The Tailors' Thread: Fit Feedback and Alteration Suggestions

[sugarbutch]



Not sure about the trouser and the way they sit on your hip but the hem is too horizontal. Left leg looks shorter from the back view than the right.

For the way you are standing in these pictures the back of the jacket is long in relation to the front. This creates the dimple type wrinkles at the waist on the back part. If you lift the back up they disappear. The alteration on a finished jacket is to open the side seams and lower the back part about 3/4" and sew up the sides again. The underarm curve on the sidebody will be reshaped and then sew up the sleeves. That's what I mean by "sitting on your hip". The back at the blades is too wide on both sides and could be reduced some and the sleeve is out of sync with the armhole so you have the diagonal wrinkles at the top of the sleeve.
The front view, the left front hangs lower than the right front and I think the middle button would be better about 3/4" lower.
Is this a RTW suit?

Yes, this is RTW. I think I have a decent alterations tailor, but I've only had him do pretty basic adjustments so far. Is this work that he should be able to handle?

 

[Despos]

Adjusting or recutting RTW suits for posture and low shoulders and such is very uncommon and not easy due to limitations of working on a finished garment. The alterations are doable with the right tailor. If not skilled in fitting and sewing the results could vary greatly. If your tailor hasn't made a jacket before, I wouldn't attempt it. Prices would be high for these types of adjustments.

 

[jefferyd]

Chris, what is your take on TB's shoulders?

 

[Despos]

Jeffery,
Like you said, it looks like he has a low right that needs more attention. From the back it looks like a prominent left blade causing the diagonal pulling. He definitely needs more length on the fronts but more on the left shoulder at the strap/neck. This is a case where you want more length over the blade rather than slope the back shoulder to correct the diagonal lines. Front button needs to be moved down a bit too. You can see a difference how the vents close too. The left is straight from the shortness of the back and the right falls away do to the extra length. I think he might wear the jacket when driving and the seat belt caused the imprint on the chest on the right side by the chest/sleeve seam. But I don't know, I didn't look that close.

 

[mossrockss]

What a great thread. You guys rule.

Just looking at the jacket in this photo. I had my tailor take it in in the waist. Then I took it back to have him take it in some more, but he argued with me for an hour He felt that taking it in any more was the wrong thing to do because it would make the vents flare, but he did it anyway. I know I have a dropped shoulder and that both shoulders stoop forward.

I appreciate your input, guys!

 

[thebarsmydestination]

mossrockss: I'm definitely not an expert (see immediately below) but I feel like the sleeves are what stick out to me. Maybe narrowing them a bit might make the trunk look slimmer? And reduce the crinkling on the back of your arms.

For me:

I picked up a three piece charcoal flannel suit (thrift, I suspect early '00s) and I'm assessing what to do with it. The lapels are a bit wide for me at 3 1/2" (classic, I know, but I like something in the neighborhood of 2 3/4"); I feel like it's a bit... "old" feeling? I don't have the vocabulary or the eye to pinpoint what's wrong, to me.

Also: Assuming I get it tweaked a bit, do you suppose it might do double-duty as an odd jacket? I don't see anything inherently wrong with charcoal flannel like I might with a worsted. (EDIT: By which I mean, "I would never wear worsted wool as an odd jacket.")

 

[sugarbutch]



Adjusting or recutting RTW suits for posture and low shoulders and such is very uncommon and not easy due to limitations of working on a finished garment. The alterations are doable with the right tailor. If not skilled in fitting and sewing the results could vary greatly. If your tailor hasn't made a jacket before, I wouldn't attempt it. Prices would be high for these types of adjustments.

Thank you for the advice, Despos.

 

[Threadbearer]



Spoiler

For starters, your posture is very erect in these shots (are you maybe puffing a bit for the camera?) so the front/back balance is off by a large amount, and the strap is too short (something that can't really be corrected on a finished garment). Observe how the vertical lines converge on the lower part of the front, and how the horizontal lines lift on the side view. People with erect postures carry their arms further back so these sleeves need to be rotated back, but the plaid gets in the way of this alteration- this needs to be done to the pattern before cutting.

I'm a little puzzled because the front shot looks like your right shoulder is low (a bit of extra wadding on that side should help clear up the buckling at the waist) , but on the back view it seems your left is low, unless you have some sort of prominent blade on the left only. I would need a closer look to know what needs to be done to clear up the diagonal creases on the left.

The collar could be raised a bit, the sleeve lengths are not even, and the pockets are a bit too high.

Spoiler

Jeffery,
Like you said, it looks like he has a low right that needs more attention. From the back it looks like a prominent left blade causing the diagonal pulling. He definitely needs more length on the fronts but more on the left shoulder at the strap/neck. This is a case where you want more length over the blade rather than slope the back shoulder to correct the diagonal lines. Front button needs to be moved down a bit too. You can see a difference how the vents close too. The left is straight from the shortness of the back and the right falls away do to the extra length. I think he might wear the jacket when driving and the seat belt caused the imprint on the chest on the right side by the chest/sleeve seam. But I don't know, I didn't look that close.

Thank you, gentlemen. If you'll permit me, I have two follow-up questions.

1. Which of the recommendations above could be done to my new SC, and which are no longer possible (or cost-effective) now that the garment has been finished by the maker and accepted by me?

2. Are the above recommendations within reason for a MTM garment, or will requesting them on my next commission be too much like expecting bespoke services at MTM prices? I value my relationship with Tony and do not wish to put him in an awkward position by making unreasonable requests.

 

[Marshall Anthony]

…..

 

[Despos]



What a great thread. You guys rule.

Just looking at the jacket in this photo. I had my tailor take it in in the waist. Then I took it back to have him take it in some more, but he argued with me for an hour He felt that taking it in any more was the wrong thing to do because it would make the vents flare, but he did it anyway. I know I have a dropped shoulder and that both shoulders stoop forward.

I appreciate your input, guys!

Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!

Surprised that you don't have more overlap at the side vents from taking the jacket in. The jacket looks a bit large, like sizing down or finding a trimmer silhouette might help. I would try different brands to see what might look more flattering on you. The balance is off, short front, long back. You need about 1" front length to balance things.

 

[Despos]

Thank you, gentlemen. If you'll permit me, I have two follow-up questions.

1. Which of the recommendations above could be done to my new SC, and which are no longer possible (or cost-effective) now that the garment has been finished by the maker and accepted by me?

2. Are the above recommendations within reason for a MTM garment, or will requesting them on my next commission be too much like expecting bespoke services at MTM prices? I value my relationship with Tony and do not wish to put him in an awkward position by making unreasonable requests.[/quote]

Just work with Tony. MTM is a process and he will make improvements along the way. Ask what he would change or do differently going forward. Many of the MTM fits you see here were the result of many previous attempts with corrections made. This is the difference in having basted fittings where the adjustments can be made at early stages of construction compared to working them out with multiple MTM garments.

 

[Despos]



SO this blazer has been to tailor twice. So far the collar was lowered and center seam just below the collar was taken in a bit to narrow the shoulder width a bit. The top should seams were taken in to adjust for my sloped shoulder posture. The vent and the back of jacket still look terrible. What can/should be done to clean this up? I think the front looks decent.

Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!

Sorry for the slanted photos, not sure how to fix.

This cut of jacket looks good on you. Don't think lowering the collar was the correct thing to do here. Read my previous post in this thread about reshaping the shoulder and back to accommodate large, prominent shoulder blades. Tension across your blades created the roll and the diagonal lines from the armhole to your blades.
The puckering along the center seam could be from how it was sewn, wrong tension on the machine or using the wrong type thread. The seam needs to be opened from collar to hem and sewn again. I doubt that it only needs to be pressed.

 

[Marshall Anthony]

…...

 

[Despos]

Yes that's the reference. Notice the curve of your upper back on the side view? The back needs more length to go over the curve of your blades. Lowering the collar did the opposite. The collar on your jacket needs to be raised. You can see how light reflects off the vertical line of your shoulder blades. The back needs be shaped to cover the blades and then everything lies smooth.

 

[Marshall Anthony]

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