5 Things You Should Know Before Getting Your Suit Altered

Bought a new suit and it won’t sit right? Looks like you need to get it altered. But before you can do that, there are a few things you need to keep in mind.

Alterations Are Inevitable

The perfect fit does not come on the rack—you have to modify it. Buying a suit means getting the best possible fitting and having the tailor take it from there.

The suit is a tricky animal. It covers a whole range of measurements to the best of its ability, but naturally cannot account for all the variations in the human form. If you have broad shoulders and a narrow waist, or wide hips and slimmer thighs; it means that there will be some inconsistencies in sizing.

Alterations are therefore completely unavoidable, and a trip to the tailor is in the cards to make your suit look the best that it can.

Material Matters

While you should have a ballpark figure of what alterations can cost, it would be helpful to know that it depends on the material of your suit as well. Finer quality material will tend to come with a higher price tag attached to alterations.

Taking In Is Easier Than Letting Out

For the tailor, adjusting a bigger suit to a smaller size is much easier than doing the opposite. When it comes to weight gain or loss, we tend to buy clothes according to the goal weight.

This is generally a bad idea with suits, if you intend to gain weight. Adjusting a smaller size to a bigger one is less doable than taking in the suit a bit if you lose weight. Buy the right fit, and don’t let a perfectly good new suit go to waste.

Different Folks, Different Strokes

There is no standard rule when it comes to alterations.

Different body types will require different alterations, depending on the style and cut of suit being worn.

The sleeves, jacket length, shoulders, and pant leg hem are the more common alterations, but not every person will need all of them.

Do Your Homework

To turn your suit into a perfect fit, you also need to find the perfect tailor.

Asking around and researching their level of expertise is never a bad idea. Go in for fittings and get a feel for the man or woman behind the measuring tapes.

A tailor who knows their trade will tend to make reasonable suggestions on what areas you can get altered. If you’re wary of committing to a tailor just yet, get a feel for their work first by getting minor alterations at first.

If you’re looking for a place in DC for alterations, you need not go any further than Imperial Valet. We are a quick and reliable service for dry clean and alterations as well as for commercial laundry, shoe repair, and suede and leather cleaning.

Call us at (202) 785-1444 and get those suits fit just right for the next fancy dress night out.