We all came out of Gogol's overcoat... but then it fell apart.

November 24, 2009 5:51 AM

Toronto & Southern Ontario Mefites, help me save my favorite winter coat!

I have a wonderfully warm and comfortable woollen winter overcoat that has lasted me a decade of Toronto winters, but the lining is rather quickly shredding. I had it relined once about a year and a half ago, but they clearly did a rather shoddy job. I'm now looking for a tailor (or seamstress or whomever) that can replace the lining and do a good job of it, as I would like to keep this coat for as long as I can. I'm not looking for the cheapest option, but a reasonable price or good value is always nice.

Can anyone recommend places where you've had good experiences? I've read these AskMes, but I'm hoping someone might have a tailor that they know can reline a coat like nobody's business.

posted by dnesan to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (5 answers total)

I like the tailor down the road from me. My wife was planning on getting her jacket relined there, so I can let you know how that goes. He has done other work for me in the past I liked.
posted by chunking express at 7:46 AM on November 24, 2009

What fabric was the coat relined in? Some lining fabrics (like Bemberg) will self-destruct after one winter, so it's entirely possible the tailor did a fine job relining it, but that the fabric is at fault. I'd get the relining done in some kind of polyester satin, which will stand up better to abuse than silk or acetate would. Although a silk charmeuse lining would be very luxurious.
posted by Lycaste at 9:25 AM on November 24, 2009

Best answer: Odd. A friend of mine told me just last week about how happy she was with the relining of her winter coat.

Her very nice wool coat was an investment (~$500), so she also wanted quality and not necessarily the cheapest option. She paid $100 for materials and labour.

She used Master Tailor Wang. He works out of his home on Carr St. (n of Queen, east of Bathurst). He does the tailoring for Price Roman & a bunch of other places.
posted by girlpublisher at 11:43 AM on November 24, 2009 [2 favorites]

Response by poster: Just an update, I went with girlpublisher's suggestion, I haven't gotten the coat back, but he sure seemed knowledgeable and a nice guy to deal with. It cost me $110 to reline the coat (with an inside pocket costing the extra $10 over girlpublisher's friend), and it will be ready in 8 days. I'll try to post another update once I actually have my coat back.
posted by dnesan at 9:57 AM on December 1, 2009

Response by poster: I suppose this is one of those things that will really only become reliable over time (ideally I'd like this lining to last 3-5 years at least), but my experience with Master Tailor Wang was quite good. He called me a day early to pick up my coat. The lining looks sturdy and well done, the stitching looks nice and the inside pocket seems well constructed.

Also, he gave me a hug when I picked up the coat! Seriously, that was the best part of my day, I think I'll try to use him as my regular tailor.
posted by dnesan at 2:41 PM on December 8, 2009 [1 favorite]