Slimming pants - what can go wrong?

[Alfred001]

I've been reading up on this on the forum and elsewhere and apparently it's not uncommon for the tailor to botch the job, so I'm curious as to what are some possible mistakes the tailor can make.

I know one is that when you open the seam of the leg you need to take an equal amount from each side so the seam doesn't go off center.

Is it also necessary to take an equal amount from each seam of the leg?

I'm really looking to quiz the tailor so I know he knows what he's doing and doesn't hack up my pants.

 

[Needsmoreshoes]

Took a wonderful pair of raw selvedge jeans into a tailor I don't normally use for a little tapering and now I've got them back they botched the left leg and the seam now twists round my left left so it basically faces forward - drives me crazy. Don't know the intricacies of it but I'd assume it's due to taking uneven lengths of fabric from each seam.

Look for reviews of the tailor before you go to them; if they are all positive then trust them. Many tailors are incredibly talented and can do wonders with all kinds of clothing.

And be careful about brutally quizzing them - it perhaps follows the "Never annoy a waiter before he gives you your food" rule.

 

[MyOtherLife]

This can go wrong....

 

[Alfred001]

This can go wrong....

That's actually what I'm looking for.

 

[MyOtherLife]

This can go wrong....

That's actually what I'm looking for.

You actually want to walk around with your junk showing through your jeans?

 

[Master-Classter]

one problem I've had is when we just slim down the leg on a pair that's overall too big, the thigh and seat are still quite large but then the thigh and legs are narrow so they still sort of seem blousy.

another issue I've had is if the waist and seat need to be taken in too much, like say 2 inches or more, sometimes the two back pockets end up too close together and it looks strange

last big issue I've had, while slimming the seat and thighs, the front or back inseam gets shortened (at all or too much) and you end up with pants pulling up your bum or a ball cruncher


etc.

 

[Alfred001]

one problem I've had is when we just slim down the leg on a pair that's overall too big, the thigh and seat are still quite large but then the thigh and legs are narrow so they still sort of seem blousy.
another issue I've had is if the waist and seat need to be taken in too much, like say 2 inches or more, sometimes the two back pockets end up too close together and it looks strange
last big issue I've had, while slimming the seat and thighs, the front or back inseam gets shortened (at all or too much) and you end up with pants pulling up your bum or a ball cruncher
etc.

I'm not clear on the first problem - is it that it looks odd because the seat is large but the legs are slim?

The problems you brought up don't apply to my case as I will be buying the right waist size and then slimming just the legs, but I appreciate the response anyway.

 

[Holdfast]

I'm really looking to quiz the tailor so I know he knows what he's doing and doesn't hack up my pants.

This doesn't like an encouraging starting point, I'm sorry to say.

To start with, I really doubt someone with no tailoring background can learn enough minutiae just from reading here to be able to check whether someone is good enough to do a tailoring job in advance of them actually doing the work (I certainly couldn't, anyway!), and secondly if you have that much doubt about this specific tailor's ability, why do you want to find reasons to trust him in the first place?

Go to an experienced, competent, well-known, trusted tailor instead who can give you sensible advice and determine whether the job can be done to good effect or not. You'll probably pay a bit more, but the peace of mind will be worth it.

 

[Needsmoreshoes]

Yeah that's what he means. You get that awful "freshly filled diaper" effect...

 

[Master-Classter]

yep, bingo. that's what I meant.


then there's the twisted inseam problem already mentioned. I think this tends to happen more with denim but I think it's possible to occur with regular dress pants.

while slimming a leg, if it's too tight around the knee area, you can start to wear down the fabric around that area or cause permanent knee 'boobs' that stick out. Along the same lines, if the thighs are slimmed down too much, you'll have lots of creases across the front there.

lastly, if the hem is too narrow, it can fall strangely on the shoes.

 

[Alfred001]

This doesn't like an encouraging starting point, I'm sorry to say.

To start with, I really doubt someone with no tailoring background can learn enough minutiae just from reading here to be able to check whether someone is good enough to do a tailoring job in advance of them actually doing the work (I certainly couldn't, anyway!), and secondly if you have that much doubt about this specific tailor's ability, why do you want to find reasons to trust him in the first place?

Well, we've already seen that a lot of tailors don't know how to keep the sesam centered, so I disagree. This isn't rocket science. I don't have doubt and I'm looking for reasons to mistrust him.



Quote:
I don't have any place to find feedback for tailors (and in particular I doubt I'd be able to find feedback on his slimming jobs, as I don't think those are common - maybe I'm wrong). I don't live in the US.

 

[Trompe le Monde]

for starters, if youre wearing the pants while theyre being altered, many things can go wrong.

incredibly, i've had 2 SEPARATE alterationists completely BUTCHER hemming of my pants:
asked for 31" inseam. both cut it down to 26"
more unbelievable than that, 1 of them completely denied the fault -- blaming me for giving wrong instructions. (yes, as a 5'11" person i would want 26" pants....)

and another incident, the alterationist for my hotel in Turkey, shortened my jeans by folding it and stitching it closed!!!! most flagrant hack job ive ever seen

my lesson learned is be PRECISE and EXACT on how you want it fixed. if slimming, tell them exactly WHERE to start the taper and how much. outside seam? inside seam?

fwiw, i just had 1 of the people above do some taper and hem jobs on new pants and they came out as wanted :foo:

 

[Despos]

The best information you can provide about tapering is what knee and bottom size you want. If you have a pair that you like, measure the knee at the halfway point on the inseam between the crotch and the bottom opening. Have the trouser laying flat on the table when doing this. Then tell the tailor at what point you measured the knee so the measurements will line up the same. If he makes the knee position higher or lower than where you measured, you will get varied results. So you measure a pair you like and say you want a 10" knee at the midpoint of the inseam and a 9" bottom opening, or whatever dimensions you like. These are half measures.

Jeans are cut and sewn very differently than tailored trousers and the inseam is mostly on bias and twisting is inevitable. The inseam is also top stitched and tailors don't want to open the stitching and have to redo it so they only work on the out seam and that will cause more twisting of the leg. You would be paying much more to have the stitching removed and redone. The inseam is top stitched before the out seam is sewn during construction and much easier to do than after the out seam is closed. There is a way to taper the inseam without disturbing the top stitching but it is not common knowledge.

The baggy seat/thigh is difficult to correct because it is more about the cut of the trouser than the size of the trouser and a different issue than tapering. Most common is that the seat of the trouser is too deep and needs to be raised up. Reshaping and taking in the seat sometimes makes it deeper and doesn't improve the issue. On a finished trouser the back part needs to be cut off/ raised up from the top of the back part and even then you are limited in what can be done so the results aren't always 100%. That's partly why alteration shops don't take on complicated alterations because of limitations of a finished garment. You pay for the work to be done but the job is only 75% correct because that's the best can be done without outlets and such that a tailor can work with.

Someone who has cut and made clothes will understand all this better but whoever does your alterations needs to be a good fitter as much as a good sewer.

 

[jamesny]

This can go wrong....

That is insane.

 

[zippyh]



and another incident, the alterationist for my hotel in Turkey, shortened my jeans by folding it and stitching it closed!!!! most flagrant hack job ive ever seen

I thought that was known as a "european hem".
It's supposed to preserve the orginal hem.

I think it looks like ass.