19/09/2019
Clothing alterations are the Key to better look.
Having stylist is luxury that not all people can
afford. But you don’t need to spend hundreds of
dollars that will help you look more pulled
together as long as you go to the right tailor who
doesn’t blucher the garment in the process.
Tailoring doesn’t mean just making things smaller
or bigger it means making them fit like they were
design for you specifically and it really can make
huge difference.
Below is eight clothing alterations tricks totally
worth knowing.
1.Shorten a shirt or add a shirt tail
Having a shirt hem taken up even a half inch can make a big
difference, as a too long top can overwhelm a petite frame and
always tends to bunch up and look sloppy On most simple tops (even
those with buttons), you can ask your tailor to add a curved, shirttail
style hem instead of a boring straight one. This will create a more
interesting, flattering silhouette. This alteration also allows you to
tuck tops into clingier skirts or pants with only minimal bunching.
“However, if there are pockets or zippers involved near the hem of
the shirt, attempting to shorten it probably isn’t worth the trouble.
Leave those pieces on the rack and never look back, because
replacing zippers and moving pockets can become costly alterations.
2.take in ashirt at the side seams.
The golden rule of alterations is that anywhere a straight seam exists
on a garment is pretty much fair game for an alteration. So if you’re
considering the purchase of a blouse you love with a fit that’s on the
not so perfect boxy side, check to see if it has a straight seam on
each side of the body. If it does, march right up to the register and
pay for that, because taking a straight seam in at the sides is one of
the easiest clothing fixes there is. “If your boxy cut shirt has sleeves,
the alteration becomes slightly more complicated, as the tailor will
need to cut into the underarm area too. But altering the sides
through the underarm is still easily accomplished and totally worth
doing. Just keep in mind that it means you’ll have to make sure the
shirt in question has enough room in the underarm to allow for small
chunk of fabric to be removed.
3. Take up a shoulder seam (or shorten
your straps.
This is the mother of all alterations for those of you with
short torsos. If you find that many garments hang down a
little too low in front and shows the sides of your bra, it’s
likely due to the shoulder seam being too long. And a good
shoulder fit is important, as it can actually improve the look
and feel of the entire garment. This alteration works best
with a sleeveless or tank top style blouse, as removing the
sleeve and reattaching it is tricky, and many times, they
won’t hang right afterward. “Taking a sleeveless garment up
at the shoulder seam is an easy, inexpensive fix,” Freer
added. “However, it does automatically raise the front and
back necklines too, making the neckline circumference
smaller. Whatever amount you raise the shoulder seam will
also take the armhole up by the same amount. So make sure
you can afford to lose the room before you take the plunge.
4. Hem a pair of pants or jeans
A simple hem on a pair of pants should run you about $15, but the
difference it makes in your look is priceless. Just a few inches off the
bottom allows the pants to fall straight from your hips as the designer
intended — resulting in a clean, sleek, fresh line from waist to floor.
“Everyone thinks shortening the hem of jeans is totally out of the question
because it’s so hard to replicate the original one due to stitching details. But
it’s really not — you just need to turn your tailor on to the ‘Hollywood Hem.’
To achieve it, put your jeans on and figure out where you want the new
length to be. Use a pin to mark the spot. Then, cuff the legs up (so they are
inside out) until the original hem is right above your existing pin. Use
another pin to secure the cuff into place. Take your jeans to the tailor and
have them sew right below the original hem, taking care not to sew through
any part of the original hem itself. Once it’s stitched down, your tailor will
cut off the bottom fold of excess fabric, flip the original hem down and press
it into place. Your jeans will now fit properly and look as if they came from
the store that way!”
A word of caution: “Always make sure to wash and dry your jeans at least
once or twice before hemming so they can get all the shrinkage out of their
system
5. Add some darts.
Darts are most commonly used in blouses to improve fit at the bustline, but
can be just as useful to shape a pair of pants or a skirt. The tailor will space
the two darts apart evenly, most likely placing them over the fullest part of
each bum cheek. The darts will take in the most fabric at the waistband and
go down to zero fabric at the point where your hips begin to widen. This
alteration will likely run you about $20-$25.
“You can also use darts to slim down a boxy jacket. If you have broad
shoulders, you may find that you need to buy your jackets a size or two up
to have them fit well through the shoulders — but this almost always
causes it to be too boxy through the waist. Ask your tailor to open up the
jacket’s lining and add two darts at the jacket’s back, starting right behind
the sleeves and ending just before the hem for about $40.”
6.Slim down sleeves
Cutting down a voluminous sleeve is another alteration that doesn’t cost a
ton but makes a huge difference in how a garment looks. When a sleeve is
too loose, it usually means the armpit is too big as well. Your tailor can take
in anywhere from a half inch to a full two inches from the underside sleeve
seam, going from the wrist all the way to the underarm and down into the
side-boob seam to create a slimmed down, prettier shape.
“Your tailor may try to tell you that he or she needs to actually remove the
sleeves from the garment to ‘properly’ take in the sleeve and underarm
area, but the shortcut method outlined above is one I’ve used for years with
great success — and sometimes all you really need is the fastest, least
expensive way to get from point A to point B. Just make sure you can
actually bend your arm at the elbow with the proposed sleeve alteration
before the tailor stitches it up for good.”
7. Taper a trouser leg.
You obviously can’t make a pair of wide-leg pants into a legging with this
alteration, but you can have your tailor easily trim a bit of excess volume
along the garment’s inner and outer seams, resulting in a more flattering,
streamlined silhouette.”
Fair warning: “Bringing a pair of pants in by more than about two inches
often necessitates moving the pockets to a point where the whole thing just
looks wrong. You may be better off just springing for a new pair that fits you
better.”
8. Replace a terrible invisible zipper.
The zipper that will give you the most trouble in life is an invisible zipper,
which is practically embedded into the garment, rendering the zipper —
wait for it — invisible once zipped up! They are commonly found on better
cocktail and party dresses.
“If you are asking your tailor to replace the zipper completely, you may
need to provide them with the new zipper to ensure a perfect colour and
style match. This means a trip to the fabric store is in your future — and
once you are there, spring for the very best zipper money can buy.
Consider replacing plastic zippers with metal ones, as they are stronger
and can take more of a beating. Be sure to bring the garment to the store
with you so you aren’t left scratching your head, wondering which zipper is
a better match. A replacement zipper is in the neighbourhood of $8 to
10.00 dollars, and a tailor will charge you about $15 to install it.
“If you have a dress that’s just a few centimetres too tight (or every zipper
you ever use breaks and gets stuck), you could also consider replacing
your invisible zippers with a sturdier exposed zipper and treating it like a
style detail.”
