As I browse the Exchange or Ebay, I frequently come across suits and jackets whose measurements are darned close to what I need, but there is always something off. Frequently, the shoulder and armpit-to-armpit measurements are great, but the sleeves are too short, the waist too narrow, etc.
We know that a tailor cannot economically do anything with shoulders. Also, he cannot add 2 inches to the inseam of your trousers where there is no extra fabric. But how about these?
1. Many ebay and Exchange postings will tell you how much extra fabric is under a jacket sleeve. What is the actual, usable amount of that extra fabric? I would imagine that if you have 2" extra, the tailor cannot use all 2".
2. Can anything be done with pit-to-pit width? Can you have the tailor take this in or out by an inch? Also, how much would that change the actual shape of the jacket? Let's say that you have this really neat jacket that is cut pretty straight from armpit to bottom edge (no waist suppression), but is a little too full through the chest--would you be sacrificing shape by taking in the chest? Or can you take the whole thing in by equal amounts along the entire seam and retain the shape?
3. Similar to #1, what about extra fabric on trousers? Let's say you have some uncuffed trousers at 30" (your required length), but want a cuff. You hear that there is 2" of extra material. Can you get a 1.75" out of that? Only a 1.5" cuff? How much fabric needs to be left over to create the cuff?
4. Jackets have three seams, it appears--one through the middle of the back and one dropping from each armpit. Do tailors make adjustments to all three seams when they do alterations? Is there anything a fellow needs to know about this?
We know that a tailor cannot economically do anything with shoulders. Also, he cannot add 2 inches to the inseam of your trousers where there is no extra fabric. But how about these?
1. Many ebay and Exchange postings will tell you how much extra fabric is under a jacket sleeve. What is the actual, usable amount of that extra fabric? I would imagine that if you have 2" extra, the tailor cannot use all 2".
2. Can anything be done with pit-to-pit width? Can you have the tailor take this in or out by an inch? Also, how much would that change the actual shape of the jacket? Let's say that you have this really neat jacket that is cut pretty straight from armpit to bottom edge (no waist suppression), but is a little too full through the chest--would you be sacrificing shape by taking in the chest? Or can you take the whole thing in by equal amounts along the entire seam and retain the shape?
3. Similar to #1, what about extra fabric on trousers? Let's say you have some uncuffed trousers at 30" (your required length), but want a cuff. You hear that there is 2" of extra material. Can you get a 1.75" out of that? Only a 1.5" cuff? How much fabric needs to be left over to create the cuff?
4. Jackets have three seams, it appears--one through the middle of the back and one dropping from each armpit. Do tailors make adjustments to all three seams when they do alterations? Is there anything a fellow needs to know about this?
