Is it possible to reduce shoulder padding?

[darkoak]

I have a suit that have just a bit too much shoulder padding that what I prefer. Would it be possible to have a tailor reduce the padding somehow? How expensive would something like this be?

 

[Manton]

It's possible. I don't know what it will cost you. The sleeves will have to be removed and then re-set. If the sleeveheads are handsewn, that's a good amount of labor, and it won't be cheap. Plus, if you take out padding, you change (lower) the slope of the shoulder and potentially throw off the balance of the coat, so a lot of other adjustments are likely going to have to be made. FYI.

 

[BjornH]

I'm interested in this as well. I have a suit that Chuck sold to me few years back that has aircraftcarrier type shoulders. The rest of the suit is fine, although my wive hates db suits on principle. It has hung unused in my closet since, reminding me of the perils of eBay.

B

 

[Carlo]

It's a pretty simple thing typically - your tailor can fix that in 5 minutes. Bjorn - lemme know what it was offline and if you don't want to get the padding reduced we'll swap it for something that works for ya

 

[shqiptar]

Quote:

It's a pretty simple thing typically - your tailor can fix that in 5 minutes.
I don't think so. From my experiences with the tailors, it takes much more time and it requires quite some handwork. The good tailors are reluctant to do it, the cheap ones (IMO they are not tailors) would promise to do a good work, but in the end a carefull eye will notice the difference between that area of the jacket and the other ones. They will not provide the same stitching quality as the original. I've learned from my experiences. I will do my best to buy the most acceptable fitting suit from the beginning, only with minor alterations to do (shortening sleeves, or creating working sleeve button holes).

 

[kabert]

It can definitely be done, but how easily I think depends on how much padding you want removed and how wide the shoulders are relative to your natural shoulder width.

I've had it done several times though and don't recall it being a big deal; however, it was not a case of "aircraft carrier" double-wide 1980s shoulders, it was much more modest.

 

[Manton]

Kabert makes a good point: there is padding, and there is width. Not the same things. If you just want to bring the shoulder down, then the resulting excess cloth can largely be trimmed along the shoulder seam. Not so hard. If you want to bring the width in, then you have to screw with the armsceye, with the chest to waist balance, and possibly with the darts. Much harder.

 

[Carlo]

Depends on whether the shoulder had padding added for the customer or whether it was designed in - I was assuming the former. I've had padding added to my right side after I tore out a few tendons and had a little bit of a slope.... getting that back out is simple. If the jacket had too much to begin with it's different

 

[Brian SD]

It's a pretty simple thing typically - your tailor can fix that in 5 minutes. Bjorn - lemme know what it was offline and if you don't want to get the padding reduced we'll swap it for something that works for ya

That's rediculous. Youre going to start giving eBay sellers a good rap if you don't cut that out.

 

[stache]

I'm not a big fan of shoulder pads. I have taken many out of my jackets and usually I just have to make an adjustment at the nape of the neck. However, I have very broad shoulders so I think the jacket hangs on my body pretty well regardless.