Resizing a suit jacket cost?

Just dropped a suit jacket off at my tailor that needed to brought from a 42 to a 38, and she charged me $200.00. Is this a reasonable price? i have never had to resize a suit before. The shoulders needed to be brought in a pinch, the sleeves shortened, and the length chopped a bit. Just so you know this is a $900 suit that was given to me for free.

That's on the high end of what I'd expect to pay for similar work - but not out of the question. A considerable amount of hours goes into that kind of job. In some ways, while its pricey for you, the tailor doesn't make as much money doing it vs hemming pants or sewing on buttons.

what kind of jacket is it?

Seems on the high side to me.

I recently had two suits tailored

Waist taken in on both
One jacket shortened
Both sleeves shortened and buttons attached
Both pants shortened and cuffed

Plus a sportscoat I had the sleeves shortened

All this for a grand total of $238

Which I know is on the low side and I am a repeat customer, but will give you a comparative perspective.

shoulder alteration is pretty pricey,my tailor once told me it would be $80 to change the shoulders,other parts are cheaper.

I would be more concerned about how good the tailor is than the price. I once had a suit jacket reduced from a 42 to a 40 (in NYC, for about $75), and that barely worked. I read somewhere that it's impossible to alter a suit down two full sizes (i.e., 42 to 38). If it works out for you, tell me the name of the tailor!

Originally Posted by JR88

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I would be more concerned about how good the tailor is than the price. I once had a suit jacket reduced from a 42 to a 40 (in NYC, for about $75), and that barely worked. I read somewhere that it's impossible to alter a suit down two full sizes (i.e., 42 to 38). If it works out for you, tell me the name of the tailor!

I agree with all of this completely. The tailor is the most important factor, regardless of the price, and 42 to a 38 is an extremely difficult task.

she told me "no problem!" and said it was pretty easy just timely, so thats why it was expensive.

I'm going to go out on a limb here and say excellent work is worth paying for.

i hope its excellent work, if she destroys the jacket im not paying. Thats why when she asked if I wanted to pay now or at pickup, I said pickup. duh!

Originally Posted by heynow

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i hope its excellent work, if she destroys the jacket im not paying. Thats why when she asked if I wanted to pay now or at pickup, I said pickup. duh!

You may not pay, but you are out a $900 suit

on the flip side,you are going to lose your jacket,better find a good tailor or sell the suit

Originally Posted by kali77

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You may not pay, but you are out a $900 suit

im not out anything it was free!

I had two jackets recut from 40R to 38R, and the pants recut for $280 in Toronto, by a good tailor.

Originally Posted by heynow

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she told me "no problem!" and said it was pretty easy just timely, so thats why it was expensive.

if a tailor told me "no problem" for changing a jacket from a 42 to a 38 I would be rightfully concerned.

That is a significant decrease. Sure, anyone tailor can do it, but how many can do it and make the suit still look good?

I actually just had that issue with a suit of mine and tried to do the exact same thing; bring it from a 42R to a 38R. The tailor told me to just not even try it and just put the suit aside in case I ever get fat in the future. Not what I was looking for, but it was an honest assessment of what her skills were and I'm happy that she punted the problem rather than over-promising and under-delivering.