Thrifted suit: Alteration suggestions, please.

[j]

It's impossible to say because we can't tell how big the suit is in comparison to you. I'd say leave at least 4" of ease in the circumference around the waist. E.g., if your waist is 32" make the waist of the jacket at least 36". My snuggest jacket is 36" for my 32" waist, and it could probably be tighter, but it verges into non-serious territory then, and could impede movement.

BTW, I forgot to mention (though it has been done) that the sleeves should come up to show .5" of shirt cuff. Probably at least .5" if not a whole inch.

 

[Asch]

That's an extremely helpful guideline, j. Thanks again.

 

[j]

To clarify, I meant the sleeves should come up probably .5-1", not that you should show .5-1" of cuff. I'm not good at writing tonight.

 

[Sator]

Originally Posted by Mute

I'd just get a bit of waist suppression and maybe take it in a tad in the skirt area.
Please, please leave the skirt alone. There should be some flare on the shirt otherwise it will have a beanpole cut - shapless and skinny all the way up and down. As far as how much waist suppression you should add, just have your tailor pin you up and you will have to say if you want a bit more or a bit less. It comes down to preference. I like lots of waist suppression - others will be more moderate.

 

[Asch]

I got some more waist suppression on the jacket, and I'm pleased with the improvement. I agree with other suggestions in this thread (e.g., the sleeve pitch problem), but I don't want to spend too much on the suit right now. I do have one problem: after the alteration, the upper back of the jacket has some v-shaped wrinkling in it -- along with a bit of a "hump" near the center stitch -- even when it is just on a hanger. What's causing this? I think I have 30 days to get an "corrections" done by the tailor, so any guidance would be appreciated... Oh -- and an unrelated question: Would burgundy, black, or light-medium brown shoes (all AEs) go best with this suit for a wedding, in your opinion?

 

[texas_jack]

Originally Posted by Asch

I got some more waist suppression on the jacket, and I'm pleased with the improvement. I agree with other suggestions in this thread (e.g., the sleeve pitch problem), but I don't want to spend too much on the suit right now.

I do have one problem: after the alteration, the upper back of the jacket has some v-shaped wrinkling in it -- along with a bit of a "hump" near the center stitch -- even when it is just on a hanger. What's causing this? I think I have 30 days to get an "corrections" done by the tailor, so any guidance would be appreciated...

Oh -- and an unrelated question: Would burgundy, black, or light-medium brown shoes (all AEs) go best with this suit for a wedding, in your opinion?

I think the rippling on the back is from the waist being taken in so far. I wouldn't worry because from the front it looks pretty damn good.

 

[Asch]

Thanks man. Yeah, I'm not overly concerned about the odd wrinkling at the upper back -- I just want to know whether this is an inevitable consequence of the alteration (lots of waist suppression), or if I should seek out a more skilled tailor for future (non-thrifted) suits.

 

[texas_jack]

Originally Posted by Asch

Thanks man. Yeah, I'm not overly concerned about the odd wrinkling at the upper back -- I just want to know whether this is an inevitable consequence of the alteration (lots of waist suppression), or if I should seek out a more skilled tailor for future (non-thrifted) suits.

Probably both. In the future try to find a jacket that is right about tight in the shoulders. This will ensure that the waist won't have to be taken in very much.

 

[Asch]

Hmmm. Well, my shoulder-to-shoulder measurement is 18", as is the jacket's. Maybe better RTW jackets with equivalent shoulder measurements are cut less "fat" in the middle?

 

[j]

I think most likely the center seam was taken in some to work on the waist and maybe it wasn't done quite right - if the two halves shift a bit while the seam is sewn it can cause rippling like that. You might bring it in and show it to her and have her redo that seam. It could also be that one of your shoulders is dropped, but it doesn't appear so in the pics.

But I wouldn't spend a lot more on this suit since the sleeves have such a problem. If the shoulders on that suit are really narrow enough for you maybe your arms bow inward - your lower arms are quite close to your body. I think you should try on a bunch of jackets to see what kind of fit you need for your shoulders and see whether that sleeve issue appears with every jacket or if it's just this one. If it's just this one, great, if not, find the one(s) that fit best and take measurements so you'll have an idea of what you need to look for in the future. And if your arms really are just pitched back a lot, you might just have to get used to having the sleeves reset on your jackets, or go MTM with a tailor who can deal with that.

BTW, it would be best to do this at a place where you won't be wasting a salesman's time, like a Nordstrom Rack or Filene's Basement, etc. Or even a thrift store, actually.

 

[Matt]

in the opinion of the board.....should he pay to have the back corrected since it seems to be a tailoring error that brought the issue - or should it be corrected under some kind of Tailoring Warranty?

 

[Brian278]

Originally Posted by Asch

Thanks man. Yeah, I'm not overly concerned about the odd wrinkling at the upper back -- I just want to know whether this is an inevitable consequence of the alteration (lots of waist suppression), or if I should seek out a more skilled tailor for future (non-thrifted) suits.

FWIW, I had the exact same thing happen to me when I the waist taken on a suit. I think it was the tailor's fault, but unfortunately I didn't notice it until much later (past any 30 day policy). I would think a better tailor would have no problem achieving the same waist suppression without the unfortunate rippling on the back, or at least they would inform you of the possibility of such an occurrence. I think I'll eventually just seek out a well-regarded tailor to fix it (since it's my only suit right now) but in the future I'll try to find a suit that fits better sans alterations to avoid these complications in the future.

And I think the tailor should fix it for free.

 

[j]

Originally Posted by m@T

in the opinion of the board.....should he pay to have the back corrected since it seems to be a tailoring error that brought the issue - or should it be corrected under some kind of Tailoring Warranty?
If it is that a seam was sewn together wrong, he should not have to pay to have it fixed.

I should mention that a lot of problems like that will work themselves out with a good pressing. But it would be best to address it with the tailor.

 

[Asch]

Many thanks again gentlemen. These forums are a tremendous resource. I'll take this jacket back to the tailor and find a better one for future alterations (I found a few names by searching the archives here).