Suit Alteration to Narrow Shoulders?

The manager at a men's specialty store said that a common alteration to narrow the shoulders slightly would be to remove some fabric from the middle of the jacket. He pulled behind the neck slightly and said the alteration would also shorten the length of a jacket slightly. I have been told never to do alterations in the shoulders for RTW. Is this type of aleration common? Generally is it a bad idea? He seemed confident in his tailors skills and said it was not an uncommon practice. The jacket fits relatively well in the shoulders but he said the alteration would be a matter of preference. I am in between a 38 and 40 for most makers and I suspect the alteration would be more for aesthetics, maybe getting me to a hair larger than 39. It is a Ravazzolo if that helps. Thanks in adavnce all!

Interesting, please keep us posted on the result.

I recently had it done and it turned out fine.

Originally Posted by stat1

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The manager at a men's specialty store said that a common alteration to narrow the shoulders slightly would be to remove some fabric from the middle of the jacket. He pulled behind the neck slightly and said the alteration would also shorten the length of a jacket slightly. I have been told never to do alterations in the shoulders for RTW. Is this type of aleration common? Generally is it a bad idea? He seemed confident in his tailors skills and said it was not an uncommon practice. The jacket fits relatively well in the shoulders but he said the alteration would be a matter of preference. I am in between a 38 and 40 for most makers and I suspect the alteration would be more for aesthetics, maybe getting me to a hair larger than 39. It is a Ravazzolo if that helps. Thanks in adavnce all!

It can be done, but be cautious they dont destroy your stuff. I would have them do it on a blazer or suit you really dont care much about. Maybe buy something cheap of ebay and let them try it. Without seeing first hand results of their handiwork, you could be setting your Ravazzolo up for eternal damnation.

Originally Posted by stat1

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The manager at a men's specialty store said that a common alteration to narrow the shoulders slightly would be to remove some fabric from the middle of the jacket. He pulled behind the neck slightly and said the alteration would also shorten the length of a jacket slightly.

From what you described, it sounds more like he's taking in the chest area rather than the shoulders...a pretty standard alteration if he's just taking material in through the back seam.

Originally Posted by TRINI

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From what you described, it sounds more like he's taking in the chest area rather than the shoulders...a pretty standard alteration if he's just taking material in through the back seam.

Yes....from what he described the shoulders/and armholes would be left alone. He did say that the alteration would be done through the back seam and it would reduce the width of the shoulders slightly. He pulled up slightly on the neck and pinched some fabric to give me an idea of what it might look like. Is this the same type of alteration you are referring to? Is this something that is normally done to reduce shoulder width?

Anyone familiar with this type of alteration?

He's taking in the chest size, but in doing so, will also narrow the shoulder width a little bit.

Originally Posted by stat1

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The manager at a men's specialty store said that a common alteration to narrow the shoulders slightly would be to remove some fabric from the middle of the jacket. He pulled behind the neck slightly and said the alteration would also shorten the length of a jacket slightly. I have been told never to do alterations in the shoulders for RTW. Is this type of aleration common? Generally is it a bad idea? He seemed confident in his tailors skills and said it was not an uncommon practice. The jacket fits relatively well in the shoulders but he said the alteration would be a matter of preference. I am in between a 38 and 40 for most makers and I suspect the alteration would be more for aesthetics, maybe getting me to a hair larger than 39. It is a Ravazzolo if that helps. Thanks in adavnce all!
I had the tailor at my local BB tell me this recently too. I am a 36R in a regent cut, but the dammed pants for the suit are cut very bizarrely in a way that will not accommodate ******. She recommended I size up and they take in the back. I tried on the 38R and was swimming in fabric. This same tailor also required significant tenacity to convince to put cuffs on my flat front pants. Why must a chain-store tailor argue with me when I want 2" cuffs? I remain skeptical.

Originally Posted by stat1

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The manager at a men's specialty store said that a common alteration to narrow the shoulders slightly would be to remove some fabric from the middle of the jacket. He pulled behind the neck slightly and said the alteration would also shorten the length of a jacket slightly. I have been told never to do alterations in the shoulders for RTW. Is this type of aleration common? Generally is it a bad idea? He seemed confident in his tailors skills and said it was not an uncommon practice. The jacket fits relatively well in the shoulders but he said the alteration would be a matter of preference. I am in between a 38 and 40 for most makers and I suspect the alteration would be more for aesthetics, maybe getting me to a hair larger than 39. It is a Ravazzolo if that helps. Thanks in adavnce all!

Are you trying to make the chest fit, the shoulders fit or the armhole fit?

Originally Posted by alliswell

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Are you trying to make the chest fit, the shoulders fit or the armhole fit?

I have to bring in the body of the jacket a bit so the suit has a more fitted tapered look. The arms holes and sleeves seem okay for the most part. They could fit a little bit more snug but since it is OTR I figure it would be okay. In most 38s the arms holes and sleeves can look tight. Even in certain cut 40s I have this problem. My arms aren't huge but around the tricep area it can look a little tight. The shoulders seem okay too but the manger suggested removing some fabric from the back seam which would help in getting a tighter fit in the chest and bring in the shoulders slightly. I am in between a 38 and 40 so I think this alteration would get me to slightly larger than a 39. I think he suggested this alteration since I wanted a fairly fitted look but he said it was a matter of preference and the shoulders looked okay to him. This alteration he said would also bring the jacket up a hair which is okay since I am in between a regular and a short. The back falls nicely. It is a Ravazzolo if that helps. Thanks for everyones help!

Is this a normal alteration?

Originally Posted by stat1

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I have to bring in the body of the jacket a bit so the suit has a more fitted tapered look. The arms holes and sleeves seem okay for the most part. They could fit a little bit more snug but since it is OTR I figure it would be okay. In most 38s the arms holes and sleeves can look tight. Even in certain cut 40s I have this problem. My arms aren't huge but around the tricep area it can look a little tight. The shoulders seem okay too but the manger suggested removing some fabric from the back seam which would help in getting a tighter fit in the chest and bring in the shoulders slightly. I am in between a 38 and 40 so I think this alteration would get me to slightly larger than a 39. I think he suggested this alteration since I wanted a fairly fitted look but he said it was a matter of preference and the shoulders looked okay to him. This alteration he said would also bring the jacket up a hair which is okay since I am in between a regular and a short. The back falls nicely. It is a Ravazzolo if that helps. Thanks for everyones help!
I am not an expert, but: Bringing the chest in a bit is not an exotic alteration. If, however, the back falls nicely, why risk screwing it up? In the end, how good is your tailor? You need someone you can trust. How committed are you to the Ravazzolo look?

Originally Posted by philosophe

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I am not an expert, but:

Bringing the chest in a bit is not an exotic alteration. If, however, the back falls nicely, why risk screwing it up?

In the end, how good is your tailor? You need someone you can trust.

How committed are you to the Ravazzolo look?


Not commited by any means. The suit looks nice but it also has to do with the lack of options. I need a suit fairly quickly and most stores have told me they are in between seasons and will be receiving new inventory in 2-4 weeks. I can't wait that long. Most stores have one solid charcoal at most. I just never heard of this alteration. I wasn't sure if this was considered a true shoulder alteration which I have been told to avoid for as long as I can remember. Thanks again.