Australian Members - Page 1657

Not at all. It makes perfect sense, but I also understand that some people (indeed often myself) like to do all their research online or are simply used to doing so. I've seen the question regarding Nahkle a few times, it would be helpful for someone to make a wiki page on MTM and bespoke shirting options.

 

There also clearly needs to be a wiki page on tailors for alterations and shoe repair in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, those questions are starting to get to me.

 

Great, thanks El Quag. Any tips for first timer? 

Touche. + Reviews. 

Sorry, wasn't meant to be a dig. I don't believe the repetition of questions happens because of anyone's laziness or ineptitude. It's usually because there's not a simple place for such questions to be answered and searching through this forum isn't exactly practical.

I meant that instead of a slit for the single /centre vent it was an inverted pleat.

I have seen the "action back/shoulders" done as a single action pleat in the middle. You see a lot of variations in this stuff on the new motor bike jackets and technical hiking and bike jackets as well as casual stuff like the M65 and similar type jackets. Its just not all that often seen here in more "tailored" or business stuff.

Hi gents, would appreciate the opinions of people with experience in the matter of sleeve shortening.

I've not had jacket sleeves shortened before, and I have some reservations about the work I've had done recently. These are non-functioning cuffs, and while they seem to have done a decent job on the actual shortening and finishing of the sleeve itself, the treatment of the cuff buttons concerns me. Basically they've simply removed them all, plus the fake buttonhole stitching, then sewn them all back on further up, straight through the lining and all. No new 'buttonholes' and you can faintly see still where the old ones were. They also pressed partial creases in to ends of the sleeves in the process, which shouldn't be there.

Creasing aside, is all this to be expected? I would have assumed that new fake buttonholes would have been added and the buttons reattached while the lining was detached from the sleeve for the shortening. Not replacing them and then sewing buttons right through the re-attached lining seems a rather sloppy job to me, but perhaps this is normal practice when shortening sleeves?

 

As a short man, who always has to have his sleeves taken up, I've never had this happen.

 

My tailor removes the button if necessary (non-functional obviously!), and removes the excess fabric (she made fold it back into the sleeve, and trim the excess from there, I'm not sure) and then reattaches the inner lining so the OTR proportion of cloth to lining remains the same post tailoring. If say it's a 4 button and she removes the lattermost button, she'll then reattach it to make it the highest button, but will stitch in a button hole and bring the cuff up as well, so the button is sitting properly, not past the actual slit in the sleeve cuff. Or if there's no room and I agree beforehand, we may make it a 3-button sleeve. 

 

Sorry for the poor explanation, but basically she does all that work so the look is the same, it's just shorter. Now that I think about it, it might actually be easier for her to shorten from the shoulder, but I'm sure it isn't. 

 

If there was a place in melb that shortened from the shoulder you may be better off going there - then they can't muck up the sleeves. But that's obviously more expensive, so. 

It is normal practice. I hate it when the button is sewn straight through the lining. The cost is $40-$45 vs $75-$85($85 you will also get functional button hole- no point paying $10 less for fake button hole).
I have to do major alteration on all my jackets(waist, chest and sleeves taken in as well as shorten sleeves). I pay $150 flat rate . If the jacket has functional button hole the tailor shorten them form the shoulder. At no extra cost. He hates it but that’s the price we agreed on and I bring jackets to him on regular basis.

If memory serves me correct centre vents were the norm on most suits and jackets dating from the 1940's and 1950's. The suits I owned from that period all had centre vents and came with reverse pleat trousers. As for pleats personally they suit my physique and I find them better to wear when stuck behind a desk and monitor for hours on end each day.

As md said most tailors won't reattach fake buttonholes under the lining unless asked. It's obviously easier to do it this way so that is their default, and IMO not a huge deal. The "scars" for want of a better word of where the original buttons were removed would probably concern me more (especially if the fabric is a delicate one and/or a light colour). It is to be unavoidable however, and short of magic I'm not sure there is a way to remove bottonhole stitiching without leaving some sort of mark. Because of this, depending on the length I need shortened/lengthened (mostly the latter) I instruct the tailor to take the hem of the sleeve up/down and leave the buttons in position (whether working or not). Having the buttons ~1cm or so closer or further away from the sleeve end is barely noticeable, and better than the possible complications of moving the buttons and buttonholes. Also much cheaper than from-the-shoulder alterations which may risk throwing out the balance of the sleeves.

As for the creases, if this is a new suit then they should press out, and the tailor should have done this when they shortened the sleeves originally. You might take it back to them and ask that they do it for you if it's not too late, or have a go at it yourself at home. Though if you've had the sleeves shortened the crease would be on the inside of the sleeve (?) so not as bad as if you had them lengthened and the creases were on the outside.

I think we may be talking cross purposes. I was referring to pleats in the jacket rather than the pants, in lieu of vents. Here is a tweed side pleated "action back" jacket:



There are also centre pleat versions (I always thought they were called action backs as well but am happy to be corrected) where the pleat runs down the central seam of the back of the jacket. E.g.:

I know winter is months away but I have been in need of a peacoat so after due consideration I just pulled the pin on this http://www.jcrew.com/AST/Navigation/Sale/AllProducts/PRDOVR~87195/99102109462/ENE~1+2+3+22+4294967294+20~15~~20+16+4294967181~15~~~~~~~/87195.jsp

 

Let us know how you like it. I did something similar at the end of last year and got a US Navy peacoat from the year I was born (from the original owner although apart from the label, it actually looked brand new when I got it). I'm looking forward to the colder months!

Aren't we all...the summers here are getting worse (hotter and hotter).

After the non existent summers of the past two year I am loving the heat, well mind you that 45c the other day was the pits but thankfully a good (few) GnT helps. Oh and my vegetable garden has gone berserk in the heat.

Also thinking of this for winter http://www.northseaclothing.co.uk/ not sure of the submariner or the explorer?