Tailoring your streetwear

[Amelorn]

Everyone knows that suits and sport coats will virtually always need tailoring OTR, but what do you guys do with your streetwear? I've got this utterly amazing Korean lady down the block who does a dry cleaning & alterations business. Now I think I'm addicted to alterations. Her prices range from $8 to hem trousers to $45 to taper the torso on my Burberry trench (a huge, complex, and annoying coat...from a tailor's perspective). Today I had received 2 linen safari shirts by Rugby Ralph Lauren. I got them on the last call sale for $30 from MSRP $90. When I got them, it fit well enough in the shoulders and slightly too loose through the torso untucked. When it's tucked though....it's a nightmare. I brought them to her and she pinched them a bit and got a MUCH better fit. I can't wait to see them done on Saturday.

It used to be that as long as my clothes didn't look a size too small or large, I tolerated it. As a combination of an Irish heritage and lots of weight loss (220-165), I'm a "weird" medium. My shoulders have some breadth, but my chest is narrowish but deep (somewhat barrel chested). This means that most shirts hang over rather than contour with my torso. And it's ugly (ie...I think...did I go to 190 lbs and a 37 waist?!). When I finally got a shirt cut right, I was wowed. And $15 per shirt alterations are too tempting to pass up.

It used to be suits, but now I'm looking at it differently. Now everything short of underwear, shorts, and T-shirts is fair game. Also, (as my mother always says, and I suspect is true) a tailored wardrobe is the final polish that makes a person really stand out from the crowd.

 

[transient]

If you have a cheap and competent tailor then go for it. I once had a Korean tailor down the street as well, kims tailoring, he did a damn fine job for cheap, I'd get random target graphic tees tailored just for the hell of it. Although I once wanted wanted a button up fitted, came in and he places pins where the new seam would be and all, but when I came back he not only made it fitted but also turned it into a short sleeve, lolz. I didn't say anything because he didn't really speak English anyway.

 

[Jay Gatsby]

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[Master-Classter]

I'd say at least 80% of my wardrobe, even casual, goes through the tailor at some point....many of my t-shirts get tapered, most shirt cuff buttons (and often sleeve placket buttons) get moved, pants get tapered, sweater cuffs shortened, etc. I have a constant pile of things to take.

the way I see it, in the old days everything was bespoke or MTM anyway, so I get stuff OTR and tweek it to close the gap for a better fit.

 

[Vaudevillian]

I have a slim frame and used to need alterations of basically each and every garment I bought .

I've had it much easier over the last few years as a combination of (mostly) Italian brands doing slim suiting and japanese ones (which always come in XS) have been covering my needs, and my frame, perfectly.

It has come to the point where I buy a blazer and it feels almost tailor-made.

The only area where I still go for made-to-measure is shirting. Some brands do fit me quite well (like Steven Alan in XS) but I like my shirts to be a bit more 'classic' in terms of color/patterns and, besides, you can't be made-to-measure in terms of fit.