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How does a tailor alter your sport coat if you have lost weight?

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Johnson1

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Discussion starter · #1 ·
A while back I bought a beautiful, bespoke tweed jacket. So it was pretty much perfectly measured for me and fit perfect at the time of purchase. But I've since lost a considerable amount of weight and I am wondering if I need to have the jacket made smaller in the middle, is this something that can be done by a tailor? And how would they do it?

I have been working hard to get in better shape and have been losing weight. I reckon I was about 50 pounds overweight when I started losing weight. I would say all of my excess weight is on my torso, and most of that is stomach. I am a paunchy guy. I do not appear to have excess weight anywhere else. So I don't think the size of my arms or shoulders will change. If anything, they could get bigger from the weight training I do.

I want to be able to wear this jacket. But I want it to fit.

What - if anything - do tailors do to alter a jacket in this situation?
 
#2 ·
I'm by no means an expert on anything relating to tailoring, but this is one thing I had done on a thrift store sport jacket I bought. Cost me $35.

Mine is a single vent and has a seam running up the middle of the back. She undid the seam, pulled more material and resewed it. There are also seams on the sides they can use. I believe there is a limit to how much they can take the jacket, but within the limits it's a pretty simple alteration.
 
#3 ·
Usually the rear side seams would be altered, and then maybe the centre back. You're only able to take in a coat so much because you can't take in the front. It can be re-cut, but in that case you're better off getting something new.
 
#4 ·
If it was a bespoke jacket, why not go back to the tailor who initially made it? I would assume they'd be more comfortable than anyone else with essentially taking it apart, recutting certain pieces, and putting it back together. 50lbs. is a lot, however. To give some perspective, over roughly an 18 month period, I gained about 15-20lbs, almost all muscle, and probably 75% of that in my legs. None of my suit pants fit and I needed a different size. Granted, let-out options are far more limited, but you'll have to take the tailor's advice on how the finished jacket will look.
 
#6 ·
I think it really depends on how much the mid section needs taken in. Two words every guy should know are waist suppression. A good tailor can take in the middle a surprising amount. This will also have the effect of giving you more of a V shape in your torso. I like to say that when you wear a suit, you really should look like superman, unless you've got the body of a pre-diet Al Rocher (sp?). Make sure you go to a good one though, because there's two ways to alter a jacket, I couldn't really explain the difference to you, but the least it should be is around $50, and could cost you a bit more depending on the amount of work the tailor has to do.
 
#7 ·
Kyro said:
I think it really depends on how much the mid section needs taken in. Two words every guy should know are waist suppression. A good tailor can take in the middle a surprising amount. This will also have the effect of giving you more of a V shape in your torso. I like to say that when you wear a suit, you really should look like superman, unless you've got the body of a pre-diet Al Rocher (sp?). Make sure you go to a good one though, because there's two ways to alter a jacket, I couldn't really explain the difference to you, but the least it should be is around $50, and could cost you a bit more depending on the amount of work the tailor has to do.
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I'd like to learn more about this.

I've a number of jackets that fit well in the shoulders, but are a little baggy around the waist. You say that there are at least two ways of doing this modification and imply that one way is much better than the other. Could you please give more information about the two ways? Also why is one way better than the other? At the very least, I'd like to go to my tailor with information so that I can discuss the matter with some intelligence.
 
#8 ·
Congrats on being healthier! Regarding the jacket, having it be bespoke in the first place probably does help, but there are likely limits with an alteration for this much weight (and shape) change. I had this done a year or so ago, the my tailor did most of the work in the side seams (not back), and I'm very pleased with the result. Had to do the pants as well, and while the look is good, they had to take in enough (back seam) that it's not identical to having it done the first time. In my case, despite putting on some muscle, overall my shoulders are slightly smaller (surprising), but I didn't want the tailor to mess with that, as we both agreed it probably wasn't worth it. So my advice would be to aim for improvement, which should be easy, but perhaps not perfection, which could be both costly as well as unachievable.
 
#9 ·
If the chest and shoulder measurements have remained the same (or have not varied widely), a good tailor should be able to take in the waist from the side seams and/or the back, though 50 lbs. worth of alterations may be a bit much. The tailor will know better than most of us what can or cannot be done, and should be honest as to what the results will look like. Congratulations on the weight loss in any case - your health is even more valuable than a bespoke sports jacket.
 
#11 ·
Congrats on your weight loss!

A good tailor can work wonders, however altering a suit/sport coat can be expensive.

Unless you already have a trusted tailor, I would get an opinion & estimate from two or three tailors.
 
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