I am not an expert by any means, but what I have learned so far is:
Jackets:
Shortening or lengthening sleeves: easy (usually), common
Taking in or letting out the chest/belly: fairly easy
Shortening: fairly easy, but too much will make it look weird (pockets and buttons will be too low)
Making shoulders narrower: hard, expensive.
Pants:
Hemming or cuffing pants: easy
Adjusting waist size: fairly easy
https://putthison.com/a-basic-guide-on-alterations/
https://putthison.com/q-and-answer-how-much-can-my-clothes-be-altered/
https://putthison.com/makeitbigger/
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