The Tailors' Thread: Fit Feedback and Alteration Suggestions

[CJWright]

Looking for trouser feedback for my first pair of Luxire pants in Dugdale Tropical weave. I have ordered Solbiati Navy Cotton for my next and want to work on improving the fit, particularly the wedgie, the break and getting the waist fitting right

Luxire came back with the follow suggestions:



*Pant front fit looks good and back needs below adjustment to improve the fit.
*Increase back rise at crotch by 2 cm and increase front rise accoringly.
*Decrease inseam at crotch by 1.5cm.
*Decrease half waist by 1.5cm and 3 cm circumference.
*Decrease inseam and outseam at the bottom by 1 cm.

If anyone has any informed response that counters that please let me know what and why. I do not know enough - so at this point I will agree with them. @Despos seems to be the go to guy on here...

 

[Despos]

Luxire came back with the follow suggestions:



*Pant front fit looks good and back needs below adjustment to improve the fit.
*Increase back rise at crotch by 2 cm and increase front rise accoringly.
*Decrease inseam at crotch by 1.5cm.
*Decrease half waist by 1.5cm and 3 cm circumference.
*Decrease inseam and outseam at the bottom by 1 cm.

If anyone has any informed response that counters that please let me know what and why. I do not know enough - so at this point I will agree with them. @Despos seems to be the go to guy on here...

Their lingo is different than I use if discussing adjustments with another tailor but if I understand what they suggest I would agree.
Let out the crotch .75" and deepen the seat curve .5". That's about all you really need.
There is some distortion below the waistband now but I think you have the side straps pulled in to make the waist smaller.
Regarding your comments; would not decrease the knee circumference but would increase it by 1 or 1.5" to create a smoother line from thigh to hem. As they are now it makes your seat look more prominent because of the taper in the thigh to knee.
You can always take in/taper the leg but you can't let it out significantly if it is too small.
Don't judge the length without a shoe. The thickness of the sole changes how the trouser lies on the shoe. Thicker soles require more length. Thin soles, less length. If you wear a variety of shoes you have to pick one to establish the length.
Would not change to a cotton cloth for the next pair. Cotton doesn't tailor or drape like wool and may distort the appearance to not accurately show the fit adjustments. If you are dialing in the fit, stick to one cloth type and weight before moving on.
Had this discussion a few pages earlier about a second trial pair done in corduroy.

 

[CJWright]

Their lingo is different than I use if discussing adjustments with another tailor but if I understand what they suggest I would agree.
Let out the crotch .75" and deepen the seat curve .5". That's about all you really need.
There is some distortion below the waistband now but I think you have the side straps pulled in to make the waist smaller.
Regarding your comments; would not decrease the knee circumference but would increase it by 1 or 1.5" to create a smoother line from thigh to hem. As they are now it makes your seat look more prominent because of the taper in the thigh to knee.
You can always take in/taper the leg but you can't let it out significantly if it is too small.
Don't judge the length without a shoe. The thickness of the sole changes how the trouser lies on the shoe. Thicker soles require more length. Thin soles, less length. If you wear a variety of shoes you have to pick one to establish the length.
Would not change to a cotton cloth for the next pair. Cotton doesn't tailor or drape like wool and may distort the appearance to not accurately show the fit adjustments. If you are dialing in the fit, stick to one cloth type and weight before moving on.
Had this discussion a few pages earlier about a second trial pair done in corduroy.

Thanks excellent help!

 

[Incainwetrust]

i just got these in from Collaro and I wondering what you guys think? I know the waist is pretty snug on my so I’ll have to have that taken out. I’m not used to having this much thigh room in pants, is this too much excess? Or just right?

 

[breakaway01]

View attachment 1592262 View attachment 1592263
i just got these in from Collaro and I wondering what you guys think? I know the waist is pretty snug on my so I’ll have to have that taken out. I’m not used to having this much thigh room in pants, is this too much excess? Or just right?

Not a tailor, but that thigh room helps the trouser hang very cleanly down the back of your leg. I think it looks good. If you want more shaping at the bottom of your seat, you could ask them if it’s feasible without sacrificing that nice clean line.

 

[alfredt]

View attachment 1592262 View attachment 1592263
i just got these in from Collaro and I wondering what you guys think? I know the waist is pretty snug on my so I’ll have to have that taken out. I’m not used to having this much thigh room in pants, is this too much excess? Or just right?

I think it looks great, especially the top part. I would make the knee and possible the anke a bit bigger to have a nicer line from top to bottom.

 

[vim147]

View attachment 1592262 View attachment 1592263
i just got these in from Collaro and I wondering what you guys think? I know the waist is pretty snug on my so I’ll have to have that taken out. I’m not used to having this much thigh room in pants, is this too much excess? Or just right?

How many inches is the leg opening ?

 

[Despos]

View attachment 1592262 View attachment 1592263
i just got these in from Collaro and I wondering what you guys think? I know the waist is pretty snug on my so I’ll have to have that taken out. I’m not used to having this much thigh room in pants, is this too much excess? Or just right?

Sounds like you are used to snug fitting jeans. These seem just right in the thigh and a touch narrow at the bottom. Good to judge the bottom width when wearing shoes. Gives a better idea of what looks right and balanced.
If you look at the front view on these you see a slight tapering of the thigh just below the pocket. If you reduce the thigh more the hips will look puffy and broad. The side view will make your seat look more prominent and the thigh will cup under the seat. In other words it will make the trouser imbalanced. Right now you have a nice straight leg line. That's a good look and what a tailored trouser should do for you.

 

[Keith Taylor]

Hola, tailors and others. Since late last year I’ve dropped 17lbs - our local lockdown closing the bars wasn’t a complete tragedy for me - and as a result I’ve spent the last few months altering my clothes to better fit my new, not-quite-yet-but-gettin’-there svelte frame.

Most of my alterations have gone about as well as I could hope given my limited sewing skills, but I’ve been having some trouble with a couple of pairs of trousers that just don’t want to play ball, specifically this pair of tan flannels from Valentini and another pair from Luciano Barbera. Both have a tendency to slip down from the waist the moment I start moving.

In the first two pictures I’m wearing the trousers as I’d like them to look at all times. The waistband sits on rather than above my hip bones, which is about as high as I feel comfortable wearing them, and the fork of the crotch feels as if it’s in the correct position, not sagging and not riding up into ****** crack. If these pants had a longer rise I suppose I could cinch the waist tight above my hip bones and pretty much lock it into place, but the waistband would be at or above my navel and that would just feel weird. I’d also probably look like a sausage.

I like them with virtually no break so I hemmed them correctly for where I want them to sit. I’m wearing them here with a pair of Clarks desert boots, but I’d usually wear dress shoes or loafers that would allow the hems to just barely kiss the top of the shoe, and for the material to fall more or less cleanly (again, the best I can do with my limited sewing mojo).

Now here’s the issue in the third photo. This was taken a few miles into a walk today, though to be honest the problem only takes a few dozen steps to emerge. I took the waist in recently, but I left just enough slack that my stubbornly remaining belly and love handles don’t spill over all that much, and I have my belt cinched fairly securely. Even so, the pants are determined to slide down the moment I start moving, with the result being that the hems pool unattractively at my shoes, like so:

So, simple question (I think). Is the solution here just to take in the waist further - at the cost of increasing the appearance of a muffin top - in the hope that the waistband might be more inclined to stay put, or is there some clever adjustment I can make elsewhere to help them better stay in place and fall cleanly as I walk? Or is this slippage just something I have to live with if I choose to wear trousers in a heavier material?

P.S. That ripple in the back of the knee seems to be a common feature in most of my trousers when I’m in my natural stance. It doesn’t bother me too much but is it something that could be easily fixed with a quick tweak, or would it require major surgery?

Thank you kindly

 

[bicycleradical]

P.S. That ripple in the back of the knee seems to be a common feature in most of my trousers when I’m in my natural stance. It doesn’t bother me too much but is it something that could be easily fixed with a quick tweak, or would it require major surgery?

Thank you kindly

My cotton trousers all have that ripple in the knee and I too would be interested in hearing if that can be fixed.

 

[Keith Taylor]

My cotton trousers all have that ripple in the knee and I too would be interested in hearing if that can be fixed.

My entirely uneducated, learn-as-I-go-and-****-up-most-of-the-time gut feeling on this is that it would be addressed by shortening the back rise, as the rippling goes away when I raise the back of the waistband a little. If I’m right about this I’d be interested to know if it would be best to shorten it at the crotch seam or at the waistband itself.

Or both. Or neither. I don’t know, I learn by throwing everything at a sewing machine and seeing what works

 

[_dm_so_]

Hola, tailors and others. Since late last year I’ve dropped 17lbs - our local lockdown closing the bars wasn’t a complete tragedy for me - and as a result I’ve spent the last few months altering my clothes to better fit my new, not-quite-yet-but-gettin’-there svelte frame.

Most of my alterations have gone about as well as I could hope given my limited sewing skills, but I’ve been having some trouble with a couple of pairs of trousers that just don’t want to play ball, specifically this pair of tan flannels from Valentini and another pair from Luciano Barbera. Both have a tendency to slip down from the waist the moment I start moving.

In the first two pictures I’m wearing the trousers as I’d like them to look at all times. The waistband sits on rather than above my hip bones, which is about as high as I feel comfortable wearing them, and the fork of the crotch feels as if it’s in the correct position, not sagging and not riding up into ****** crack. If these pants had a longer rise I suppose I could cinch the waist tight above my hip bones and pretty much lock it into place, but the waistband would be at or above my navel and that would just feel weird. I’d also probably look like a sausage.

I like them with virtually no break so I hemmed them correctly for where I want them to sit. I’m wearing them here with a pair of Clarks desert boots, but I’d usually wear dress shoes or loafers that would allow the hems to just barely kiss the top of the shoe, and for the material to fall more or less cleanly (again, the best I can do with my limited sewing mojo).


View attachment 1597079

View attachment 1597080

Now here’s the issue in the third photo. This was taken a few miles into a walk today, though to be honest the problem only takes a few dozen steps to emerge. I took the waist in recently, but I left just enough slack that my stubbornly remaining belly and love handles don’t spill over all that much, and I have my belt cinched fairly securely. Even so, the pants are determined to slide down the moment I start moving, with the result being that the hems pool unattractively at my shoes, like so:

View attachment 1597081

So, simple question (I think). Is the solution here just to take in the waist further - at the cost of increasing the appearance of a muffin top - in the hope that the waistband might be more inclined to stay put, or is there some clever adjustment I can make elsewhere to help them better stay in place and fall cleanly as I walk? Or is this slippage just something I have to live with if I choose to wear trousers in a heavier material?

P.S. That ripple in the back of the knee seems to be a common feature in most of my trousers when I’m in my natural stance. It doesn’t bother me too much but is it something that could be easily fixed with a quick tweak, or would it require major surgery?

Thank you kindly

I'm not an expert or something, but here is my two cents.
I think the ripple is because of this: the back line of the trouser leg is not parallel to yours, so it is kind of digging into the legs.
I've tried to draw a picture for you ?
Red line is where trouser leg would naturally go.

I suppose, if you pinch up the trousers a bit right above the base of each leg, those wrinkles should be gone. But it's more of a pattern making issue rather than possible alteration, I think.

 

[ballmouse]

If I had to hazard a guess, the seat seam in the center back has to be modified. But there isn't a picture of that so I can't tell.

 

[Keith Taylor]

If I had to hazard a guess, the seat seam in the center back has to be modified. But there isn't a picture of that so I can't tell.

To address the main issue of slipping down as I walk, or the secondary one of the ripple at the knee?

 

[Despos]

Hola, tailors and others. Since late last year I’ve dropped 17lbs - our local lockdown closing the bars wasn’t a complete tragedy for me - and as a result I’ve spent the last few months altering my clothes to better fit my new, not-quite-yet-but-gettin’-there svelte frame.

Most of my alterations have gone about as well as I could hope given my limited sewing skills, but I’ve been having some trouble with a couple of pairs of trousers that just don’t want to play ball, specifically this pair of tan flannels from Valentini and another pair from Luciano Barbera. Both have a tendency to slip down from the waist the moment I start moving.

In the first two pictures I’m wearing the trousers as I’d like them to look at all times. The waistband sits on rather than above my hip bones, which is about as high as I feel comfortable wearing them, and the fork of the crotch feels as if it’s in the correct position, not sagging and not riding up into ****** crack. If these pants had a longer rise I suppose I could cinch the waist tight above my hip bones and pretty much lock it into place, but the waistband would be at or above my navel and that would just feel weird. I’d also probably look like a sausage.

I like them with virtually no break so I hemmed them correctly for where I want them to sit. I’m wearing them here with a pair of Clarks desert boots, but I’d usually wear dress shoes or loafers that would allow the hems to just barely kiss the top of the shoe, and for the material to fall more or less cleanly (again, the best I can do with my limited sewing mojo).


View attachment 1597079

View attachment 1597080

Now here’s the issue in the third photo. This was taken a few miles into a walk today, though to be honest the problem only takes a few dozen steps to emerge. I took the waist in recently, but I left just enough slack that my stubbornly remaining belly and love handles don’t spill over all that much, and I have my belt cinched fairly securely. Even so, the pants are determined to slide down the moment I start moving, with the result being that the hems pool unattractively at my shoes, like so:

View attachment 1597081

So, simple question (I think). Is the solution here just to take in the waist further - at the cost of increasing the appearance of a muffin top - in the hope that the waistband might be more inclined to stay put, or is there some clever adjustment I can make elsewhere to help them better stay in place and fall cleanly as I walk? Or is this slippage just something I have to live with if I choose to wear trousers in a heavier material?

P.S. That ripple in the back of the knee seems to be a common feature in most of my trousers when I’m in my natural stance. It doesn’t bother me too much but is it something that could be easily fixed with a quick tweak, or would it require major surgery?

Thank you kindly

Losing 17 pounds would require reducing about 2 inches, maybe more, and taking in the crotch. Would you explain how you altered them to this point? Not related to why they slide down but would be good to know.
Wondering if you might have reduced on the outseam from the top to just below the knee.