STYLETHREAD -- LET'S TALK SHOP!

ILoveChoo · Hermes

alterations?

CheryleB · Kenneth Cole

Of five or six dresses I've bought in the last month, three are at the seamstress's for altering. Nothing major - one was a bit too long, one needed the sleeves shortened and one needed the neckline closed an inch. I have a fairly small ribcage so I often need to have suit jackets and dresses taken in a bit between the upper chest and waist.

small fry · Chanel

I have gotten my clothes altered quite a bit in the past. It ranges from the waist, and my shirts(shoulders) and the length on my pants. It really gets on my nerves b/c I just want things to fit right with out getting it altered.

luckylily · Gucci

The vast majority of my tailoring is to have pants or skirts hemmed up a bit.

I agree that it is HARD to find stuff that fits tho. I mean, I probably try on 15 - 20 things for every one I actually buy.

I'm just lazy about tailoring tho. When I try something on that I know would look better tailored, I try to consider both the additional cost of tailoring AND how long it'll actually take me to get my ass over to the tailors. Usually I don't think it's worth it unless it is something pretty fabulous.

dangergirl · Kate Spade

i don't tend to buy things that don't fit me, unless its just taking up hems on jeans which i attempt to do myself

i have never taken anything to a tailor

atlgirl · Gucci

ILoveChoo wrote:
What percentage of your clothes do you get "tweaked"?

I don't know the percentage, but it's a fair amount of clothes. I am a C cup and have broad shoulders, a smaller waist, and a curvy butt. Many things are nearly impossible to fit me right off the rack.

Like dangergirl, I don't buy a lot of things that don't fit me initially. I am very particular about fit and I try on a lot of clothes. I only take home the items that fit well...or well enough, once the small tailoring tweaks are done.

If I buy something I think is worth having tailored, I factor in the approximate cost for my wardrobe budget. Most times that's minimal; somtimes it's not. For example, a couple of years ago I bought a new winter coat from BR. The coats were sized SML, which means I need a large for the shoulders/chest, but it was huge on me everywhere else. I took it to the tailor and she took up the sleeves and took in the waist. That added about $80 to the price of the coat, but this is a coat I'll wear for years and years. And even DH, who rarely "gets" why I pay for alterations, noticed and thought it looked much better.

pollyjean23 · Marc Jacobs

I take very few things for alterations.

Although, because many pants I have purchased over the years have shrunk, I am thinking of buying only talls or longer pants, washing them, and having them hemmed more often.

I'm short, but I have long legs.

lynnie · Chanel

i havent yet, because i'm lazy, but theres a couple of things i'd like to get altered. I have a fairly easy to fit body though, so if something doesn't fit me well, i blame the garment and move on =)

erin · Chanel

i have to get a lot of stuff altered to fit me as i am short.

Kitty · Hermes

I have a lot of stuff altered..most often it's the waist taken in.

AllieGurl · Marc Jacobs

Alot. My waist is smaller than my hips and I have a very small upper half, so I always need to get my clothes altered to fit correctly.

And all my pants are hemmed.

Kelly · Hermes

lynnie wrote:

i havent yet, because i'm lazy, but theres a couple of things i'd like to get altered.

ditto. I have a bunch of things I want to get tailored, but I haven't gotten around to bringing them in yet. Mostly because I'm somehow intimidated by the whole process because I've never gotten something altered. I don't know why it's intimidating to me, but it is. I guess I'm afraid of looking stupid if I ask for something impossible, etc. Also, a big factor is the fact that I'm still a poor student and even adding $5 or $10 to the price of something for a small alteration is enough to turn me off to things. I'm particular about fit, though, so I seriously try on about 20 or 30 things to every one that I buy. I have a large chest, so it's hard to find things that aren't slutty but don't tent out and make me look like a house, either. I know this could all be solved by tailoring, but like I said - I'm slow to bring things in.

member · Hermes

I have very few things altered. The only thing I really have to have done is just about pair of pants I buy has to have the hems let out. Pants are almost never long enough on me.

Teresa · Kate Spade

I just got my first pair of jeans altered (just had the length taken up a bit) and it costed me $21.00!!!!!!! I couldn't believe this! Am I over reacting?

Lilykind · Hermes

collegegirl5858 wrote:
I just got my first pair of jeans altered (just had the length taken up a bit) and it costed me $21.00!!!!!!! I couldn't believe this! Am I over reacting?

I've had great original hems on jeans done for $10-15, depending on the city...this sounds a bit high to me.

I am lucky to be curvy on top and bottom, so I *generally* pick silhouettes that emphasize my smaller waist. A lot of stuff I buy is very adjustable/flexbile in sizing.

Also, I have had jackets and dresses taken in. I bought a couple of bargains that were slightly large in certain areas so I haul them to the tailor. I have a killer tailor who altered my Karen Millen dress for like $35 to fit like a gem. I just need a place to wear that thing.

Drew · Gucci

AllieGurl wrote:

Alot. My waist is smaller than my hips and I have a very small upper half, so I always need to get my clothes altered to fit correctly.

Ditto that! Just bottoms though. The tops always fit.

jrhampt · Kenneth Cole

Rarely ever. I attempted to have a skirt altered (waist taken in) last fall, but forgot all about it and left it at the dry cleaners. It's probably gone now.

Kitty · Hermes

collegegirl5858 wrote:

I just got my first pair of jeans altered (just had the length taken up a bit) and it costed me $21.00!!!!!!! I couldn't believe this! Am I over reacting?

It's $30 here if you re-attach the original bottom.

Suasoria · Chanel

Not so much anymore, since for the last 10 years I've been in a very casual work environment. When I worked for a retail menswear company we had tailors working on a contract basis in all my stores so I'd use it to my advantage...they were all very nice to me since I was the one who made sure they got their checks once a month!

Since then I've used my husband's tailor a couple of times. Oh, and my wedding dress came with a detachable train, and the tailor's wife turned it into a cape. Which was so cool.

Teresa · Kate Spade

Kitty wrote:

collegegirl5858 wrote:

I just got my first pair of jeans altered (just had the length taken up a bit) and it costed me $21.00!!!!!!! I couldn't believe this! Am I over reacting?

Understandable, but I live ina small MN town???? Plus the guy was a cocky bastard. ugh
It's $30 here if you re-attach the original bottom.