Water to Wine: How I Alter Thrift Finds - Page 3

Funny you should say this, I find myself trying very hard to justify my efforts. Truth be told, as soon as I can afford not to alter my own clothes, I won't. I enjoy wearing the clothes I've altered enough to keep doing it, but it isn't anything that relaxes me or something I do to unwind. I do it because it is currently the only way to get the look I want.

I felt compelled to clear this up, I would have no idea where to begin making a shirt. I simply stand on the shoulders of shirt makers and do fittings. To make I shirt, I would need to know how to make seams, assemble a collar, cuffs, and placket and a considerable amount of other abilities. In this regard, I applaud anyone who is making their own clothes from scratch! I would equate it to the difference between painting a shed, and building one.

I don't know what compelled me to pick this HUGE Land's End shirt for my first post on the topic but I would be happy to show the four or five other shirts that I've altered that didn't have the same shoulder problem this shirt did. Actually, quite a few of the shirts I've altered have been so close to fitting me, I almost couldn't justify doing it. In those cases I was removing 1/2 inch from each side rather than four inches from each side. When I find the time, I'll post some pictures.

I need to come to your thrift shops! Get myself out of Land's End Land

The alternationist is a local in my college town. (To answer another's question) I obtained the apprenticeship by going into different shops until someone was willing to take me on out of the goodness of their heart. No money was exchanged. As for your jacket, I don't feel qualified to advise. I was also scared off from projects beyond basic OCBD's and chinos/jeans. In those situations I find it best to stick to someone with years experience or leave it on the rack if it doesn't fit right off.

In hopes of getting the thread back on track, I want to agree with Cool the Kid (and all others who have made the point) that the shirt is too large in the shoulders. There are three elements that can be altered relatively easily in a shirt, the circumference of the torso at waist and chest, the opening of the armholes and lastly the taper of the sleeves. These three elements are easily altered without any real deconstruction of the shirt. With this in mind it is important to pick a shirt that fits correctly in three key places: 1.) the collar 2.) the shoulders and 3.) sleeve length. To alter any one of these three takes a great deal more investment of time, energy and know-how. For this reason, when I go thrift shopping I often pay attention to make sure the three "unchangeable" elements are as they should be. I didn't, however, learn this lesson until after I did this shirt. This shirt allowed me to realize the importance of proper shoulder and collar fit (I have long arms so that element is rarely an issue). Unfortunately, out of all the shirts I could have picked to use as the model for this thread, I picked the one with huge shoulders. I have since altered a number of Land's End, Gap, Fossil (cheap thrift shirts) that fit in the three key elements and the results have been encouraging. Perhaps I will post a few of those pictures to demonstrate the possibility of a great looking shirt post-alteration if the first three elements are in place.

I have also started altering summer short sleeve OCBD's and the results there have also been encouraging. I will post pictures of these as well.

When I first started altering, there didn't exist a resource on StyleForum for such an interest. The intent of this thread was to establish a resource for newcomers built on a body of knowledge I had to learn through YouTube videos, apprenticeships, books and web articles. I hope it can still be a resource for those interested.