What the hell is wrong with spanish tailors? (rant thread)

[RDiaz]

I got a RTW suit a couple weeks ago. The trousers are a slim cut and came with unfinished hems, so I took them to a tailor to get them finished, with 1.5" cuffs. I asked for no break, as in this picture:



He said that would be too short, and that the "correct length" would be trousers reaching halfway down the heel (almost touching the ground). Maybe that would work if the pants were a fuller cut and covered more shoe, but I probably don't need to mention how bad it looks on trousers with a narrow leg opening. After a fruitless discussion, it looked like he was gonna leave them too long, no matter what my taste was. So I left and went to another tailor...

But the same thing happened again. He pinned them to his "ideal length" and the front of the trousers looked sloppy as hell (there was even a slight break on the back), but he said that's how it's suppossed to look. He refused to do no break so I left and went to yet another tailor.

Guess what... same story again.

I got tired and mad, and returned home with my unfinished pants. I guess I'm gonna have to hem them myself, which I'm not very good at, and of course I'm not skilled enough to make cuffs. I noticed most men around here walk around stepping on their own pants, and I do have a pair of pants hemmed by a local tailor that I have worn just once because of how bad they look (shouldn't have accepted them, but I needed the suit). So I wonder what the hell is wrong with tailors around here... I feel like I won't be able to get a MTM or bespoke suit ever if they work like this.

End of rant...

 

[ballmouse]

If they have the front shorter than the back, then the length they are hemming at is perfect (at least that's how I like it).

That is, unless your pants leg width is unusually narrow. Is it? If so, maybe the tailors aren't quite used to customers bringing in skinny pants.

 

[RDiaz]

They can't make slanted cuffs (lack of skill I guess), and the pants are quite narrow; that means a full break gets caught in the instep of the shoe and looks very bad. I usually go for a medium break with fuller pants but these are slim and I believe they would look much better with no break. Tailors around here don't seem to get it, though.

 

[asturiano]

cuffs are never slanted

 

[Despos]



cuffs are never slanted

Not true, see tailor's tutorial, Slanted cuffs

 

[Cambel]

I sympathize, and the experience isn't exclusive to Spanish tailors. I have had the same interaction with a tailor here in the US. I described for a pair of dress pants to be hemmed with cuffs and no break and was told that that was "too short" and the tailor proceeded to pin them the length they "should" be, which involved the back reaching down to almost the heel of the shoe. You made the right move by leaving. I ended up conceding that day, had the work done (I needed the pants done quickly) but the pants were way too long and looked horrible. I took them to another tailor later and had them correct and they look great now.

I suspect, as ballmouse said, many tailors aren't used to skinny pants. The tailor who did correct my pants also made the comment that he is not used to pants that "don't cover the shoes," but he adapted. Also, I wonder, is this a generational thing? It seems that some tailors simply have hardwired sense of aesthetics from a certain era for suit length (pants and sleeves) that are just hard to break.

 

[RDiaz]

Yeah, full break looks OK with bigger leg openings, and I have nothing against it. It just doesn't work for narrower pants. And it looks like some tailors haven't adapted to it, as if it was indeed a generational thing. It's good that they try to give advice on how things should be, but they should at least know that there are several types of pants and that not all of them look good with the same length. How can't they tell it looks sloppy? It's as if long pants and long jacket sleeves were the right thing to do around here (many people believe their jacket sleeves must show no cuff even when they raise their forearm, of course when they are standing the sleeves cover half their hand)

I will of course keep searching for tailors, but this has kinda pissed me off... You wouldn't tell from my ill-fitting WAYWRN pictures (which have a reason to be that way), but I'm very OCD about fit, and I can't stand things that aren't at least the right length...

 

[El Argentino]

I've had to bounce around tailors in the USA as well for said problem - not only with hemming pants, but with adjusting jackets, etc.

"I want XXX done to said item."

- "No, it is not good."

"(repeat) - I want XXX done to said item. As a paying customer, I expect to receive what I ask."

- Pins go in place.

- XXX received later.

"You did not do XXX to said item."

- "I decided that YYY looks better" - followed by demanding that I pay them for work I did not ask done.

The best one was when I discovered that my jacket, in this case, was not fitting as I had described and wanted, the tailor had the balls to charge me a second time to "fix" the problem (that he had caused, mind you).

Never went back there.

 

[CalTex]



I've had to bounce around tailors in the USA as well for said problem - not only with hemming pants, but with adjusting jackets, etc.

"I want XXX done to said item."

- "No, it is not good."

"(repeat) - I want XXX done to said item. As a paying customer, I expect to receive what I ask."

- Pins go in place.

- XXX received later.

"You did not do XXX to said item."

- "I decided that YYY looks better" - followed by demanding that I pay them for work I did not ask done.

The best one was when I discovered that my jacket, in this case, was not fitting as I had described and wanted, the tailor had the balls to charge me a second time to "fix" the problem (that he had caused, mind you).

Never went back there.

you were asking for le sechs and your tailor didn't oblige... :/

I have had the same problem, I had one guy place a thin silicon strip to create a permanent crease in my pants. I was pissed when I found out and have not gone back since. I know he remembers me because I took 15 shirts to him in January and I don't like any of them fit. I plan on going back to him and seeing if he will fix the problem, if he doesn't then I am screwed.