I am a huge fan of tailoring. It can make a garment look like it was made for you and even the smallest alteration can go a long way to accenting and enhancing natural shape.

Natalie Weakly Image Consultant Houston Tailor Made Sewing

While my Houston readers can take advantage of these places for free alterations, these image-consultant-in-your-back-pocket tips will help make sure you end up with alterations you love!

Tailor Made

Before you decide to have something tailored, keep in mind that generally speaking tailoring more than two sizes down will alter the overall construction and design of the piece. Another helpful hint, there is no limit to the number of alterations you can make to a garment – armhole, sleeve, length, neck, shoulders, etc. but I would be wary of doing too many so you don’t end up with a mangled version of the original piece. If an inexpensive item needs three alterations and a slightly more expensive item only needs one – go with the more expensive option.

Once you’ve committed, how can you make the process as smooth as possible? Helpful hints below!

Drop Off Tips

Take out the guesswork when dropping off your garments and keep these things in mind.

  • Wear/bring the shoes you plan to wear with the item. Gentlemen, especially if you are tailoring suit pants, have dress shoes with you! Usually tailors have a pair available if you’ve forgotten and are in a pinch but it’s much better with your own.
  • If altering a jacket, wear/bring a shirt you would typically wear underneath. Guys, bring a dress shirt. Ladies, we have more options – bring whatever represents what you would wear most of the time.
  • Know your break preference – guys, can we agree to let go of the full break entirely?
  • When tailoring jeans, confirm whether you want a regular hem or if you want to keep the original hem. Nothing ruins the look of a pair of jeans more than having the character of an unusual or distressed hem removed and replaced with a straight hem!

Pick Up Tips

Alterations are not always cut and dry (Oh my. I would edit that out but it’s just too bad to cut. There it is again!), they take finesse. So when picking up alterations don’t just grab and go! If you are in a rush confirm with the tailor that you can bring garments back if needed (some are strict on the once-it-leaves-we’re-not-responsible part).

  • Try on the altered garment!! I can’t stress this enough. Even if you are in a rush, it’s overall less time to try it on then to confirm or return for tweaks than it is to leave and have to come back to drop it off. Confirm the changes you discussed were made.
  • Again with the shoes: if you had pants hemmed – try them on with the appropriate shoes!
  • Confirm prints. This is the money shot you are getting for free. ;-) Not as important with small prints but with medium-to-large prints, especially geometric prints, confirm that any alterations to take in the waist/sides result in an aligned print. It doesn’t have to be perfect from all sides, which is often impossible, but if there are bold lines, the lines need to align. Alterations should maintain the integrity of the garment not cheapen it!

Have questions tailoring questions? Jump over to Instagram and Facebook and ask!