What Should Suit Alterations Cost?

October 24, 2011

People often ask me what a reasonable price is for basic menswear alterations. This varies, of course, depending on the tailor, location and quality of work. Some tailors charge more because they do better work (which often takes more time), some because of greater overhead, some because they can. I surveyed our twitter followers for some idea of what they get charged, and put together this brief guide.

Trouser Hem (Plain): $8-15

Trouser Hem (Cuff): $10-25

Trouser Waist: $10-20

Taper Trousers: $20-35

Jacket Sleeves (Non-Functioning): $15-30

Jacket Sleeves (Functioning, altering from shoulder): $60-100

Jacket Sleeves (Cut Buttonholes, Finish Sleeves): $5-10 / buttonhole

Jacket Waist: $50-100

Reline Jacket: $75-125

Change Buttons: $1-3 Each

Shirt Waist Taken In: $10-20

Shirt Sleeves Shortened: $15-25 (on the higher end if moving sleeve placket to shorten more than 1/2” or so)

Posted in Alterations Tailors Best Of
July 19, 2011
Q and Answer: How Much Can My Clothes Be Altered? Mario writes us to ask: When you’re hunting for used quality clothing, you’re bound to come across pieces that are a couple of sizes too small or a few too big. Some of this, I assume, can be corrected with a visit to a tailor. If that’s the case, my question is: in your experience, what size range can be (relatively) easily retrofitted to your measurements? It happens to all of us - we put our hand on a perfect garment in a thrift store. We pull it out, and it looks tremendous. We try it on, and it doesn’t quite fit. Immediately, we wonder: can it be altered? Altering second-hand clothes is the same as altering new clothes. Some procedures are possible, some impossible. Some are easy, some difficult. Let’s take it by garment. Shirts Shirt sleeves can be easily shortened, but usually they can’t be easily lengthened. Cuffs and collars can be replaced, but only with white (and it may be a bit expensive). The torso of a shirt can be brought in, and the sleeves slimmed, as in episode six of Put This On. Remove more than three or four inches and you may have a badly unbalanced shirt, depending on your shape. The collar button can be moved about a quarter inch either direction to make the collar larger or smaller, but this may throw off the balance of the collar. Your taste should guide you. The shoulders and chest of a shirt are largely inalterable. Trousers The waist of a pair of trousers can be let in or taken out 2-3”. Look inside the seat for extra fabric at the waistband - this, minus half an inch or so, is as far as you can take the pants out. Trousers are easily shortened, but lengthening them requires fabric at the hems. You should be able to turn the leg inside out to check how much room you have. Cuffs can also be removed for extra length. Be careful when lengthening as edge wear could leave an undesirable line when the pant is let out. Pleats can be removed, but you may not be happy with the result. Either they are replaced with darts, or the pants are substantially re-cut. Trousers can be slimmed or tapered from the bottom of the pockets down, from either the inside seam, outside seam or both. Jackets Jacket waists and torsos can usually be altered by about 2”, though 1” is generally safer. The top block of jackets - from the armholes up - is very difficult to alter. Don’t try. Shoulders must fit, if they don’t, put it back. Jacket sleeves can be taken up or down as long as the buttons are non-functional. To see how far they can be taken down, feel with your fingers inside the lining of the sleeve end for folded-back fabric. Usually there’s an inch or two, but remember that you will need to retain about half an inch to reach the lining on the inside. If jacket buttons are functional, the sleeve can be taken up from the shoulder, but this is a tricky and expensive process - budget $75 or so, and find a good tailor. It’s possible the sleeves can be taken down a bit, too, but you’d have to ask a tailor to look for extra fabric in the armhole. When lengthening sleeves from the cuff, you may find that there’s a line of wear, especially on textural fabrics like flannel. Vents cannot be added to or removed from jackets. Jacket lengths are alterable, but it’s inadvisable and expensive to try. Jacket lapels - same deal. Shoes Shoes that are slightly too large (1/2 size or less) can sometimes be fit with insoles or tongue pads. This is particularly true if width is the problem, rather than length - just be careful that the ball of your foot hits in the appropriate flex point in the shoe. Shoes can be stretched, but only in width, not in length. Stretching can usually take a shoe about one width larger - say from D to E. Sometimes two, depends on the shoe. Socks Socks are generally inalterable, but if you have notably large feet and are set on second-hand hosiery, try gluing two or more pairs of socks together, then putting both on your foot. I’ve never done it, but it seems like it might work.

Q and Answer: How Much Can My Clothes Be Altered?

Mario writes us to ask: When you’re hunting for used quality clothing, you’re bound to come across pieces that are a couple of sizes too small or a few too big. Some of this, I assume, can be corrected with a visit to a tailor. If that’s the case, my question is: in your experience, what size range can be (relatively) easily retrofitted to your measurements?

It happens to all of us - we put our hand on a perfect garment in a thrift store. We pull it out, and it looks tremendous. We try it on, and it doesn’t quite fit. Immediately, we wonder: can it be altered?

Altering second-hand clothes is the same as altering new clothes. Some procedures are possible, some impossible. Some are easy, some difficult. Let’s take it by garment.

Shirts

  • Shirt sleeves can be easily shortened, but usually they can’t be easily lengthened.
  • Cuffs and collars can be replaced, but only with white (and it may be a bit expensive).
  • The torso of a shirt can be brought in, and the sleeves slimmed, as in episode six of Put This On. Remove more than three or four inches and you may have a badly unbalanced shirt, depending on your shape.
  • The collar button can be moved about a quarter inch either direction to make the collar larger or smaller, but this may throw off the balance of the collar. Your taste should guide you.
  • The shoulders and chest of a shirt are largely inalterable.

Trousers

  • The waist of a pair of trousers can be let in or taken out 2-3”. Look inside the seat for extra fabric at the waistband - this, minus half an inch or so, is as far as you can take the pants out.
  • Trousers are easily shortened, but lengthening them requires fabric at the hems. You should be able to turn the leg inside out to check how much room you have. Cuffs can also be removed for extra length.
  • Be careful when lengthening as edge wear could leave an undesirable line when the pant is let out.
  • Pleats can be removed, but you may not be happy with the result. Either they are replaced with darts, or the pants are substantially re-cut.
  • Trousers can be slimmed or tapered from the bottom of the pockets down, from either the inside seam, outside seam or both.

Jackets

  • Jacket waists and torsos can usually be altered by about 2”, though 1” is generally safer.
  • The top block of jackets - from the armholes up - is very difficult to alter. Don’t try.
  • Shoulders must fit, if they don’t, put it back.
  • Jacket sleeves can be taken up or down as long as the buttons are non-functional. To see how far they can be taken down, feel with your fingers inside the lining of the sleeve end for folded-back fabric. Usually there’s an inch or two, but remember that you will need to retain about half an inch to reach the lining on the inside.
  • If jacket buttons are functional, the sleeve can be taken up from the shoulder, but this is a tricky and expensive process - budget $75 or so, and find a good tailor. It’s possible the sleeves can be taken down a bit, too, but you’d have to ask a tailor to look for extra fabric in the armhole.
  • When lengthening sleeves from the cuff, you may find that there’s a line of wear, especially on textural fabrics like flannel.
  • Vents cannot be added to or removed from jackets.
  • Jacket lengths are alterable, but it’s inadvisable and expensive to try.
  • Jacket lapels - same deal.

Shoes

  • Shoes that are slightly too large (1/2 size or less) can sometimes be fit with insoles or tongue pads. This is particularly true if width is the problem, rather than length - just be careful that the ball of your foot hits in the appropriate flex point in the shoe.
  • Shoes can be stretched, but only in width, not in length. Stretching can usually take a shoe about one width larger - say from D to E. Sometimes two, depends on the shoe.

Socks

  • Socks are generally inalterable, but if you have notably large feet and are set on second-hand hosiery, try gluing two or more pairs of socks together, then putting both on your foot. I’ve never done it, but it seems like it might work.
Posted in Alterations Best Of Tailoring Thrifting Best Of
July 5, 2011
I’ve been impressed by what I’ve read and seen from Suit Supply, a Dutch company which has recently opened its first store here in the US. They sell store-branded suits, all of which are at least partially canvassed, in very contemporary styles, for a reasonable price. All sounds great, right? The downside, though, is significant: all of their suits have functional button holes on their cuffs. This means that the buttonholes are real, open-and-closable, rather than sewn onto the outside symbolically, like on most off-the-rack suits. Functional button holes are a sign of quality - on a custom-made suit. The reason a custom-made suit can have functional button holes is that the sleeves are cut to a custom length. Once buttonholes are cut, it’s major surgery to change the length of sleeves, so they’re typically only cut when the customer’s exact sleeve length preference is available. That means by a tailor. Once they’re cut, they can’t be un-cut. Typically, the cuffs off-the-rack suits come one of two ways. Lower-end suits come with non-functional cuffs, with buttons sewed to the outside of the sleeve. These can be easily lengthened or shortened as necessary - an alterationist just moves the buttons in a $20 alteration. Higher-end suits come with unfinished cuffs, which are cut to length by the purchaser’s tailor. This costs more like $50, as the tailor must cut the buttonholes himself. With a finished cuff, the only way to alter the length of the sleeve is at the shoulder, a complicated and expensive process that doesn’t always work perfectly.The sleeve is removed completely, then re-attached. This is always dicey, and often costs about a hundred bucks. This means that by using functional button holes, an essentially symbolic sign of luxury, Suit Supply has consigned every one of their customers whose arm length doesn’t happen to perfectly match the one they’ve cut to an ill-fitting suit. That’s probably what, 75 or 80% of their buyers? Bummer, huh?

I’ve been impressed by what I’ve read and seen from Suit Supply, a Dutch company which has recently opened its first store here in the US. They sell store-branded suits, all of which are at least partially canvassed, in very contemporary styles, for a reasonable price. All sounds great, right?

The downside, though, is significant: all of their suits have functional button holes on their cuffs. This means that the buttonholes are real, open-and-closable, rather than sewn onto the outside symbolically, like on most off-the-rack suits.

Functional button holes are a sign of quality - on a custom-made suit. The reason a custom-made suit can have functional button holes is that the sleeves are cut to a custom length. Once buttonholes are cut, it’s major surgery to change the length of sleeves, so they’re typically only cut when the customer’s exact sleeve length preference is available. That means by a tailor. Once they’re cut, they can’t be un-cut.

Typically, the cuffs off-the-rack suits come one of two ways. Lower-end suits come with non-functional cuffs, with buttons sewed to the outside of the sleeve. These can be easily lengthened or shortened as necessary - an alterationist just moves the buttons in a $20 alteration. Higher-end suits come with unfinished cuffs, which are cut to length by the purchaser’s tailor. This costs more like $50, as the tailor must cut the buttonholes himself.

With a finished cuff, the only way to alter the length of the sleeve is at the shoulder, a complicated and expensive process that doesn’t always work perfectly.The sleeve is removed completely, then re-attached. This is always dicey, and often costs about a hundred bucks.

This means that by using functional button holes, an essentially symbolic sign of luxury, Suit Supply has consigned every one of their customers whose arm length doesn’t happen to perfectly match the one they’ve cut to an ill-fitting suit. That’s probably what, 75 or 80% of their buyers?

Bummer, huh?

Posted in Suit Supply Alterations Tailors
June 8, 2011
Q and Answer: Why Are Vintage Ties Short? Eijah writes to ask: For the second time, I found myself with a vintage tie I’d bought online that was far too short. I clearly need to pay more attention. The last time this happened, I decided I wasn’t crazy for the tie anyway, and so I gave it away to be someone else’s problem. This time, however, I really like the tie in question, which you can see here http://www.etsy.com/transaction/50877227 Like the last one, strangely, this very short tie doesn’t have much or any lining inside of it, and so is pretty thin. First question: Why are these ties so short? Are they kids’ ties? Are they from back in the day when everyone had a vest or a double-breasted jacket and ties didn’t usually reach too far? (When I tie it normally, it reaches just past my chest.)   Second question: Is there anything that can be done? I really think that I could pull this thing off in the summertime, but the only possibility for wearing it as a tie that I can think of is to have a tailor add a big chunk of random fabric around where it would be on my neck (like the solid section of a knit tie) and hope that it’s never visible. That doesn’t seem like a great idea. The only other thought that came to me is taking it to a tailor and seeing if it can be turned into a pocket square, but I don’t know if that’d be some kind of horrible blasphemy or what. Let’s address why vintage ties are so often shorter first, then address your craft project ideas. There are a few reasons older ties are often shorter. People were smaller. Any vintage clothing buyer can tell you that the American man of the 21st century is bigger than his grandfather was. My grandfathers were 5’11” and 5’10” or so. My father’s 6’1”. I’m 6’3”.  Trousers had high rises. You know the classic image of an old fogey with his pants waist hiked up to his chest? Trousers used to have much higher rises. The tie simply had less distance to go to reach the belt line. Short ties were in fashion. Before the 1950s or so, and especially before the mid-30s, ties were often worn shorter, above the belt line. Think of Oliver Hardy, for example. In the 1960s, a short, wide tie called a Kipper had a brief vogue among the peacock set. Yeah, that’s probably a boy’s tie. It’s really, really short. A typical contemporary necktie length is about 58”, and the one you bought is 45”. Also of note: that type of unlined tie was not uncommon in the 1960s and earlier, particularly for “Ivy League” styles and more casual ties. Now: about your craft projects… I love the creativity of the neck addition, but it’s so short that unless you’re a very small man, even adding 10” to the tie would still leave it pretty short. I think it’s possible, though, if you can find a tailor willing to take on a completley cockamamie project. As far as turning it into a pocket square - if, unfolded, the tie is big enough, then that should be a pretty straightforward process. I’d make sure there’s no wear or discoloration along the folds before I tried it, and I’d expect to pay a tailor or seamstress about $20 to roll the edges.

Q and Answer: Why Are Vintage Ties Short?

Eijah writes to ask: For the second time, I found myself with a vintage tie I’d bought online that was far too short. I clearly need to pay more attention. The last time this happened, I decided I wasn’t crazy for the tie anyway, and so I gave it away to be someone else’s problem. This time, however, I really like the tie in question, which you can see here http://www.etsy.com/transaction/50877227 Like the last one, strangely, this very short tie doesn’t have much or any lining inside of it, and so is pretty thin.

First question: Why are these ties so short? Are they kids’ ties? Are they from back in the day when everyone had a vest or a double-breasted jacket and ties didn’t usually reach too far? (When I tie it normally, it reaches just past my chest.)  

Second question: Is there anything that can be done? I really think that I could pull this thing off in the summertime, but the only possibility for wearing it as a tie that I can think of is to have a tailor add a big chunk of random fabric around where it would be on my neck (like the solid section of a knit tie) and hope that it’s never visible. That doesn’t seem like a great idea. The only other thought that came to me is taking it to a tailor and seeing if it can be turned into a pocket square, but I don’t know if that’d be some kind of horrible blasphemy or what.

Let’s address why vintage ties are so often shorter first, then address your craft project ideas.

There are a few reasons older ties are often shorter.

  • People were smaller. Any vintage clothing buyer can tell you that the American man of the 21st century is bigger than his grandfather was. My grandfathers were 5’11” and 5’10” or so. My father’s 6’1”. I’m 6’3”. 
  • Trousers had high rises. You know the classic image of an old fogey with his pants waist hiked up to his chest? Trousers used to have much higher rises. The tie simply had less distance to go to reach the belt line.
  • Short ties were in fashion. Before the 1950s or so, and especially before the mid-30s, ties were often worn shorter, above the belt line. Think of Oliver Hardy, for example. In the 1960s, a short, wide tie called a Kipper had a brief vogue among the peacock set.
  • Yeah, that’s probably a boy’s tie. It’s really, really short. A typical contemporary necktie length is about 58”, and the one you bought is 45”.

Also of note: that type of unlined tie was not uncommon in the 1960s and earlier, particularly for “Ivy League” styles and more casual ties.

Now: about your craft projects…

I love the creativity of the neck addition, but it’s so short that unless you’re a very small man, even adding 10” to the tie would still leave it pretty short. I think it’s possible, though, if you can find a tailor willing to take on a completley cockamamie project.

As far as turning it into a pocket square - if, unfolded, the tie is big enough, then that should be a pretty straightforward process. I’d make sure there’s no wear or discoloration along the folds before I tried it, and I’d expect to pay a tailor or seamstress about $20 to roll the edges.

Posted in Q and Answer Ties Vintage Kipper Ties Oliver Hardy Tailoring Alterations
April 4, 2011
Q and Answer: Can Wide Lapels Be Slimmed? DT asks: Is it possible to have wide lapels slimmed? The answer to this question, generally speaking, is yes. That doesn’t make it advisable, though. The main reason is that it is a very time-consuming operation for your tailor, and for that reason will be quite expensive. You can also run into trouble around the button hole - if it’s a real hole, it can’t be moved. In most cases, this dramatically limits the amount of slimming one might be able to do. So: possible, but not recommendable.

Q and Answer: Can Wide Lapels Be Slimmed?

DT asks: Is it possible to have wide lapels slimmed?

The answer to this question, generally speaking, is yes. That doesn’t make it advisable, though.

The main reason is that it is a very time-consuming operation for your tailor, and for that reason will be quite expensive. You can also run into trouble around the button hole - if it’s a real hole, it can’t be moved. In most cases, this dramatically limits the amount of slimming one might be able to do.

So: possible, but not recommendable.

Posted in Q and Answer Alterations Tailors
September 13, 2010

The English Cut creates a flower loop on the back of a lapel.  This little loop of thread is intended to hold the stem of a flower which has been threaded through your lapel buttonhole.  Your tailor can add one, too.  Mine charges me maybe three or four dollars.  If your lapel buttonhole is non-functional, your tailor can cut it and re-bind the edges, a service that won’t cost you more than about ten bucks.

Posted in Alterations boutonnieres Tailors
September 13, 2010
Q and Answer: Shortening Shirt Tails Adam writes: I’ve found Uniqlo’s shirts fit me very well but the tails make me feel like I’m wearing a dress when untucked. Is it worth bringing a $30 shirt to the tailor to square up the tails - or does another brand offer a better option. Having not gone to a tailor yet at all, do any offer bulk pricing - say if I bring in 10 shirts to do the same thing to? Well, as you probably anticipated, we’re generally in favor of tucking in your shirt.  It’s a cleaner, sharper look that is much better suited to layering.  If you do wear an untucked shirt, though, it’s important to wear one that’s cut to be left untucked. If you take a shirt to the tailor, you won’t want to ask him to square off the tails - an oxford with square tails is a goofy hybrid, like those “dress sneakers,” and to be avoided at all costs.  Square tails are for camp shirts and bowling shirts and the like.  Instead, you’ll want the tails shortened, so they only extend maybe two or three inches below the belt line, rather than five or six.  The tailor will probably charge about ten bucks for this service.  (As far as bulk discounts go… you can ask if you want, but we wouldn’t.) Is it worth it?  Well, you won’t be able to tuck in the shirts, so they’ll become strictly casual tops.  If that is worth Uniqlo price + $10 to you, then go for it.  If it isn’t, don’t.  You probably won’t find any similar shirts much cheaper than that. Some brands do have relatively short shirt tails (this is the bane of us tall guys’ existence).  I’ve heard that Lands’ End Canvas does, for example.  J. Crew does on some shirts.  Generally, though, you won’t be able to buy those for dramatically less than the $40 you’d spend on the tailored project.

Q and Answer: Shortening Shirt Tails

Adam writes: I’ve found Uniqlo’s shirts fit me very well but the tails make me feel like I’m wearing a dress when untucked. Is it worth bringing a $30 shirt to the tailor to square up the tails - or does another brand offer a better option. Having not gone to a tailor yet at all, do any offer bulk pricing - say if I bring in 10 shirts to do the same thing to?

Well, as you probably anticipated, we’re generally in favor of tucking in your shirt.  It’s a cleaner, sharper look that is much better suited to layering.  If you do wear an untucked shirt, though, it’s important to wear one that’s cut to be left untucked.

If you take a shirt to the tailor, you won’t want to ask him to square off the tails - an oxford with square tails is a goofy hybrid, like those “dress sneakers,” and to be avoided at all costs.  Square tails are for camp shirts and bowling shirts and the like.  Instead, you’ll want the tails shortened, so they only extend maybe two or three inches below the belt line, rather than five or six.  The tailor will probably charge about ten bucks for this service.  (As far as bulk discounts go… you can ask if you want, but we wouldn’t.)

Is it worth it?  Well, you won’t be able to tuck in the shirts, so they’ll become strictly casual tops.  If that is worth Uniqlo price + $10 to you, then go for it.  If it isn’t, don’t.  You probably won’t find any similar shirts much cheaper than that.

Some brands do have relatively short shirt tails (this is the bane of us tall guys’ existence).  I’ve heard that Lands’ End Canvas does, for example.  J. Crew does on some shirts.  Generally, though, you won’t be able to buy those for dramatically less than the $40 you’d spend on the tailored project.

Posted in Q and Answer Shirts Tailors Alterations Uniqlo

How To Find a Tailor

July 27, 2010

One question we get frequently here at Put This On is: “what tailor should I go to in XXXX,” where “XXXX” is a place where we don’t live.  Because we don’t live in XXXX, we honestly don’t really know what tailor you should go to there.  I can tell you that I go to Pro Tailor on 8th Street in Los Angeles, and I’ve heard great things about Wilshire Tailors if you’re looking for something a little ritzier, but that’s only useful if, like me, you live in central LA.  Since Los Angeles is the only city where I live, you’re going to need a different strategy if you live somewhere else.

So: what to do?

Go to Style Forum or Ask Andy, and use the search boxes.  Search for tailor and XXXX.  If you live near a city of any kind, it’s likely that someone has asked for tailor recommendations in that city.  If they haven’t, you can ask.

Don’t trust Yelp on this one - Yelp tailor reviews tend to be from women looking for a seamstress and people whose sole criterion is the cost to hem a pair of pants.  Trust people who actually care about good tailoring.

Posted in Tailors Los Angeles Alterations

A visit to the tailor…

May 17, 2010

I dropped off some clothes at the tailor on Saturday.  The bill came to a hundred dollars.

I bought a textured cotton blazer by hickey on Gilt the other day, and while the fit was spot-on in the body (RIP, hickey), the sleeves were about half an inch too long.  I could have left it be, but showing a little cuff is a key way to distinguish oneself, and I’ve been making it a priority.  My arms are also slightly different lengths (actually, I think it may be that one of my shoulders is a bit more stooped than the other), and this way it doesn’t show in my sleeve ends.  About $20.

I bought an old Hong Kong bespoke suit at the thrift store the other day for $30.  I loved the color and shape - I’d guess it’s from the early 80s, but the relatively high and sharp lapel notch makes it look somewhere between classic and contemporary.  I spent about $50 to have the waist taken in a bit - another coulda left it as is alteration, but while I loved the shape, it was just a tiny bit big for me.  Then I spent about $25 having the legs tapered (they were very trip up top, but the straight bottom made them look almost boot-cut) and about $10 to get them lengthened (luckily there was a generous allowance in the hems).

All in all: a perfect fit on the blazer is well worth the $20 to get the sleeves taken up a nudge, and even with alterations the suit costs barely more than $100.  Money well-spent, in my book.

While I was at the thrift, I also managed to find a beautiful suit made by Chester Barrie for a local men’s store, which I’ll probably list on StyleForum’s buy & sell board.  Always sad when something that nice doesn’t fit, but hopefully I can cover the cost of the rest with that piece.

Posted in Tailors Alterations Thrifting
April 26, 2010
Q and Answer: Can Pleats Be Removed From Pants? James writes: I have two suits that I bought on sale a few years ago.  I still love the fabric and the cut of the jackets, but the pants are pleated, and I find that I am not wearing them because I don’t enjoy wearing pleated pants anymore.  I feel like if they were flat-front pants I would have two more suits in the closet.  Can a tailor take the pleats out of pants? Yes, a tailor can take the pleats out of pants.  It’s pretty major surgery, though, so I would only trust it to a solid tailor, not an alterationist.  For reverse pleats (those whose mouth opens to the outside), this involves removing the waistband, opening the pleat then re-cutting the side seam and pocket.  For forward pleats, it’s even more complicated.  Some tailors will replace the pleat with a dart, which is pretty weird.  We’re not really cool with that, frankly. Because it’s such a complicated job (you’re essentially having the tailor re-cut the pants), it generally costs about $50-75.

Q and Answer: Can Pleats Be Removed From Pants?

James writes: I have two suits that I bought on sale a few years ago.  I still love the fabric and the cut of the jackets, but the pants are pleated, and I find that I am not wearing them because I don’t enjoy wearing pleated pants anymore.  I feel like if they were flat-front pants I would have two more suits in the closet.  Can a tailor take the pleats out of pants?

Yes, a tailor can take the pleats out of pants.  It’s pretty major surgery, though, so I would only trust it to a solid tailor, not an alterationist. 

For reverse pleats (those whose mouth opens to the outside), this involves removing the waistband, opening the pleat then re-cutting the side seam and pocket.  For forward pleats, it’s even more complicated.  Some tailors will replace the pleat with a dart, which is pretty weird.  We’re not really cool with that, frankly.

Because it’s such a complicated job (you’re essentially having the tailor re-cut the pants), it generally costs about $50-75.

Posted in Q and Answer Tailors Alterations Pants Pleats