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Alterations advice - Converting a double breasted Jacket into a Single Breasted one.

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Walter Plinge

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Discussion starter · #1 ·
My father gave me a suit he made for himself recently that he can no longer wear because of the size. It was made by a prominent English Tailor.

The suit is double breasted and I'm not feeling very comfortable with it (the fit is perfect!). Can it be altered? Is it very complicated? Will it jeopardize the good work done by the original tailor?

I remember having seen a debate of this topic in the forum but couldn't manage to find it.

Thanks,

WP
 
#2 ·
Walter Plinge said:
My father gave me a suit he made for himself recently that he can no longer wear because of the size. It was made by a prominent English Tailor.

The suit is double breasted and I'm not feeling very comfortable with it (the fit is perfect!). Can it be altered? Is it very complicated? Will it jeopardize the good work done by the original tailor?

I remember having seen a debate of this topic in the forum but couldn't manage to find it.

Thanks,

WP
Click to expand...
From my limited experience with alterations on a simple 2B SB blazer, I cannot see how it would be easy, nor cheap, to acheive this. Although I imagine if you were able to secure the services of a master tailor it could be done. But at the probable price point, you'd be better of spending the money on a bespoke blazer.
 
#4 ·
I would concur. If it is a well made suit that fits perfectly, I would give it a few occasional wearings to see if you become more comfortable with the style. A personal story: I am not terribly tall and am somewhat thin (at least I was when this story begins) and I never thought that a double-breasted suit would look good on someone of my stature. Moreover, at the time, now well over twenty-years ago, such suits were not terribly common and I thought they would look a bit affected on someone of my age and circumstance. In other words, I certainly wasn't at all comfortable with the look. However, I had a tailor who I liked and trusted enormously who continued to suggest that I try a double breasted suit and that he was sure I would be happy with the result (indeed he made me an offer -- and subsequently a suit -- I couldn't refuse ;) ) I will confess that I had some uneasiness in the first few wearings, but he was right. It became the most-worn suit in my closet and I began selecting doule-breasted suits rather than single breasted models. Today, more than two decades later, I have a good number of suits in my wardrobe...and each and every one of them is double-breasted.
 
Discussion starter · #5 ·
Thanks

@all - Thanks for the advice. As a matter of fact I don't have any particular disliking of DB suits. I even have a few and wear them every once in a while. A special thank to Mr. Edwards whom I follow on this forum for a while and have learned quite a lot from him.

The thing is that the fabric of the suit doesn't really strike me as adequate for a DB. It is made of a heavy wool and has a blue herring bone pattern to it. Its a beuatiful suiting and I'd wear a lot if it were SB, but as a DB I doubt I'll wear it more than once or twice a year. This is why I am eager to alter. If all else fails I'll just make a new coat because the suit is just beatiful.

So, Can it be done?

Thanks,

WP
 
#7 ·
You don't really say why you don't like it. So you leave us guessing. Maybe you feel odd wearing something you have never worn before. I would suggest you figure out how to make your personality work with it, so wear it a few times, hang it up in the closet for a while and so on- it will come to you. When you figure out how to make that coat work for you - you will like it. Maybe changing the buttons would help.

The price is not cheap to change it. Some peaks are rather low, and changing it would ruin the jacket. Not sure if the facing would work. The roll line (bridle) would have to be moved. The chest pieces would have to be recut and pad-stitched, so pad-stitching would have to be removed. The lapels would have to be completely repad-stitched. You would want at least one fitting. Outside pockets would probably be fine, but inside pockets?
 
Discussion starter · #8 ·
Thank you all

After having worn the jacket several times, I started realising what really bugged me about it was not the Double Breast but rather its basic cut. It was not trim as it should have been and overly long. For some reason, probably because of the format I wasn't used to, I could notice these things and simply thought the problem was with the breast.

Yesterday I have received the jacket back, after having modified it, and I'm very happy with the result.

Thank you all for trying to help.
 
#9 ·
Yesterday I have received the jacket back, after having modified it, and I'm very happy with the result.
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Modified it to SB, or just had some alterations done to make the DB fit better?

If you converted it to SB, would you mind giving a bit more description about what the process involved? I imagine it would be a complicated process, involving recutting parts of the jacket - and would require the skills of an experienced tailor. Perhaps you could tell us who did the work and how they went about it.

If you have any photographs (before and after?), that would be even better.
 
#10 ·
I remember that my dad had this done over 50 years ago.
He was a semi trad dresser who shopped at Broadstreets
and Rogers Peet in Manhattan (both long gone). He
took it to a tailor who "specialized" in such conversions,
which were actually advertised at the time.
The results: comical. He looked like a minor local
official in the soviet bloc, not the well-tailored
professional he was. I am sure the Salvation
Army found a wearer for the suit in no time.
 
#11 ·
At one time, turning a DB suit into SB was a bread and butter job for a skilled alteration tailor.

My paternal grandfather was a tailor and, according to my father, must have done hundreds of those conversion jobs in the 1920s/30s.

I suppose, in those days labour was cheaper.
 
#12 ·
Some years ago I had a birdseye DB converted into a SB w/peaks. I loved that suit; if fact, I liked the converted model far better than I ever liked the DB. Don't remember it costing all that much to change, either. So, it definitely can be done.
 
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#13 ·
Master tailor nonsense

I'm going to reveal some of the truths and some of the stumbling blocks about converting double to single breasted suits from my experience...

It is possible and very do-able...

The reason why tailors will tell you it's not possible is because they are lazy and it takes a lot of work to do it, about 4-8 hours. A tailor makes far more sterling per hour making a slight alteration to a suit or doing some other less major cutting. It is also easier to start a suit from scratch than to convert it and again pays better.

Tailors will sing you high prices like £300 because they have to cut the suit up and start again = nonsense.

Most master tailors won't touch it for the reasons above, because basically when it comes down to it they are lazy and would prefer to make you a new one (for better money).

Likewise basic tailors just won't have the skill to do it. I found a middle of the road tailor in London who did suits and clothing for acting companies and musicians, stuff like that. I was a bit worried at first handing over my Crombie double breasted suit to this guy but when it came back it was perfect and cost me a grand total of £60, more than my moneys worth...
Just don't take no for an answer from snob tailors. It should not cost over £100..

IMPORTANT

1) One of the major things you have to watch out for is the lapels. Most double breasted suits have a cut (a little button hole) on both lapels. When you convert a double breasted suit to a single, the lapels can gain even up to an inch in extra width (but only if you are really unlucky) meaning you end up with huge lapels. If the cut on the lapel is too far out, you cannot cut the lapel down to size. I could not cut the lapels on my crombie down because of this but miraculously they came out very well single breasted. Just take it into account though.

2) It works best if you have a size bigger suit, I'm a size 40 and the suit I had was a 42, the extra material makes it easier for the tailor to work with.

That's pretty much it from my experience I would love to hear what other people's experiences of this kind of conversion were like.

Good luck!
 
#14 ·
With scissors, a glue gun and a stapler I can do it for $20. No?

As has been pointed out in this thread, it is possible to do, though there are certain possible catches. And as with any type of alteration, it can be done well or less well, and the price will reflect that.

One thing to keep in mind, though. What most tailors won't know unless they have also trained as cutters, and there are precious few of those, is that an SB is not balanced in the same way as a DB- when drafting the pattern the strap measurement is shortened by about 5/16" to counterbalance the weight of the extra fabric. This can not be corrected when converting to an SB and the strap will be too short, causing the jacket to hike up in the front. A fine point, but something one must consider if one is genuinely concerned with fit.
 
#15 ·
Nonsense

"it can be done well or less well, and the price will reflect that."

I'm afraid I have to disagree with that statement, a lot of master tailors even on saville row are very overrated (because they are on saville row), and the premium you pay is for buying off saville row not for the quality you get.

In fact most suits on savvy row used to be (and some still are) produced in Leeds, it is there that you can find real expertise costing you £100 and not the savvy row £300.

I can only tell you from my experience that my double breasted crombie was converted to a single, and it is as good as some of the other savvy row singles I have and cost me £60 (I was told £300 by the only 1 tailor on saville row who would do it).

P.S. I can go through your whole wardrobe with a pair of scissors and glue gun if you would like for $1
 
#16 ·
when drafting the pattern the strap measurement is shortened by about 5/16" to counterbalance the weight of the extra fabric. This can not be corrected when converting to an SB and the strap will be too short, causing the jacket to hike up in the front.
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This can be corrected and that is why I recommended that if you are wanting a size 40 single breasted suit, you go with a larger double breasted suit a size 42-44..
 
#17 ·
thrombox said:
I can only tell you from my experience that my double breasted crombie was converted to a single, and it is as good as some of the other savvy row singles I have and cost me £60 (I was told £300 by the only 1 tailor on saville row who would do it).

P.S. I can go through your whole wardrobe with a pair of scissors and glue gun if you would like for $1
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You are a client of a SR firm and went through the trouble to convert a coat by Crombie? Why? :confused:

BTW, was your postscript necessary?
 
#18 ·
You are a client of a SR firm and went through the trouble to convert a coat by Crombie? Why? :confused:

BTW, was your postscript necessary?
Click to expand...
Well you are right but this crombie suit was like Walter, given to me by my father. I wasn't very happy with it being double breasted...

With scissors, a glue gun and a stapler I can do it for $20. No?
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This was really quite a stupid comment, £60 is around $113 Canadian Dollars, and yes anyone can take to a suit with scissors and a glue gun. I felt the post script was necessary because this is precisely the attitude I got from master tailors who wanted £300 to do it...
 
#19 ·
I really don't see any problem with wearing a herringbone DB. That's pretty mild ( I'm having one made now in a chocolate brown tweed with a dark red overcheck) My advice: just wear the suit. :icon_smile_big:
 
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