You’ve come to the right place if you’re a shorter guy looking for a comprehensive guide to altering clothes. We’ll cover everything from how to tailor clothing to what can and can’t be done, how to find a good tailor and how much they’re likely to cost.
Most clothing today is built around a generic pattern, which most people actually don’t fit into. Guys have different male body types. Some have shorter legs and longer torsos. Others have a fuller waist and narrow legs or a slimmer waist and wider legs.
You could be stuck with one pant size so tight you can barely button them, but going up one will have them fall off. Clothing alterations ensure your clothes are tailored to you, which helps them fit better.
If you’re a shorter guy, altering your clothes helps you look taller. Inseams for many off-the-rack brands start at 30.” If you’re under, say, 5’8”, there’s a good chance it’s simply going to be too long!
The hems will puddle around your ankles, and you’ll look like a teenager who borrowed his father’s pants for the school dance. Not a great look. Proper hemming, where the hems just kiss the top of the shoes, will actually elongate shorter legs and help you appear taller.
It’s cost-effective to alter your clothes. You may have to spend $30-$40 to have those jeans hemmed and the waist taken in. However, it’s still far less than shelling out $70 or potentially far more for a new pair.
If you’re not sure where to start with clothing alterations, don’t sweat. This guide contains everything you need to know. Let’s dive in.
How To Alter Clothes: Three Options
The way I see it, if you’d like to get something tailored, you’ve got three options: You can do it yourself, have someone help you, or pay someone to do it. All of these options have pros and cons. Here’s a little more about each option.
Do It Yourself: Low Cost, Medium Risk.
If you’d like to tailor your clothing yourself, it can be a great option. First, you save time. If you go to an alterations tailor, you could be stuck waiting a week or more to hem a pair of jeans. If you know how to do it yourself, you can do it in minutes.
You also save money because you don’t have to pay someone else to do it. Your startup costs in material are a little more, of course, as you have to acquire a sewing machine. Then, you have to learn the skill, which takes time.
There could be a few sunk costs in there, as you’ll make a few mistakes and may lose a pair of jeans unless you have someone to help you first. But, once you get it down, it can be pretty easy. And, if you’re a shorter guy or someone challenging to fit, it can save you quite a bit of money in the long run.
Have a Friend Help: Lower Cost, Higher Risk
It can be a little easier to get help from a friend. If you’re, say, getting a hem done or need to take the waist in on a shirt, it will be a lot faster than standing there in the mirror doing it yourself.
However, the success of this experiment is partly dependent on how comfortable both of you are with the process. I strongly recommend that one or both of you have quite a bit of experience in the arena before taking it on. Try first with an older garment.
Otherwise, you might end up with more skinny than fitted clothing. But since you’re not paying someone else to do it, the cost is still pretty low.
Have a Professional Do It: Higher Cost, Lower Risk
When you need your clothing alterations done right, just take them to the pros. Something like an overcoat or an expensive suit is probably best left to those who do this for a living.
Sure, you’ll pay for it. As we’ll see later, some alterations can be a little expensive. And, if they’re good, the turnaround might not be quick. But, they’ll do it right and fit to your liking.
What Can You Alter?
You can alter almost every piece of clothing. However, you may not be able to alter specific parts of clothes. Regardless of altering specifics, you will surely get a much better fit than off the rack. Here are a few closet essentials you can certainly alter and what you can expect a tailor to accomplish.
Suit Jackets, Blazers, or Sport Coats
This is usually something any good alterations tailor can do. If you’re buying an off-the-rack jacket, there’s a strong chance you’ll need some alterations. You can read more about how to tailor a suit jacket, but, at minimum, a short guy will need the following:
- The sleeves shortened. Manufacturers tend to leave fabric, even on Short jackets, at about 34.” Short men in general, and guys with shorter arms, could have sleeve lengths between 31.5” and 33.” However, when buying an off-the-racket jacket, you should note whether it has functioning sleeve buttons. If it does have ‘surgeon cuffs’ and needs more than an inch of shortening, the sleeve will need to be taken off the jacket entirely. This will be more expensive to do
- The Waist Suppressed: Manufacturers also leave extra fabric in the body of the jacket. You can always take fabric away, but you can’t add it! So, manufacturers leave some extra fabric in the jacket. Even if you’re going custom, you’ll get about 3” in the waist. If you’re buying off the rack, it could be more.
Dress Shirts
A tailor can also help you alter clothes like a dress shirt to provide your best fit. We’ve discussed this at length in our article about how to tailor a shirt, but here are two common alterations for shorter, slim men.
- Shorten the Sleeves: Much like with standard off-the-rack jackets, standard dress shirt sleeves are just too long for guys under about 5’8”. Mass-market ones in generic S, M, and L sizing tend to be between 33” and 34.”
- Dart the Waist: If you’re a slimmer or athletic man with a tapered waist, excess cloth around the torso can be irritating. Darting, or folding bits of fabric at the back of the shirt, helps to get rid of that. It also accentuates a pleasing physique.
Pair of Pants or Jeans
You guessed it: We have a guide on how to tailor your jeans, chinos and trousers, too. After all, inseam is one of the number one things people alter in general. But, at minimum, shorter and slimmer guys might need:
- The Waist Taken In: I wrote earlier about body types. In some cases, manufacturers intentionally make waists larger to accommodate a wider range of people. So, if you’re a slimmer guy, you’ll likely need the waist taken in on your suit pants.
- Pants Hemmed: This is the #1 most important thing a short guy can do to look taller. Even if you’re buying an OTR suit with a set inseam, it’ll likely be too long. Or, some suits even come with the trousers unhemmed on purpose so you can dial it how you like.
What Can’t Be Altered?
Honestly, there’s very little a skilled clothing alterations tailor can’t do. However, for a few reasons, it’s not advisable to try a couple of items.
- The Jacket Shoulder: While, in theory, it’s possible to adjust a jacket shoulder, it’s not worth the effort. Look for a smooth shoulder line sitting on or *just* beyond your shoulder bone.
- The Jacket Length: You can take fabric away, but you (obviously) can’t add it. It’s possible to make a jacket shorter. But tread lightly here. Anything beyond an inch will throw off the balance of where the pockets sit on the jacket. And that creates a weird optical effect.
- The Waist, to an Extent: While, of course, you can take the waist on any pair of pants, there is a limit to how far you should go. If you have a pair, perhaps one size too big, it’ll be fine. However, going too far beyond, like trying to take a size 33 down to a 30, you’ll run into compounding problems. Taking the waist in too much causes the back yolk (the fabric around your butt) to puff out. As someone who’s tried this myself, it’s not a good look. You can fix that part by taking the crotch in, but then it creates awkward pulling around the thighs. Not a great look!
How To Find a Good Tailor
Probably your best bet is to simply ask around. As a well-dressed guy in the office. I guarantee they know someone. You can utilize internet search engines. But be a little mindful. Review sites or pages like Yelp or Google Reviews seem to skew more negatively than is probably the case.
Unfortunately, people tend to take to these sites to complain rather than shower praise. A third option is to seek out message boards on StyleForum or Reddit. It can lean a little snobby, but there is good advice. We also put together a handy guide on how to test a tailor out.
How Much Do Clothing Alterations Cost?
This is a loaded question. It really depends on your geographic location, the concentration of tailors in the area, and what kind of alterations you need. It will cost far less to hem jeans than to take in a jacket waist. Here is a decent guide, though.
Garment | Alteration | Price Range |
---|---|---|
Jacket | Shorten sleeves (working buttons) | $40-60 |
Jacket | Shorten sleeves (faux buttons) | $20-40 |
Jacket | Adjust collar | $40-80 |
Jacket | Take in sleeves (make them slimmer) | $20-40 |
Jacket | Take in jacket (make it slimmer) | $20-40 |
Jacket | Shorten jacket | $30-50 |
Jacket | Replace button | $5-10 |
Shirt | Replace shirt collar | $30-40 |
Shirt | Replace sleeve cuffs | $30-40 |
Shirt | Shorten sleeves at wrist | $15-25 |
Shirt | Shorten sleeves at shoulder | $35-50 |
Shirt | Take in sleeves (make them slimmer) | $15-25 |
Shirt | Take in shirt (make it slimmer) | $15-25 |
Shirt | Shorten shirt length | $20-30 |
Shirt | Replace button | $0-5 |
Shirt | Add darts | $15-25 |
Pants | Adjust waist | $10-20 |
Pants | Adjust rise | $20-30 |
Pants | Remove belt loops | $5-10 |
Pants | Replace button | $5-10 |
Pants | Fix zipper | $10-20 |
Pants | Take in legs (make them slimmer) | $15-20 |
Pants | Taper leg opening | $10-20 |
Pants | Hem pants (make them shorter) | $10-20 |
FAQs
Here are some of your most common questions regarding clothing alterations.
Is Altering Clothes Worth It?
Absolutely. Remember, brands design off-the-rack stuff to fit a pattern, not you. You’ll stand taller, look better, save money, and conserve resources while you’re at it.
What’s the Difference Between Alterations and Tailoring?
While often used interchangeably, clothing alterations and tailoring clothes aren’t the same thing. The former is what we’ve covered in this piece, and it refers to modifying off-the-rack items to more closely fit you or your body type. Tailoring clothes is a little more involved.
They’ll first work with you to customize a garment to your specifications. You might have to alter that a little to really dial it in, but not nearly to the extent of anything you’d pick up on High Street.
Can I Alter Clothes Myself?
Yes, absolutely. It’s low-cost and medium-risk. I suggest starting with simple jobs like hemming pants and then working your way up to more complex projects.
If I Can’t Alter My Clothes, What Can I Do With Them?
You can do many things with your clothes, including tossing or donating them. I’d certainly hope you’ll consider donating clothes that no longer fit rather than putting them in a dumpster. The less new stuff we put into circulation, the far more sustainable it is.
Numbers vary widely on the actual amount; it takes a truly incredible amount of water to produce even one pair of denim. Between growing the cotton, shipping, and manufacturing, it’s well over 1,500 gallons.
Wrapping Up Altering Clothing
Finding a good alterations tailor quite literally changed my life. As someone who struggled to fit into stuff, tailoring clothes opened doors and pathways.
I saved untold amounts of money, and my confidence went through the roof. I started to get questions. I found it easier to start posting outfits on social media. That led to writing for you, dear reader.
Clothing alterations may not be earth-shattering for you, and that’s okay. I hope this gives you a few reasons why they can help in the everyday.
Thanks for reading.
Do you have any questions or comments? Drop them in the comments below.
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