Is it worth altering my trousers?

[benecios]

I have 5 pairs of trousers all with widths of 10" or greater at the cuff.They are all very good quality trousers with little wear,my problem is lately I prefer a width of around 8.75" at the cuff.Is it worth taking them to a tailor to get them altered?Will it spoil the whole look of the trouser?My alternative is to probably stick them on ebay and get around £20 for trousers that cost me £150+ and are in as new condition.
I think I will try 1 pair at the tailor first to see how they look but I was just wondering if you had any thoughts or if anyone had done something similiar?

 

[Matt]

why did you buy £150 pants if you didnt like the way they were cut?

 

[benecios]

Beleive it or not they have all been presents from my sister and her husband wears wide leg so she got me the same.I finally got round to telling her the other day and we laughed about it so in future everything sould be fine.
Not that I think this has any relevance whatsoever to my original post,so do you have any input or did you just want to have a dig?

 

[Millerp]

It is no problem at all for a good alterations tailor to taper
trousers. It is a very common alteration. It will change the look of
the trousers, but shouldn't "spoil" it. Your idea to try
it with one pair is a good one.

 

[Matt]

Originally Posted by benecios

Beleive it or not they have all been presents from my sister and her husband wears wide leg so she got me the same.I finally got round to telling her the other day and we laughed about it so in future everything sould be fine.
Not that I think this has any relevance whatsoever to my original post,so do you have any input or did you just want to have a dig?
just curious. when I want to have a dig, you'll know. Im not good with subtle.

it can be done sure. will they look perfect when re-shaped? probably not, but if you take them to a good enough tailor, maybe. is the cost for a 'good enough tailor' worth it? probably not.

 

[minimal]

Yes, it certainly can be done. Unless you already know of a tailor that you really really like, I strongly suggest bringing just ONE pair to the tailor you choose; if they do a good job then give them the rest.

I've gone through a lot of tailors who cannot do pants well. My experience is that there is almost no use at all to telling a tailor they've done a bad job on pants: your best bet is just to take the pants to the next tailor. Why? Because if they can't do it right the first time, they quite possibly wont do it right the second time either. Though this experience is based on waist/seat alterations, not as extensive as recutting the pants (which you need to have done), so your milage may vary.

If you are in New York, there are posts already on who the reliable tailors are. You can do a site search for them.

Good luck. I'll include no dig, I hope that this is useful nonetheless.

 

[stach]

You will wind up with a slightly larger seam allowance towards the hem. The tailor will take in the legs starting at the low hips, or the knee area, as you prefer.

 

[benecios]

Originally Posted by m@T

just curious. when I want to have a dig, you'll know. Im not good with subtle.

it can be done sure.

will they look perfect when re-shaped? probably not, but if you take them to a good enough tailor, maybe.

is the cost for a 'good enough tailor' worth it? probably not.

Sorry,a little too sensitive I think,I was having a bad morning.

I got my tailor to alter a pair while I went for something to eat and I was very pleased with the results so now he is doing the other 4 pairs.

 

[Matt]

how much he charge you for the alteration?

 

[benecios]

It was £18. I don't know if this was a reasonable price or not,but I was happy with it as it made trousers I would not wear desirable again.

 

[nerdykarim]

Originally Posted by benecios

It was £18. I don't know if this was a reasonable price or not,but I was happy with it as it made trousers I would not wear desirable again.

let us know how it works, in terms of the balance, etc. i'd like to do the same thing with a couple pairs of my trousers.

 

[DocHolliday]

As others have mentioned, this is a very minor alteration. I have it done often.

I once bought a pair of trousers thinking I liked the cut but found I rarely wore them. They were just a bit off. Took them my tailor and had the legs tapered. Made all the difference, and now they're among my favorites.