Does anyone have experiences sizing down a suit?

[fr]

I bought a few suits a few years ago that I only wore once. Back then I was a size 44 chest. Now I am more of a size 40/42. The trousers are also size 38 and now I'm a size 36.

I heard that a good tailor and size down suits. If anyone has done it before, how did it turn out and how much did it cost?

 

[huesmann]

It's probably not worth the effort.

But if you insist, you will need to do the following to do it correctly:

Trousers:
The waistband probably has no seam in the back and will have to be entirely separated from the rest of the pants, shortened on one end by 2" and stitched back on. While the waistband is off, you will need to rip the outer seams of the legs and take in 1" on each side (1/2" from front and 1/2" from back). Then the seams will need to be refinished (serged). The parts of the hem that had to be separated when you ripped the side seams will need to be rehemmed.

Jacket:
Much tougher. Back seam will need to be ripped and taken in, 1-2". Side seams will need to be taken in 1" each. This will cause the armscye to become slightly smaller, and the sleeve heads will need to be smaller as a result, requiring the sleeve seam to be taken in to compensate. The collar will need to be separated from the front lapels and shortened due to the back seam being taken in. You can only hope it matches up properly again. In order to accomplish any of this, you will need to basically rip the entire lining out of the jacket.

 

[Dabappa]

I had a similar situation with a new suit my brother gave me.

A tailor should be able to bring in the belly of the jacket by just re-sewing the vent seams on the back. This assumes it still fits pretty well through the shoulders.

It also should not be a big deal to bring in the waist and/or seat of the pants one size; I doubt the legs would have to be narrowed.

It cost me about $60.00 for the alterations to both the jacket and pants, but half of that was for shortening the jacket sleeves and hemming/cuffing the pants, which you will not need.

My suit came out great; the 80 year old tailor said I looked like "New York".

Suits almost never look perfect off the rack, and you will have to pay the about the same to get new suits altered anyway.

Good Luck,

 

[Landroval]

I've had blazers tapered off so the waist is not so large. But I would only do that on a major investment (i.e., pricy one).

 

[FoBoT]

what is your inseam? maybe you should just sell them to me
i have short legs though

 

[Don Vito Corleone]

Yes, I've had a lot of tailoring done over the years, including downsizing some suits when I lost weight.

IMO it's stupid advice to say this is not worthwhile - it is not expensive, and can extend the life of costly tailored clothes.

Definitely shop around and find a good tailor. The tailoring you are describing should run $15-25 for the pants, and another $25-50 for the jacket.

 

[fr]

Thanks for the replies. I think I will leave them as they are for now and see if I get fatter after getting a new job.

 

[Kishan]

Originally posted by: fr
Thanks for the replies. I think I will leave them as they are for now and see if I get fatter after getting a new job.

thats terrible! ROFL

 

[mordantmonkey]

since they were your suits to begins with, a tailor should be able to resize it for a little lost weight.