Altering length of a jacket

[younglaw]

I normally take a S, but in terms of sales it is much easier to get a R. Opinions of altering the length of the jacket? Could I get away with taking 2" off? 3"?

I know it varies tailor to tailor, but general idea what it might cost me? (To give a general idea of pricing, shortening jeans at my tailor costs $20-25).

 

[jlluch]

it's more expensive than shortening jeans ($80 range). anything more than .75" to 1" isn't worth it because it throws off the jacket (pocket placing and such).

 

[ProfessorShak]

I tried it once and I can only tell you to be VERY CAREFUL. Taking off too much just wouldn't look right. I ended up selling the jacket because even after taking off 1 inch in length and in the sleeves the rest of the jacket looked disproportioned.

 

[Captain.Kia]

Originally Posted by ProfessorShak

I tried it once and I can only tell you to be VERY CAREFUL. Taking off too much just wouldn't look right. I ended up selling the jacket because even after taking off 1 inch in length and in the sleeves the rest of the jacket looked disproportioned.
How would the sleeves look disproportioned if you shortened them too?

 

[younglaw]

Ok, thanks for the info. You saved me from screwing up a jacket and wasting money

 

[ProfessorShak]

Originally Posted by Captain.Kia

How would the sleeves look disproportioned if you shortened them too?

It's not the sleeves that looked disprop but something about the jacket itself as a whole. The location of the pockets and where it wraps the waist as well as the buttons.

When they make Long jackets, I don't think they just add an inch to the sleeves and length but in a way stretch the entire jacket. I spend $80 on that alteration and was sadly disappointed.

 

[SK8]

I shortened one of my jackets by .75 and was very disappointed. The end result was a jacket that was out of balance. The button placement and pocket placement did not look right.

 

[rdawson808]

It all depends.

Do you have a good tailor?
How will the pockets look? That's usually the deciding factor.
Button stance?

I have jackets that have easily been shortened 1.5". I also have a jacket that I put on the other day and my first reaction was "ah, ****, I had it shortened too much--how did I not notice this." Hopefully it was just the angle of the mirror.

Have your tailor pin it, then decide for yourself how it looks. Of course when you first try on the jacket in the store, you can get a bit of an idea.

b

 

[Gus]

I have had two jackets shortened. They cost $125 per at one of the better tailors in San Francisco. The jackets were longs and I had them shortened about 1 1/4 inch. They turned out great.


-The button stance was good so shortening didn't hurt a bit.
-they both had patch pockets that the tailor moved up. Visually that made everything look "right"
-being longs, their extra length seemed to be in the lower torso, so taking them up a bit didn't throw off the proportions.

 

[jtang]

Originally Posted by pocketsquareguy

I have had two jackets shortened. They cost $125 per at one of the better tailors in San Francisco. The jackets were longs and I had them shortened about 1 1/4 inch. They turned out great.


-The button stance was good so shortening didn't hurt a bit.
-they both had patch pockets that the tailor moved up. Visually that made everything look "right"
-being longs, their extra length seemed to be in the lower torso, so taking them up a bit didn't throw off the proportions.

Regarding this, if it's a 2 button suit where should the top button be for a good button stance?

I have a L that I'm planning on shortening as well and I'm not sure where the button placement should be. Right now I believe it is a little above my navel.

 

[Gus]

Originally Posted by jtang

Regarding this, if it's a 2 button suit where should the top button be for a good button stance?

I have a L that I'm planning on shortening as well and I'm not sure where the button placement should be. Right now I believe it is a little above my navel.

It is very hard to say without seeing on you. You really want it to look good on you. That is the most important rule of thumb.

 

[zalb916]

It's a very expensive project, costing between $100 to $200 from a quality tailor. You can rarely get more than half to one inch without it looking funny. Even if you do have enough distance between the pockets and buttons and the hem to chop off an inch without it looking weird, then everything else will just look off. The chest pockets, hip pockets, and buttons will all be too low, and everything will be out of balance.

It can be done, but I recommend against.

 

[TRINI]

I've had it done but by no more than 1/2" and even then, the max amount that I was willing to lop off was determined by whether the distance from the top of the pocket to the hem would meet or exceed 9.5" post-alteration.

 

[HRoi]

i just stared at pocketsquareguy's avatar for a whole 3 minutes


this thread saved me from ruining a jacket i had bought online (mistakenly) in an L. guess i'll just wear it the way it is or sell it

 

[ProfessorShak]

Originally Posted by HRoi

i just stared at pocketsquareguy's avatar for a whole 3 minutes


this thread saved me from ruining a jacket i had bought online (mistakenly) in an L. guess i'll just wear it the way it is or sell it

SELL IT!!

When I bought an L Jacket by mistake, Pre-SF I figured what the hell. I was told several times I looked like a clown. SF has tought me that I MUST stress the importance of FIT. "If it doesn't fit, you must aquit"