help, new suit pants have ugly ripples

picked up my new suit from the tailor today. i pointed out the rippling along the inseam and knees, and was told some tapering should fix it. as you can see in the photos, the rippling is still there. what's causing this and how can it be fixed? what instructions should I give the tailor when i take it back to him tomorrow?

thank you for responding, despos. that sounds pretty expensive and time consuming. i need the suit in about a week. could the same thing be done, except by pulling the back material down? do you know of an efficient remedy that may at least get it to look much better in the mean time?

also, there's a thread on another forum where a tailor demonstrated 'ironwork' on a pair of trousers. without the work, the pants had this identical rippling. he explained ironworking contours the shape of the pants to match the legs. it seemed like this is something that's done during construction. could it be done retroactively?

i appreciate your insight. i will see what he has to say in the morning. he seems to be capable - english trained master tailor from the caribbean who's had a shop in the affluent neighborhood of my city for several decades now. he did wonders on the jacket. i only wish he would've suggested doing what you've explained when i initially took my suit in three wks ago.

that is a bit disconcerting, because i did specifically request that he address this. i didn't know better, but he said tapering would mitigate the problem. 3 weeks and $136 later, 4 of 5 problems solved. thanks to you though, i understand what actually needs to be done now.

for the most part, yes. it's like magic! haha! would it be okay for me to copy & paste your suggestions on an another forum? i think many men can benefit from your advice.

in his defense, i believe the gentleman is simply used to old money seniors and lawyers, and their trad senses. there is a huuuuuge military population, but rarely does a soldier have his class a uniform tailored. i see horribly fitted suits and boring fabrics everyday. my initial visit with him took maybe 10 minutes. although i explained what i wanted, i will admit i wasn't as assertive as one should be with a tailor. i also lacked the experience and vocabulary to convey my point of view. like you said, despo, he probably didn't want to come off as being shady. he is well up there in age as well and works alone in a busy shop, so maybe he didn't want to create extra work for himself. i kinda sensed he was just going about his usual business for 99% of his clients who are conservative and apathetic as far as sartorial style is concerned. i spent the good part of an hour with him this morning. i made sure to be vey clear about what i wanted. i think once he understood i didn't want to look like a 70 year old retired judge or a 30 something attorney, he seemed to become extremely receptive and even excited. several measurements were taken, bits of the suit were pinned, reviewed and discussed by both of us, repinned, etc. i also asked him to educate me during the process, and he happily obliged. he asked me at one point if i watch the show 'white collar'. when i said yes, he began remarking about how much he appreciated the main character's tailoring. we both got the same page then.

i liken this situation to a tattoo artist who apprenticed with the best and had over fifty years of experience, but got regulated to doing trendy stars and butterflies. they eventually grow disillusioned and complacent. every artist, and i consider tailors to be artists, wants to progress and exhibit the full range of their abilities. i like to think i gained his respect for wanting some contemporary style, and reinvigorated the old man's passion for his craft.

he is completely deconstructing the pants for me and basically remaking them to be a proper slim fit. i'm having him suppress the jacket waist a bit more to compliment my torso better as well. he "didn't want me to have to come back in to have it let out in a year if i gained weight" the first time. i assured him there's no way that would ever happen and want it to fit perfectly now. haha! everything else turn need out fine. i'm going back wednesday for another fitting before everything is finished up. i'll let y'all know how it goes.
Edited by tbell ncsu - 9/3/11 at 10:13am

you're welcome, and i certainly hope so. he truly is pleasant gentleman. btw, despos, i'm awaiting your permission to forward your assessment to an identical thread i created on another forum. a poster there seems to have taken objection, assuming I was discounting what you had to say. i explained to him the threads were made simultaneously and that i simply wanted to maximize exposure. i hope you didn't misinterpret that as well and took offense.

i picked up the suit from the tailor wednesday, and i was still dissatisfied. he did tapered the jacket waist a little more, but not as much as i asked. it didn't even look like he touched the pants at all! i wanted to give him another chance, but y'all were right. i shouldn't have gone back to him. he offered to work on the pants some more, but i lost confidence in him. i need the suit for saturday, so there was no way i was going to waste anymore time or energy on someone so stubborn, especially with a much as he charged.

luckily, i was able to find a sweet, old korean lady late thursday afternoon. i explained to her the problem and offered y'all's suggestions. she immediately pointed out there was just too much cloth in the seat. she pinned some material and asked me about the comfort. i moved around and it was fine, so i gave her the go ahead. i also asked her to reduce the hem from a full break to a medium break. she pointed out the hem wasn't angled back too (another thing the original tailor failed at). although she was busy, she looked out for me and had my pants ready this morning! needless to say, i was vey pleased with what she accomplished overnight instead of the three weeks the other gentleman had.

nevermind the slight wedgie. i had the back of the trousers sitting slightly higher than i'll be wearing it. the rear drape is almost perfect imo. i think undoing the tapering behind the knees the first tailor needlessly did will make it better.