tjc4golf
Senior Member
- Joined
- Oct 28, 2008
- Messages
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Primary Question: So I've been to my new tailor a few times and have been happy with all of the work he's done for me so far (lowered the collar of a jacket, added waist suppression, sleeve length adjustments, pants hemmed, pants waist and seat taken in) and I've always been surprised by how cheap the bill is.
However, the last time I went to visit him, there was a gentleman who had arrived ahead of me and I watched as my tailor adjusted the shoulders on this man's jacket. He simply pinched the fabric together at the seam running down center of the jacket's back and used thread to create a new temporary seam running down the center of the jacket's back. Based on what I saw, I have to assume that he is going to reduce the shoulder width by reducing the amount of fabric across the back with no corresponding adjustment to the front side.
From what I've read here, proper shoulder adjustments involve removing the sleeves, recutting the body of the jacket and then reattaching the sleeves. This is a very tricky operation, a very expensive operation and results vary.
So I'm not sure if my tailors approach is genius or fraud. On the plus side, it greatly simplifies the shoulder alterations making them cheap and easy and allowing the client to see what the finished product will look like before the work is begun. The downside is that there is no corresponding adjustment to the front of the jacket threatening to throw the jacket's front/back balance out of proportion.
Currently I'm thinking that this could be a great solution for shoulder adjustments of one inch or less - I don't think that one inch less across the back would throw the front/back balance noticeably off. However, I don't know much about tailoring and would love to hear what some more knowledgeable individuals think.
Follow Up Question: As my sartorial education progresses, one of the items I struggle with is judging the quality of tailoring. I stick to SF approved brands which are known for their quality construction with my purchases so I can rest assured that I'm getting a top notch product. However when it comes to alterations I don't always know what to look for and, as the question above demonstrates, I'm questioning my current tailor.
I'm located in Philadelphia and while there are some recommendations for local tailors to be found here, I'm not sure that those making the recommendations know what to look for either. I say this not to be dismissive of these members, simply because (1) they are infrequent posters so it's difficult for me to determine whether they know what they're talking about and (2) one of the tailors recommended here is a tailor I previously used but left because I found his attention to detail to be lacking. (Please note: I am aware of the recommendation for Ventresca by Despos and the various recommendations for Centofanti but they are in the suburbs and ideally I'd find a tailor in the city so I don't have to get on a train every time I need to visit my tailor).
How do you judge the quality of a tailor's work?
However, the last time I went to visit him, there was a gentleman who had arrived ahead of me and I watched as my tailor adjusted the shoulders on this man's jacket. He simply pinched the fabric together at the seam running down center of the jacket's back and used thread to create a new temporary seam running down the center of the jacket's back. Based on what I saw, I have to assume that he is going to reduce the shoulder width by reducing the amount of fabric across the back with no corresponding adjustment to the front side.
From what I've read here, proper shoulder adjustments involve removing the sleeves, recutting the body of the jacket and then reattaching the sleeves. This is a very tricky operation, a very expensive operation and results vary.
So I'm not sure if my tailors approach is genius or fraud. On the plus side, it greatly simplifies the shoulder alterations making them cheap and easy and allowing the client to see what the finished product will look like before the work is begun. The downside is that there is no corresponding adjustment to the front of the jacket threatening to throw the jacket's front/back balance out of proportion.
Currently I'm thinking that this could be a great solution for shoulder adjustments of one inch or less - I don't think that one inch less across the back would throw the front/back balance noticeably off. However, I don't know much about tailoring and would love to hear what some more knowledgeable individuals think.
Follow Up Question: As my sartorial education progresses, one of the items I struggle with is judging the quality of tailoring. I stick to SF approved brands which are known for their quality construction with my purchases so I can rest assured that I'm getting a top notch product. However when it comes to alterations I don't always know what to look for and, as the question above demonstrates, I'm questioning my current tailor.
I'm located in Philadelphia and while there are some recommendations for local tailors to be found here, I'm not sure that those making the recommendations know what to look for either. I say this not to be dismissive of these members, simply because (1) they are infrequent posters so it's difficult for me to determine whether they know what they're talking about and (2) one of the tailors recommended here is a tailor I previously used but left because I found his attention to detail to be lacking. (Please note: I am aware of the recommendation for Ventresca by Despos and the various recommendations for Centofanti but they are in the suburbs and ideally I'd find a tailor in the city so I don't have to get on a train every time I need to visit my tailor).
How do you judge the quality of a tailor's work?