Help me make my trousers shorter

June 30, 2012 7:53 AM

Where should I go to get some simple adjustments to my suit?

I recently bought a suit that needs the trousers hemmed and the sleeves shortened a bit. The dry-cleaner around the corner from me me offers adjustments, but as a suit-wearing neophyte, I'm not sure if that's the kind of place I should be going to, or if there's a chance they might do a sloppy job. I've spent a few hundred quid on the suit, and I don't want to cock it up at the last hurdle.

Should I look for a tailor or will this place be fine? If I need a tailor, does anyone have any recommendations near Wimbledon? Is there anything I need to know before I go, or can I just be like hem these up, yo?

posted by dudekiller to clothing, beauty, & fashion (3 answers total)

trousers hemmed and sleeves shortened is something I would trust my cleaners to do.

But doesn't the place you bought the suit from offer alterations?
posted by JPD at 7:57 AM on June 30, 2012

Hemming is easy (as opposed to say, taking in the shoulders or something), so it's less important that you go to someone fantastic; they just need to be competent.

I have found Yelp to be an excellent resource for finding a good tailor.

You don't really need to know anything before you go; do bring the shoes you will wear with the suit (especially if your suit-shoes are a different height from your other shoes). You'll try on the suit for the tailor, the tailor will pin the suit to the appropriate length (and pin the sleeves to the appropriate length). Then, you change back into your street clothes and leave the suit with the tailor.
posted by insectosaurus at 8:19 AM on June 30, 2012

I don't know about your country, but I just had similar work done with a tailor, and it cost me $10 for them to hem a pair of my trousers, and $21 for them to shorten the sleeves on my jacket here in the states (NC).
posted by oceanjesse at 8:20 AM on June 30, 2012