The Ultimate Guide to Tailoring your Suit Jacket

As ZZ Top once said, “every girl’s crazy ’bout a sharp-dressed man.” Unfortunately, most people won’t look too sharp when they dress in a suit right off the racks. Luckily, tailoring your suit jacket will change how you feel in your suits.

The Easy Alterations

Even if you don’t have a lot of extra time or cash to have your suit fully altered, there are a few easy alterations a tailor can provide that are affordable and don’t take a lot of time but still make you look more dapper in your suit.

Start with the buttons. If your suit is older and the buttons are outdated, a tailor can add new ones to modernize the outfit. You might also ask the tailor to bring the buttons in or move them out. This will change where your suit falls at the waist and create a better fit.

Next, consider the seams. Maybe your weight has fluctuated since the last time you wore this suit. Your tailor can adjust the seams so that your suit still aligns with your body. Perhaps most important are the side seams, which should align perfectly with the side of your body to create a smooth look.

Don’t forget the collar when having easy alterations done. If you’d like it to be more visible, you can ask your tailor to raise it. If you’d prefer less visible, it can be lowered. Adjusting the collar also adds space for people who have broader shoulder than they once did.

The Medium Alterations

Medium alterations are a bit more expensive and take a bit longer to complete but are perfect for people who want a more tailored look. Start with the shoulder area. Most jackets have slightly misaligned shoulders because it is difficult to get padding equal on both sides. Your tailor can determine which side has less padding and add to it to create a more even look and feel.

From the shoulder area, your tailor can also work on your sleeves. Your tailor can add or subtract buttons from the cuff to change the length of the sleeves while retaining the fit feeling of the entire jacket. Shortening the sleeve is typically easiest if you agree to have your tailor remove one or two buttons, but you can also ask that the tailor simply move the buttons up. Keep in mind the latter may cost more, though. If you want to increase the length of the sleeve, your tailor will need to look at the cuff and the shoulder to see if there is any extra cloth to work with.

The Hardest Alterations

If you are getting married, attending your best friend’s wedding or going to an evening gala for work, chances are you want to go all out. In this case, it is a good idea to spend the time and money on a full set of alterations, including these ones considered the hardest.

Is your suit jacket too long? You can have the length shortened. Your tailor will need to spend plenty of time ensuring he or she shortens the length correctly on all sides. Keep in mind that shortening the length may also mean altering the pockets and buttons. You can also remove the pockets if you prefer, but most tailors don’t recommend this.

How do you like the lapels on your jacket? Depending on how old the jacket is, its lapels may be much wider than what is currently popular. While hanging this won’t make the jacket fit better, some people decide to alter the lapels to better fit today’s trends.

If your shoulders are narrower than the shoulders of your jacket, it will likely need shoulder point reduction. This task requires opening the padding, moving fabric and then refilling the padding. It requires a lot of time and someone who is very knowledgeable about this type of alteration for it to be done correctly.

Finally, if you asked your tailor to adjust the seams and chest, you will also need to ask for sleeve rotation since you rotated the entire alignment of the jacket. Your tailor will need to completely remove the sleeves to rotate them.

Now that you know what needs to be done, you need to find the best suit jacket tailor available. We can help. Contact Stitch It to see what we can do for you.