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I need to get a suit tailored

I

Insomniator

Diamond Member
I just bought a suit from Macy's but it needs to be fitted to me. The Macy's was 2 hours from my house so I decided to just buy it as is and will bring it somewhere closer.

My stupid question is... macy's and department stores have fitting rooms so I can wear the suit and the tailor can see what needs to be done. I'm assuming crappy little dry cleaners don't have this.

Should I bring it to a macy's or nordstrom nearby? How do I know what a good tailor is? I bought a 42S but the sleeves need to be shortened and the waist needs to be taken in as much as possible. Triangle body I has.
 
Insomniator said:
I just bought a suit from Macy's but it needs to be fitted to me. The Macy's was 2 hours from my house so I decided to just buy it as is and will bring it somewhere closer.

My stupid question is... macy's and department stores have fitting rooms so I can wear the suit and the tailor can see what needs to be done. I'm assuming crappy little dry cleaners don't have this.

Should I bring it to a macy's or nordstrom nearby? How do I know what a good tailor is? I bought a 42S but the sleeves need to be shortened and the waist needs to be taken in as much as possible. Triangle body I has.
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Correct on the bolded. Dry cleaners are not the same as tailors.

Just google maps or yelps search for tailors near you and compare prices. It'll probably cost you around $10-12 to get your pants hemmed (if needed) and waist size taken in.

Not sure how much your jacket will cost, maybe $10-15.
 
The dry cleaners I talked to all pointed me at a tailor they did business with. (Most of them will do alterations/repairs, following simple directions like "take these in 1 inch" or "sew this button on," but will encourage you to go yourself if you need a fitting.)

So I ended up at this nice little hole in the wall filling floor to ceiling with wedding and prom dresses, where a women who spoke no english did an excellent job hemming my pants for $10.
 
I second the people here saying to go to a real tailor. Dry cleaners might offer tailoring services, but really they are not very good at it, really it is just someone that knows how to sew. Good enough to hem pants legs maybe, but I would not let them touch one of my suits.
 
Go to a local tailor since Macy's is that far away. I've bought a couple suits from Macy's & their tailors have been top notch (at Valley Fair mall).
 
I used google search to find a local tailor and got a hit from yelp for a shop who had great ratings. I feel more comfortable bringing a suit to someone who does tailoring exclusively and have a little trouble putting my faith on dry cleaners who does tailoring on the side with an expensive suit.
 
yeah I don't think dry cleaners are appropriate for this, from what I've seen they do simple alterations that grannies do on their own but nowadays no one is able or doesn't have the time to do anymore.
 
This may sound crazy, but K&G tailored my suit to perfection. I didn't buy the suit there, so it wasn't free, but it was fairly priced.
 
Insomniator said:
I bought a 42S but the sleeves need to be shortened and the waist needs to be taken in as much as possible. Triangle body I has.
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This part worries me. If you are freakishly small, there's only so much any tailor is going to be able to do. If you're swimming in the suit, taking in the waist is not necessarily going to fix the overall fit.
 
Jeeebus said:
This part worries me. If you are freakishly small, there's only so much any tailor is going to be able to do. If you're swimming in the suit, taking in the waist is not necessarily going to fix the overall fit.
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I wouldn't say I'm swimming in it, but I want that slim young style. I'm a 32 waist and 2 stores told me I'm a 40 or 42 chest/shoulder so that is always going to require some special fitting. Ended up with a 42S by Hugo Boss and the tailor at the macys said it would be doable, just needed some work. Of course they coulda just been trying to make the sale 😡

I found a local tailor that specializes in wedding gowns and tux's/mens wear so I'll go in and see what they say.
 
When I was in college I was a 44L with a 32" waist.*

You won't be that hard to fit. Relax.

*let's just say I'm not now and leave it at that, k?
 
A ten inch drop from chest to waist is problematic. In your case I would have recommended buying suit separates; the correct size jacket and pants, sold individually, in a matching pair.

I'm assuming the pants are a size 36? Taking them in four inches is not impossible, isn't advisable, and should only be done by a qualified professional.

I would either return the suit and exchange it for one that fits properly, or as close as you can get off the rack. Or, failing that, take it to a proper tailor who knows what they're doing.
 
Try to look for an Italian tailor. But any of those mom and pop tailors that manage to stay in business after all these years know what they are doing.
Say no to dry cleaners. I only use them to hem pants (not cuff).
Also, for an extra win, take your dress shirt there too. It might be another 30 bucks or more, but it's worth every penny.
 
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I would recommend registering an account at styleforum.net and asking the people there what the good local tailors are. Why waste time and money on someone not qualified to work with your goods?
 
Howard said:
I would recommend registering an account at styleforum.net and asking the people there what the good local tailors are. Why waste time and money on someone not qualified to work with your goods?
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Because it's annoying that this is such an issue... Shouldn't be rocket science. I took it to a local place today, she said she could do it... Who knows. Pants are a 36, I am probably more like a 33 inch waist... It looked ok when she had it pinned up around me but I have a bad feeling its gonna be ruined. Everything fits me weird a suit would not surprise me.
 
a good tailor can work near miracles...

..but by way of suggestion for next time (and not a service you're likely to get at Macy's)... But given that you aren't an Off the Rack guy: Consider ordering a Made To Measure suit the next time. What's that? Your tailor measures you, and sends that off to the appropriate factory, who make your suit to fit YOU using standard patterns. It's about a 10% bump compared to an off the rack - meaning you'd pay $1100 instead of a grand - and there's a lead time. But you get a custom fit suit for far, far less than an actual custom. And you *will* feel the difference compared to off the rack.

Oh - If labels matter to you or to your {prospective} S.O., then one that says "Crafted For <Insominator>" on the inside of your jacket is pretty badass.
 
Scotteq said:
a good tailor can work near miracles...

..but by way of suggestion for next time (and not a service you're likely to get at Macy's)... But given that you aren't an Off the Rack guy: Consider ordering a Made To Measure suit the next time. What's that? Your tailor measures you, and sends that off to the appropriate factory, who make your suit to fit YOU using standard patterns. It's about a 10% bump compared to an off the rack - meaning you'd pay $1100 instead of a grand - and there's a lead time. But you get a custom fit suit for far, far less than an actual custom. And you *will* feel the difference compared to off the rack.

Oh - If labels matter to you or to your {prospective} S.O., then one that says "Crafted For <Insominator>" on the inside of your jacket is pretty badass.
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haha well I would have done that but I figured that would be a lot more than +10%. This suit was only $350 + 85 for the tailoring i have yet to see.

I will be so happy if this turns out well. My last suit like 6 years ago in college was the same deal... but I had even less of an idea of what i wanted and had no money. Got a 100 dollar K&G that I now realize looks rather ridiculous on me.. its still too big and I've gained like 20 pounds since then!
 
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