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23
Jul
Perfect guide to alter your trousers to a perfect fit.
A ready-made trousers does not always come with a perfect fit that may not need alterations. So, majority of men and even ladies, especially who are particular about the fit and the fall, go to an alteration tailor who turn an ill-fitted trouser to a well-fitted garment and make it look like a trouser that is custom-made for you.
Here is a guide who seek alterations to wear a perfectly-fitting trousers and stand out in the crowd. It guides you with most common trouser alterations a tailor can do for you. Starting from simple alterations which can be done by any decent tailor to complicated ones that an expert professional can do.
Easy fixes :
(1) Trouser Length shortening or increasing
It is very easy to fix trousers that are either too long or too short. There are also some brands, whose trousers come with unfinished hems so that you can decide pant length as per your likings. Either you know the length and tell the tailor, or he measures and helps you decide the length. If it is shortening, obviously it is easier. In case it is increasing the length, which is not a normal scenario unless you are refitting someone else’s pants, the hem already tucked inside can be released and a similar fabric can be given at the back of the hem.
(2) Trouser Waist Too Small or Too Big
If you feel you are not so comfortable on the waist, it means that the pants are super tight around the waist, or it is too big and the pants are falling off you. The tailor can take the waist in or out and give your trouser a more comfortable fit. When you alter the waist, especially when taking it in, it is most likely that seat needs a change too. Make sure tailor understands this and adjusts. Tucking on the sides while taking in is a NO-NO.
(3) Taper the Pant Leg
Without giving yourself a legging-like or skinny-jean-like look, you can taper your pants and look slimmer with a skinnier fit at around the calves that goes skinnier down your ankles. This of course depends on the current trend. If there is enough material to work with, your tailor will manage to do the alteration. In any other case, the work will look bizarre and probably disappoint you.
(4) Small-Repairs
Zipper fixes or replacements, hook and eye replacements, Hemline firm-ups can be done for increased life by any tailor.
Complicated fixes:
(1) Line up the Creases of the trouser
Ideally, the crease of your trousers should visually divide the knee vertically. Sometimes, though, it doesn’t line up all that well with the centre of the leg creating a sloppy effect. In this case, the tailor can help line creases properly.
(2) Alter the Waistband to Create New Belt Loops
Not an everyday task in a tailor’s routine but certainly doable provided there is enough material to work with. When this alteration happens, tailor has to be careful with creases of the pants.
(3) Crotch Too Roomy or Tight
If the crotch of your trousers makes you feel uncomfortable because it is either not roomy enough or too roomy, work with your tailor. A good tailor will be able to find a medium in which you feel good in your pants. If you also find the part around your upper thighs a bit too roomy for your likings, ask your tailor to trim the excess fabric out and take in the sides of the pants.
© Challenging fixes:
(1) Waistband too High
It requires a LOT of work. You can lower the front waistband and keep the back high, which is easier, or lower both sides. It is an alteration where the tailor will have to open up of the waistband and the pockets, remove the belt loops, and potentially put an extension in the band and/or remove each stitch of the band.
(2) Remove Pleats
Ideal option to revive an old suit with pleated pants that you want to convert to flat front trousers. The tailor is called to rip out the seams along the waistband and will need to go through 2–3 layers of liner to achieve that. They will also have to rip out the seams below the pocket along the side of the leg, cut along the front of the pocket, wrap the excess fabric (that of the pleats) around the pocket edge and many more.
(3) Reduce Pants to More than One Size
If you have lost a lot of weight and you find 2 of you fitting in your old pants, it’s best to purchase a new pair of trousers rather than ask the tailor to re-cut the entire pants. However, if it is important to you that you have that kind of alteration done to your pants, an expert tailor will know how to tear the pants apart and put them back together again for you so that he provides the desired result.
Trouser alterations can easily turn from a quick fix into a disaster if you trust the wrong hands. So, it is imperative you do your research before asking for a tailor’s help to do even minor alterations to your trousers. Search for credentials and, of course, feedback and high review ratings in your city that justify the choice of the tailor. Avoid the dry-cleaner or any tailor sitting around the corner who does not have knowledge about the trouser alterations. Give one pant to see if they work well for you. In Bangalore the ‘gents tailors’ who stitch the men’s outfits would do most of the above alterations. But the problem is the charges on alteration vs a new garment may not justify their time. There are tailors like SSB tailors in Whitefield, Classic tailors in HSR, Decent tailors in JP Nagar, BS Raja Alteration Tailors in Hebbal that do only alterations. There are online tailors like FCOM India who visit your doorsteps, pick your trouser, alter and drop it back. They have an offline presence in Indiranagar too.
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