Sport Coat Alterations - 44L to 42L

Hi, I've spent the last few months lurking these forums and finally joined a few weeks ago and this will be my first thread. I don't know very much about tailoring and alterations, especially concerning more complicated work than just hemming pants or sleeves, so I'm hoping someone in the forum can help me out.

I was given a number of really beautiful Burberry sport coats by an older friend who put on a significant amount of weight and has pretty much resigned himself to his new size. They're 44L's and I wear a 42L generally. 42L is a perfect fit in the the 2 Burberry sport coats I have already. My question is, can they be altered to fit me? My jackets usually have to be taken in a little at the sides b/c I have an athletic fit. And if it is possible, is it something that will be worthwhile for the price? I have a great tailor here in DC that I trust and I'll probably end up taking them in and seeing what he says, but I wanted to pose the question to members of the group here, to see if it's worth my time.

Thanks!

Originally Posted by KJT

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Hi, I've spent the last few months lurking these forums and finally joined a few weeks ago and this will be my first thread. I don't know very much about tailoring and alterations, especially concerning more complicated work than just hemming pants or sleeves, so I'm hoping someone in the forum can help me out.

I was given a number of really beautiful Burberry sport coats by an older friend who put on a significant amount of weight and has pretty much resigned himself to his new size. They're 44L's and I wear a 42L generally. 42L is a perfect fit in the the 2 Burberry sport coats I have already. My question is, can they be altered to fit me? My jackets usually have to be taken in a little at the sides b/c I have an athletic fit. And if it is possible, is it something that will be worthwhile for the price? I have a great tailor here in DC that I trust and I'll probably end up taking them in and seeing what he says, but I wanted to pose the question to members of the group here, to see if it's worth my time.

Thanks!

I have had it done. I lost a good bit of weight a while back and was buying 44L off the rack when I was heavier and 42L now. I had a few jackets reduced in size because I didn't want to give them up.

BUT...

It is relatively expensive to do. My tailor cut down the shoulder width, took in the chest and back through the seams and armholes and in a couple of cases reduced the length slightly. It cost me about $250 per jacket to have it done. Three of them were dinner jackets that I didn't want to replace and a couple more were sports coats/blazers that I was fond of.

I'd say that of the five I had done, four came out good and one was disappointing. I consider my tailor to be outstanding. He is the head tailor at a very high-end men's store here in Dallas and does some work on the side. He is extremely talented and experienced.

I wouldn't trust this to some storefront alterations tailor...they may not even accept the work.

Good luck.

Reducing the shoulder size of a jacket is a question that comes up time-to-time on SF. A search should turn up at least a half-dozen or so. What you'll likely find is that the majority of SFers will recommend against it, but there will be a few that claim to have done it and the results were quite satisfactory.

From my own experience: probably not. Last year I went the opposite direction as your friend, losing 30-40 pounds and getting into better shape, winding up at a solid 42R, down from the 44R I had been wearing for the past 5+ years. I didn't have a lot of 44R jackets, but did have one sport coat that I really enjoyed wearing when it was the proper size. Since I really liked the color, pattern and material (wool/silk blend) I took it to my tailor to see if it could be altered down.

Before doing this, I had read all the arguments for and against on SF, so I didn't go with high expectations of it being doable. My tailor described what would have to be changed and where the difficulties lay therein. I also brought one of my newer 42R jackets that fit me really well so he could use that as a target model for the 44R. He was able to better articulate where he would have to change the 44R and in what ways it would differ from the 42R jacket. Also, he politely pointed out that the 44R wasn't exactly the highest quality garment to begin with such that the cost of altering it would probably be 1/3-1/2 the price of buying a new one at full retail, or close to the same price on a good sale. In the end, I found a friend of mine who wears a 44R and will be giving it to him next week if the fit is good.

I can see how starting with an initial cost of $0 makes it hard to pass them up, but if the altering doesn't pan out, then you just spent probably a few hundred on ill-fitting jackets.

So, talk to your tailor and ask a lot of questions. It might work out for you, but I would recommend caution and skepticism.

Thank you both for the quick and informative answers. That's pretty much what I was expecting to hear, but it's nice to have your thoughts confirmed by people who have been there before. The tailor I go to is quite good (anyone in DC know this place? http://www.chevychasecustomtailors.com/) - my father actually has some mtm suits from him, so I'm sure he can handle the work, it's just whether or not it's worth it.

I guess another question is, how much could I sell several basically brand new Burberry sport coats for? They're definitely very nice jackets (at least to me)...

I have heard of chevy chase custom tailors but didnt try them out.....I have used the tailor at the Saks Mens store in Chevy Chase, Filomena I think is her name?? She did a great job in trimming up a suit jacket that was botched by another tailor.

Originally Posted by KJT

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I guess another question is, how much could I sell several basically brand new Burberry sport coats for? They're definitely very nice jackets (at least to me)...

I don't have any first-hand experience buying/selling via this forum or eBay or the like, but I'm guessing it won't be a whole lot per jacket. From what I've seen, "new with tags" for lables like Ralph Lauren Purple Label, Canali, Corneliani, and other makers that will be considered higher-end than Burberry go for 100s of $. If the Burberry jackets are worn, or not even with tags and all, I'd imagine they will be significantly discounted by the marketplace.

If you're considering selling, browse through eBay, the buying & selling area of this forum, and even Bluefly and Sierra Trading Post to get an idea of price points; since prospective buyers are probably monitoring all those as well and will be comparing your offerings to them.

When you take the jackets to your tailor, if the alterations turn out to not be such a good idea, perhaps they can consign them for you, or suggest someone who can.

Cheers and good luck.

Thanks for the help everyone. Looks like I've got some options to pursue.