Can you tailor jackets

A collar gap between the shirt and suit jacket Brendan Gallagher of Primer Magazine. A skilled tailor will be able to diagnose the problem, but many of the root causes of collar gaps are fundamental pattern-cut issues that are difficult and costly to fix. When there is a dent under the shoulder where the shoulder seam meets the sleeve, there could be several underlying reasons.

The most likely one is that the jacket shoulder is too narrow. Whilst the shoulders can technically be extended to a certain degree, it is a major procedure and the outcome cannot be guaranteed. Other reasons could be that:.

Any shoulder alteration involves a lot of deconstruction and reconstruction. Remedies, where possible, will be expensive. Want to find out more? Check out our guides on suit pants and vest alterations. Sign up and receive a free pair of cufflinks with your first order.

All Rights Reserved. Only then can you proceed. I will talk about how to shrink and enlarge Leather, Nylon, and Polyester jackets, and propose some materials you can use to do so.

To make a bomber jacket smaller, you will either need to pinch and sew fabric or cut and sew it. You should only cut and sew when pinching would lead to additional damages in the fabric such as needing to remove old, sensitive lining.

This will save you time, energy, and above all frustration down the road. A couple things to be aware of:. It can be molded and adapted to look and feel other fabrics too.

Hope that helps. MabelLucy February 2, at am - Reply. If take in the jacket do I have to take in the lining also? Paul Anthony February 3, at am - Reply. Thanks, — Paul. John February 17, at pm - Reply. This is very helpful! Michael Oxman February 20, at am - Reply. Thanks for the question, John. Hopefully this is helpful! Best, Mike. Justin Wilson February 27, at pm - Reply. Michael Oxman February 28, at am - Reply. Thanks for the comment, Justin. Glad you like the guide!

Michael Oxman March 23, at am - Reply. Hi Jim, Thanks for the comment. Krys June 20, at pm - Reply. Michael Oxman June 21, at am - Reply. Hi Krys, Thanks for the comment. Again, this is based on the assumption that the alteration is even possible. Hope this was helpful, and please keep us posted!

Donna Clarke June 29, at am - Reply. Michael Oxman June 29, at pm - Reply. Hi Donna, Thanks for reaching out to us! We appreciate the vote of confidence. I hope this was helpful, and please keep us posted as to how things turn out! All the best, Mike. Kathy July 25, at pm - Reply. Michael Oxman July 26, at am - Reply. Hi Kathy, Thanks for reading. Does the jacket fit well in other key areas, or is this the only alteration needed?

Thanks again for reading! Kathy July 26, at am - Reply. Hi Mike Yes. Mike Sorry I forgot. Michael Oxman July 26, at pm - Reply. Hi Kathy, If the sleeve buttons are non-functional, that puts you in a much better position. I hope this was helpful!

Donna Clarke October 16, at pm - Reply. Michael Oxman October 17, at am - Reply. Thanks for keeping us posted, Donna! Glad we could be helpful. Claudette Robertson October 20, at am - Reply. Michael Oxman October 23, at am - Reply. Hi Claudette, We will reach out soon via email. Many thanks for reading! Meresith December 6, at pm - Reply. Michael Oxman December 7, at am - Reply.

Hi Meredith, To the best of my knowledge, taking in a center seam will not do much, if anything, to correct jacket shoulders that are too wide. Thanks, Mike. Noel December 12, at pm - Reply. Dear Mike, Good day! Now, off to my queries… 1. Thanks for reading this one out!

Michael Oxman December 12, at pm - Reply. Hello Noel, Thank you very much for reading and reaching out! My best answers to your questions are below: 1. Dear Mike, Thanks for the quick response! To clarify a few points: 1. Many thanks! Michael Oxman December 20, at am - Reply. Hi Noel, Not a problem! Thanks for sending along some clarifications. MarK January 14, at pm - Reply. Can you please advise Thanks.

Trevor Guilday January 15, at pm - Reply. Hi Mark, Great question! Cheers, Trevor. Manuel March 9, at am - Reply. Hello, Mark. I enjoy very much your posts and have two questions for you. Thanks, Manuel. Charles-Philippe March 12, at am - Reply. Hi Manuel, Thanks for your kind comments. Best, CP. Sasha March 21, at pm - Reply. Paul Anthony March 21, at pm - Reply. Dear Sasha, This is a tough one without seeing the jacket.

Thanks — Paul. Glenda April 4, at pm - Reply. Charles-Philippe April 5, at am - Reply. Hi Glenda, Thanks for your kind words! Best of luck! Eric Oakes April 18, at pm - Reply. Charles-Philippe April 18, at pm - Reply. Hi Eric, If there is enough material in the sleeves for lengthening, go for the 38R! All the best, CP. Marc June 20, at pm - Reply. Best, Marc. Charles-Philippe June 21, at am - Reply. Hi Marc, This is hard to say without seeing the jacket as it depends on the cut itself.

Alessandro June 26, at am - Reply. Hello, First of all, congratulations for the amazing website! Thanks so much! First, see if you can move the buttons. If not, check the side seams to see if there is enough allowance. You can also reduce or increase the size of the darts to alter trench coats. If you wish to alter a wool coat, you need some amount of sewing experience. Wool coats are heavy and thick, and they are not an easy material to work with.

If you are altering your wool coat on your own, you have to first determine where you need to make changes. Are the sleeves too big or long? Do you wish to alter the length of the coat? Sport coats can be altered too if you are not satisfied with how it fits you.

Like suit coats, sport coats are structured heavily around the shoulders, which can make alterations involving the shoulders a little difficult. For this reason, it is imperative that a sport coat is altered by an excellent tailor. The cost of altering a coat differs depending on how much alteration is required. For instance, only shortening the sleeves will be much cheaper than adjusting the entire width of the coat to make it fit better on you.

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Share Pin. First, put on your jacket so that you can accurately determine the desired sleeve length.

Identify where you want the sleeves to fall and mark that spot all around the sleeves using chalk. A useful tip is to use a ruler to get a straight line. Next, you need to identify where you are going to cut your sleeves.