Un-stretching pants

February 8, 2006 6:13 AM

PantsFilter: help me get my pants back to size!

The pants that I wear to work are all dry clean only. Not a problem, except that they get stretched out from me wearing them, and dry cleaning apparently doesn't return them to their original size (like washing and drying tends to do). My pants are falling off of me (and it's not because I've lost weight, as my other pants have confirmed), and I can't figure out a way to get them back to their original size.

They are made of various fabrics (wool crepe, wool gabardine, cotton), but are all dry clean only. Any suggestions?

posted by elquien to clothing, beauty, & fashion (5 comments total)

First, find a better dry cleaner. Then take in the stretched out pants and a pair of properly fitting pants and explain the situation. A good cleaner will know how to get them back to normal size.
posted by boomchicka at 6:17 AM on February 8, 2006

How old are these pants? A lot of dryclean-only pants have lycra in them now to give them a bit more stretch--it could be that the lycra is deteriorating. I've certainly had that happen. (This doesn't really answer your question if *all* of your pants are doing this, however--if that's the case, boomchicka's right. First things first, get a new cleaner!)
posted by veronica sawyer at 7:36 AM on February 8, 2006

Becareful! I had a pair of very expensive dry clean only lycra pants that the dry cleaners absolutely ruined (shrunk several sizes). The store was nice enough to credit my account. I'm very, very wary of dry cleaners now for anything that's not standard suit material. Ask your local high-end department store where they take their clothes (if they do it in-house, who they recommend). You'll pay more but it'll get done right, seriously. There's nothing worse then bringing in half your wardrobe and seeing $600 in clothes ruined.
posted by geoff. at 8:14 AM on February 8, 2006

Oh, another thing re: finding a new cleaner. When trying a new place for the first time, I take one, maybe two, garments there. Then I decide whether or not to go back based on how they do on the test items.
posted by boomchicka at 8:30 AM on February 8, 2006

As for the already stretched out pants, you can take them to a tailor and have them taken in. Where I live this would be about $10-$15.
posted by justkevin at 8:45 AM on February 8, 2006