More specifically, who tailors their pants? I’ve decided that I’m not going to have my clothes custom made because I’m not rich, so taking that route would just be ridiculous. So I’m now opting for an only slightly less ridiculous option, and am going to see a seamstress. My main concern is having the waist let in, and if I’m really going to get picky (which I might), lengthening the inseam. I’ve only seen a seamstress once, and that went over terribly. In fairness, it was for a bridesmaid’s dress, and those are required by law to be awful and ill-fitting. It’s a public secret that every bride on earth gets her jollies out of humiliating her friends and family by making them wear powder blue dresses and bad heels in front of everyone they know. I didn’t do this at my wedding because I am not a sadist, but I digress.
How much is this sort of operation supposed to run me? According to the internets, taking in the waist can run from between $5-$50, which seems like a fairly broad range, no? I suspect the cost of tailoring, like with most other things, depends greatly on quality and simply finding the right person. What is reasonable for decent quality from a non-superoverpriced seamstress? How much should I be expecting to pay if I simply want my pants to fit better than awful, and how much if I want them to fit as though the designer specifically had me in mind when creating them? Is it unreasonable to ever expect that modified pants would be able to fit as though they were made by the gods for me?
Should I see a different seamstress for working on denim than for nice pants? Yes, denim. Mr. MOL mocked the idea of having denim altered, but super fancy jeans can cost hundreds of dollars easily, so if I modify a $50 pair of Levis for $15, it’s like I saved money by having them tailored. It’s practically having second job! A good seamstress should be able to work with anything, right?
I could just start throwing my pants at people and hoping for the best, but I’d like to have some idea of what I should be expecting before sacrificing my wardrobe, time and dinero.
Ack! First things first, let me recommend makeyourownjeans.com. I paid sixty-five dollars (I believe) for a custom made pair of jeans which I am quite happy with. If you have time, please check them out!
Thanks, that website is awesome. If they use non-crappy denim the way they say they do, I’ve resolved my issue with new jeans. I still need my old ones corrected, and need tailoring for the rest of my pants.
Well, keep in mind that this is all MY particular experience and may differ. In fact it probably will. Cause I kinda doubt you have an old Swedish Lady with ten cats in a small house in Worth, Illinois who will be your “sewing lady” which is what my mom had. And I had as an extension of my mom.
She could work with ANYTHING! Fabric didn’t matter. She was NOT expensive at all, in fact, I can’t think of anything my mom paid more than $20 for (Nor can she. I just called and asked her.) My mom said that it saved our family a ton of money - as family friends did the clothes hand me down thing, it was like having an almost free source of “new” clothes. Plus, she could get things on sale that were bigger, have them altered, and we’d grow into 'em.
In any event, now, the only place I see seamstresses is in Dry Cleaners. I can’t tell you how much they charge as I’ve never had a need for them. So basically, I’m not really helping you at all, am I?
Depending on the fabric and based on where you’re at, I’d say $20.00 for a competent tailoring job on pants inseams/waist is not unreasonable. $50.00 would be unless we’re talking leather or suede alterations.
I’ve lived in a number of different cities and generally I go by recommendations from people I work with. Where I haven’t liked what I’ve heard, I’ve hung out at cleaners/alterations places and watched people come and go. If I see high traffic, I’ll generally bring in one piece for a test of workmanship/price. It’s a lot of work, but worth it if you have short arms like me and everything you buy needs to be tailored so you don’t look like a goofball with sleeves hanging below your fingertips.
I usually skip the folks at the dry cleaners; most of the ones in my experience were more expensive than I was willing to pay. Mostly I find a nice older lady who does some sewing on the side and have her hem every pair of pants I buy, becasue it’s near impossible to find ones that fit otherwise.
Erm, does “having the waist let in” mean making it bigger or smaller? And what is “lengthening the inseam” - making the legs longer, or making the buttocks fuller?
I can’t advise about prices, because I do my own sewing (when necessary; I’m a frump). In terms of finding a tailor, in similar situations I have heard it advised to visit a couple of high-end ladies’ shops in your area and ask whom they recommend for alterations.
I would like to point out that it sounds like the alterations you want involve making the pants bigger in selected areas, which, depending on the cut, may be impossible unless you can find matching fabric or there are decorative elements (cuffs, pockets) that can be cannibalized for fabric. (I’ve had this argument with my roommate many a time; just because I own a sewing machine does not mean I can make cloth appear from nowhere! ) In general, your best recourse is to buy the size that fits your largest area and have the other parts made smaller.
Also in re jeans: heavy fabric + decorative topstitching = hard to make alterations that look nice. Semi-custom as linked to upthread may be a better bet.
It depends. I have to have all my pants hemmed, which usually runs between $15 and $25, depending on the type of pants.
Having denim altered is hardly ridiculous. If I’m going to spend a hundred bucks on a pair of jeans that make my short legs look Rockette-long and my ass look amazing, I don’t give a crap about the length. Length can be fixed. Warning: If you do have denim shortened, take it somewhere where they can reattach the hem for you. It’s a bit trickier than just lopping the ends off, but your pants look much better for it.
For truly nice stuff, if you buy at an upscale department store like Nordstrom, they usually have a tailor or seamstress on staff and will do on-site alterations. They do a darn good job at it, too, from what I’ve ever seen. Some smaller boutique stores also do this, so ask around when you buy clothes.
JR Brown, I’m talking about making the waist smaller and the legs longer. I see your point about fabric appearing from thin air in order to make the inseam longer, which is why I’m not necessarily going to get picky about the inseam. I can usually find pants in tall or long sizes that are not perfect, but acceptable.
apollonia, I forgot all about Nordstrom’s. Since I moved, the closest one to me is farther away than I feel like driving, and is located in a truly terrifying place called the Mall of America. I’ve been googling (which has been less than helpful) and asking friends/coworkers, all of whom have looked at me strangely and then sassed me about having alterations made, instead of giving advice. I’d be willing to go to Nordstrom; I trust those guys. I’d prefer closer to home, but here we are.
I’ll ask around next time I go shopping, and am *so *buying a test pair of jeans from makeyourownjeans.com. If I like 'em, I don’t think I’ll buy jeans anywhere else.
Honestly, once I get into new pants (since most of the ones I have now are rather meh anyway), I’m going to get the waist taken in, since I have 15" of difference between my waist and hips. When you think about it: would you rather pay $50 for pants that sorta fit except they’re huge at the waist and not the right inseam, or pay $75 for pants that have been tailored to fit you perfectly?
) In general, your best recourse is to buy the size that fits your largest area and have the other parts made smaller.