The Vanmag Guide to Getting Your Clothes Tailored

Hemming and hawing over getting your pants tailored? If you put the “stress” in seamstress, it’s best to seek help from sewists, designers and style experts. We asked Vancouverites Megan Bain (owner and tailor at Megan Bain Softgoods Design),  Zahir Rajani (CEO and creative director of the Sartorial Shop) and Katelyn Woodburn (owner and designer at Street and Saddle) to iron out the details.

1. Know what good tailors are made of.

Woodburn advises scrolling through Google reviews when seeking a new tailor, and Rajani suggests asking lots of questions to evaluate if they’re a good listener. Bain recommends specialists: suit shops for suits, gown shops for formal wear, and so on.

2. Visit your tailor IRL for an accurate price estimate.

“We can’t quote a job based on a picture,” explains Bain. She notes that tailors need to see and feel the garment to determine how it’s constructed (and how much alterations will cost).

READ MORE: 6 Vintage Clothing Stores to Visit in Vancouver

3. Think hard about irreversible changes.

It can be stressful taking a treasured item to a stranger, and Rajani advises asking your tailor if it’s possible for the job to be undone: “If it can’t, opt for an outcome which allows you to have some room for error… baby steps are always best.”

4. A custom sleeve is great bang for your buck.

The cost of tailoring varies widely depending on the project, but the insiders tell us that the perfect sleeve length is a cost- effective alteration that can make a huge difference.

5. Neck and shoulders are tall orders.

If you’re considering purchasing an ill-fitting item with tailoring in mind, Rajani suggests paying special attention to the neck and shoulder areas, which are the most difficult to alter. “Likely, you won’t be able to do much,” he says.

6. Altering shouldn’t cost more than buying.

“It’s never worth paying more for tailoring than you did for the garment itself,” says Rajani. Woodburn adds that cheap materials are tricky for sewists: “I would not recommend doing any costly alterations on fast fashion.”

READ MORE: 9 Tips for Vintage-Shopping Like a Pro

7. …Unless you really love the piece.

Then again, clothes that are solidly made shouldn’t be counted out just because you got a great deal. “Paying $150 to make that $10 thrifted jacket into your new favourite go-to item is absolutely worthwhile,” says Woodburn. “Think about what this piece means to you, instead of how much you paid for it.”

8. Quality matters.

Our experts agree that natural, well- constructed materials are the best candidates for tailoring—keep synthetics away from your sewist. Wool, cotton and linen all get a thumbs-up.

9. You might just alter your self-esteem.

Tailoring your clothes guarantees you a custom fit, and odds are, you’ll like what you see in the mirror. “Every body has a unique shape,” says Woodburn, “and getting clothing tailored to fit you can be a huge confidence booster.”

The Price of  Perfection

Here’s how much average alterations will cost at your local tailor.

Taking in the  waist of pants $30

Replacing  buttons $5-$10  a button

Replacing a  jacket’s  front zipper $60-$70

Tailoring a  suit jacket  $50- $150

Hemming  pants $15-$30