• Hi, I am the owner and main administrator of Styleforum. If you find the forum useful and fun, please help support it by buying through the posted links on the forum. Our main, very popular sales thread, where the latest and best sales are listed, are posted HERE

    Purchases made through some of our links earns a commission for the forum and allows us to do the work of maintaining and improving it. Finally, thanks for being a part of this community. We realize that there are many choices today on the internet, and we have all of you to thank for making Styleforum the foremost destination for discussions of menswear.
  • This site contains affiliate links for which Styleforum may be compensated.
  • We would like to welcome House of Huntington as an official Affiliate Vendor. Shop past season Drake's, Nigel Cabourn, Private White V.C. and other menswear luxury brands at exceptional prices below retail. Please visit the Houise of Huntington thread and welcome them to the forum.

  • STYLE. COMMUNITY. GREAT CLOTHING.

    Bored of counting likes on social networks? At Styleforum, you’ll find rousing discussions that go beyond strings of emojis.

    Click Here to join Styleforum's thousands of style enthusiasts today!

    Styleforum is supported in part by commission earning affiliate links sitewide. Please support us by using them. You may learn more here.

Australian Members

Status
Not open for further replies.

DartagnanRed

Senior Member
Joined
Apr 12, 2012
Messages
988
Reaction score
602
Did you think my suggestion was illogical?
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.
 

John Appleseed

Well-Known Member
Joined
Feb 6, 2012
Messages
85
Reaction score
5
$250 is about right.

Depends on the details (specify MOP buttons!), cuff, choice of fabric, number of shirts ordered etc. I would strongly recommend trying the service and ordering one shirt to begin with before making a further commitment.

In my personal experience, since ordering with Charles I have not gone back to off the rack business shirts. He provides a great service and the quality of finished product is superior.

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

John Appleseed

Well-Known Member
Joined
Feb 6, 2012
Messages
85
Reaction score
5
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.
Touche. + Reviews.
 

DartagnanRed

Senior Member
Joined
Apr 12, 2012
Messages
988
Reaction score
602
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.
 

fxh

Distinguished Member
Joined
Jan 9, 2010
Messages
5,153
Reaction score
1,716

Thanks for bringing your customary sagacity!
The centre pleats were quite popular in days gone by I believe. Sort of like an action back but with the pleat in the middle rather than down the sides, though the effect was similar in giving the wearer more freedom of movement. Looks quite good on a tweed jacket (makes sense as I think the pleats were so you could more easily fire your shotgun).


I meant that instead of a **** 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.
 

lennier

Senior Member
Joined
Aug 7, 2010
Messages
670
Reaction score
91
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?
 

PapaRubbery

Senior Member
Joined
Jul 26, 2012
Messages
783
Reaction score
328
Creasing aside, is all this to be expected?

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 **** 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.
 

md2010

Distinguished Member
Joined
Jul 11, 2011
Messages
2,001
Reaction score
867

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?

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.
 
Last edited:

Geoffrey Firmin

Distinguished Member
Joined
Dec 4, 2010
Messages
8,598
Reaction score
4,137

Thanks for bringing your customary sagacity!
The centre pleats were quite popular in days gone by I believe. Sort of like an action back but with the pleat in the middle rather than down the sides, though the effect was similar in giving the wearer more freedom of movement. Looks quite good on a tweed jacket (makes sense as I think the pleats were so you could more easily fire your shotgun).


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.
 

Prince of Paisley

Distinguished Member
Joined
Jan 28, 2009
Messages
4,502
Reaction score
4,181

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 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.
 

Prince of Paisley

Distinguished Member
Joined
Jan 28, 2009
Messages
4,502
Reaction score
4,181

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.


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:

655705


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.:

655707
 

Gerry Nelson

Distinguished Member
Joined
Oct 16, 2011
Messages
7,970
Reaction score
35,328
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...4+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!
 

streetminimal

Senior Member
Joined
Mar 16, 2008
Messages
481
Reaction score
22

Geoffrey Firmin

Distinguished Member
Joined
Dec 4, 2010
Messages
8,598
Reaction score
4,137

I'm looking forward to the colder months!


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?
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Featured Sponsor

How important is full vs half canvas to you for heavier sport jackets?

  • Definitely full canvas only

    Votes: 55 35.5%
  • Half canvas is fine

    Votes: 60 38.7%
  • Really don't care

    Votes: 17 11.0%
  • Depends on fabric

    Votes: 27 17.4%
  • Depends on price

    Votes: 28 18.1%

Forum statistics

Threads
505,186
Messages
10,579,229
Members
223,895
Latest member
amylguardinfo
Top