Would it be weird to have a tailor clone my favorite pair of shorts?

November 23, 2004 10:12 AM

My favourite pair of shorts is about to die. They're the best shorts I've ever owned and seem to be irreplaceable in this age of cargo-style saturation. How bizarre, difficult and pricey would it be to approach a tailor/seamstress and ask them to dissect the pattern and clone the shorts with new material?
posted by picea to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (9 answers total)

I had a coat almost entirely replicated from an old one. She replaced the outside pockets that had been ripped-off, re-weaved a couple of tears, & replaced both sleaves, the entire interior lining and insulation.

It cost more than buying a new coat would have cost, but I had very close to what I wanted at the end of the process. Once the tailor was clear about the fact that I understood it would cost a lot, I had no problems.

Just remember that there will be minor differences in the fabric and there will be a lack of aging so you're just getting a clone of your favorite shorts. You will notice these differences that nobody else would ever notice.
posted by probablysteve at 10:33 AM on November 23, 2004

man just get a new pair of shorts.
posted by alkupe at 10:59 AM on November 23, 2004

They're used to that request. However, it will cost at least twice what a new pair of shorts would cost. If you had several pairs made at once, the per-unit cost would decrease, but it would still be significantly more expensive than buying the shorts in a store.
posted by Sidhedevil at 11:06 AM on November 23, 2004

Would they would need to destroy the original shorts in the process?
posted by smackfu at 11:10 AM on November 23, 2004

The old shorts would probably be destroyed in the process - they have to be taken apart to get the pattern for the new pair. But they might be able to put them back together too? Depends on how worn out they are.
posted by agregoli at 11:19 AM on November 23, 2004

Assuming the shorts are not from a Japanese or Belgian designer, they don't have to take the shorts apart -- it's probably a fairly standard 'cut'. They'll measure you and make a pattern from paper, use your fabric, sew 'em up. It's not that big a job and probably costs more than the price of new shorts, but not by too much. The deeper issue is that although they might match stitch for stitch, they will undoubtedly lack even the merest hint of the mojo that defined the originals, and you will therefore loathe and resent them, see them as representative of every flaw and fault you've ever evidenced, and turn on yourself, yet again, for wasting the time and money. At least I would. Don't do it!
posted by thinkpiece at 11:33 AM on November 23, 2004

Know anyone in India?
posted by goethean at 1:32 PM on November 23, 2004

Response by poster: Believe it or not, I do have a friend who's been in India for awhile. And he's returning to N. America in a couple of months. Why, goethean?
posted by picea at 1:45 PM on November 23, 2004

Because seamstresses in India, China, Thailand, etc. are much cheaper than those in the US.
posted by stovenator at 10:42 PM on November 23, 2004