Guide: all the possible alterations and repairs on a garment, and how much it'll cost you

Knowing what you can retouch (or not) on a garment is an important basis: to correct a past purchase , but also to estimate whether a good deal is really worth it or not.

POSSIBLE ALTERATIONS ON A GARMENT

In absolute terms, you can retouch almost anything as long as you pay the price... but we will agree that it is not interesting to pay more for alterations than for clothes! In addition, finding the right skills among the retoucher is not always easy...

1. ALTERATIONS ON A COAT, JACKET OR BLAZER

The length of the sleeves can be altered in several ways: you can either shorten the sleeve (with a simple hem), or lengthen it if the manufacturer has kept a margin of fabric inside the sleeve. For example, on a blazer, you can generally add between 3 and 4 cm.

Be careful all the same: when you shorten the sleeve, you must be careful not to distort the proportions of the garment. For example, a button too close to the end of the sleeve will not look good.

We will then prefer to shorten the sleeve... by the shoulder: by removing the shoulder and then putting it back together. But you can imagine that this is a somewhat delicate operation, so it should be avoided as much as possible.

You can also slightly retouch the length of the piece (provided you don't completely unbalance it).

Finally, we come to the bending , the key element of the jacket. Most sleeve pieces have 5 clips. A dart is a seam that can be unstitched to bring the two pieces of fabric together, and sewn again to accentuate the curve.

This can also be useful to correct the back if it has too much material for your body shape.

2. ALTER PANTS (EXCLUDING JEANS)

On pants, it is possible to shorten or widen the waist . Here too the manufacturer often leaves a little margin: a size 46 can almost be altered to go from 44 to 48.

And if we look inside...

Important note: I draw your attention to the alterations made to the size of the jeans. Denim is a pretty rough fabric, and it often happens that alterations to the waistline cause unsightly vertical creases to appear on either side of the fly. Be warned, especially on selvedge!

The trouser legs can also be tightened (on any type of trouser, jeans included). It is a simple and inexpensive operation 2.

3. TOUCH UP A T-SHIRT OR SHIRT

Theoretically, it is also possible to adjust the fit of a shirt or t-shirt by tightening the darts. In the same way, work on the length of the sleeves or the piece itself is possible. The question then is of course to determine whether this type of work on such inexpensive parts is really relevant. Your turn to judge !

NB: in the case of shortening the sleeves of a shirt, this can be done at the shoulder. A good retoucher is therefore essential because floating can appear under the armpit. Less common, you can also raise the wrist directly.

REPAIR A DAMAGED GARMENT

When a garment is too worn (crotch of pants, elbows of a blazer), it is possible to repair it , but it is better to choose a quality retoucher who will firmly sew a patch (interior or exterior) at the hole level. emerging: this is the assurance that the thread of the patch does not then pull on the fabric of the piece and tear it. A good retoucher will also likely have more choice in colors and will be able to find a fabric close to the original.

In the case of jeans , a good retoucher will directly repair the warp and weft and reinforce the back of the piece with special machines. This is the case of repair jeans which also works by mail order, or even Super Stitch.

Little advice: don't wait for this type of repair. Go ahead at the first signs of wear.

WHAT RETOUCHES ARE IMPOSSIBLE (OR TOO DANGEROUS)?

Some edits are simply impossible. For example, it is very difficult to retouch a stitch , because it then unravels. This requires very specific know-how that you will not find near you. But if the stitch is simply damaged and begins to unravel, then the good stitcher will be able to reseal the knitting to stop the damage.

The shoulders of the blazer are also a dead end : there is nothing to do, you had to buy the right size of shoulders from the start... Resell your pieces that are too big or give them away.

HOW TO CHOOSE A RETOUCHER?

It is important to choose your retoucher carefully . There's no point hoping for a clean bending job in the little corner shop that also does laundry/ironing. Because heavy alterations require real tailoring expertise that you won't find on every street corner.

Conversely, some lighter retouches are “unmissable” . There is therefore no point in spending too much time or too much money on it.

1. FOR SMALL TOUCH-UPS

As I told you, there is no point wasting time going to a tailor worthy of the name for small alterations: the small local workshop will do the trick. Overall, these are operations that will never cost you much more than around ten euros.

2. FOR HEAVIER TOUCH-UPS

Here you will have to identify a good retoucher for this type of retouching. Golden rule for doing this: discuss with him to “evaluate” him , test his knowledge, find out how he plans to go about it, etc.

To identify good retouchers in your city, go to high-end stores and ask the salespeople for an address (usually the one they use for their store's specific needs).

A GOOD RETOUCHER IN PARIS?

If you live in Île-De-France, you can cheat and take this shortcut to find a good retoucher in Paris:

• AM Retouches : we are used to working with him at BonneGueule, Calam and his team will know how to do what is needed on your clothes!
• Élysée Couture : Call him beforehand to check the schedules and for him to give you the digital code: he works hidden in a courtyard. He's at the top (he's the one who does the alterations in the best Parisian boutiques, and he's not particularly expensive)

WHAT ABOUT THE BELT?

If it's just a matter of shortening it, any shoemaker will do it for less than 5 euros. Simply remove the rivet at the buckle, cut to the right length and then reassemble the belt: it's done in 5 minutes. And without pain.

Mazette, there were things to tell you! You know almost everything now. And as usual, if any questions remain unanswered, ask them in the comments.

THE PRICE OF ALTERATIONS ON CLOTHES

Finally, a quick summary of the average price of the main clothing alterations (at a good retoucher):

• Shirt (sleeve length): €20
• Shirt (bending): €25
• Jacket/coat (sleeve length from the bottom): €20
• Jacket/coat (sleeve length from shoulder): €50
• Jacket/coat (length): €20
• Jacket/coat (bending): €50-70
• Trousers (hem): €10
• Pants (size adjustment): €20
• Pants (leg adjustment): €20

You know everything !