My First Experience at a Tailor--Not good!

[GHT]

The leg can be tapered as much or as little as you like. You can bring it in just a bit, or make your pants really skinny!
You will find that advice, along with the instruction how to, by clicking on this link.
https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=d...XM1xQKHf_fCVkQsAQILQ&biw=1366&bih=662#imgrc=_

 

[MondoFW]

The leg can be tapered as much or as little as you like. You can bring it in just a bit, or make your pants really skinny!
You will find that advice, along with the instruction how to, by clicking on this link.
https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=d...XM1xQKHf_fCVkQsAQILQ&biw=1366&bih=662#imgrc=_

Really? The woman said making these fit would be a lost cause, which i was skeptical about, but i wouldn't think i can slim them down totally. I guess the only hurdle would be the cost.

 

[HatLoverGirl]

A photo of you wearing the pants might be informative. Big and taper are words that are open to a lot of interpretation in tailoring. If they needed a lot of resizing work above the crotch line that runs into a lot of time, and hence money, quickly. And gets into the area of iffier results. Most seamstresses don't want to take on a job that they can't 100% guarantee success. Taking in the waist less than 2", or tapering the lower leg, or hemming are pretty straightforward. As an example I did these pants this morning, about 2" on the waist and shortened by about 3"
DSCN1770 crop by Michael A2012, on Flickr
DSCN1773 by Michael A2012, on Flickr
DSCN1776 by Michael A2012, on Flickr
As GHT said, hemming needs only a needle and thread and tape measure. And can easily be undone and redone if you don't like the results the first time. For other operations a sewing machine may be nice, but they are available at thrift stores for a reasonable price usually. I got two just last week for $10 each and one is a Bernina. Both worked fine. There are many good video tutorials available online to walk you through learning how to do simple alterations and how to use a sewing machine.

Many men's stores still have an in house alterations tailor and they usually take walk in trade. Better sorts of dry cleaners will have a blind hem machine and do hemming for a low price. Around here at least, most seamstresses primarily work with wedding dress alterations and other such things. They haven't the experience or any great willingness to work on men's clothing beyond hemming pants or shortening a jacket sleeve from the cuff.

Good luck,
Michael

Loving your style!

 

[Michael A]

Loving your style!

Thanks HatLoverGirl. Hope you've been successful in finding the perfect hat.

Thanks,
Michael

 

[scottyrocks]

View attachment 121415 View attachment 121416 View attachment 121417
These are the only fit pics I can take at the moment. If they're too rubbish for y'all, I can retake them tomorrow afternoon.
The best photography you'll get from a 9-year-old. I find them too long, which is why I wanted to hem them.

It's not the 9 year old. The worst place to have the light originate is behind the subject and coming at the camera. The best place(s) are from behind, and slightly to the side of the camera. That way you are illuminating what you are shooting.

If all else fails, use the flash. It will eliminate blur (to a point) and supply clean light to the camera lens.

 

[GHT]

Really? The woman said making these fit would be a lost cause, which i was skeptical about, but i wouldn't think i can slim them down totally. I guess the only hurdle would be the cost.

Have to ask, why can't they be slimmed down totally? As for the cost being a hurdle, what cost?

 

[MondoFW]

here are somewhat better pics-- I don't think the pants are as unsightly as the woman made them out to be. What do you guys make of this?

 

[Edward]

Fit looks fine as is to me. I'd maybe have them taken up an inch, but I wouldn't touch them otherwise.

 

[GHT]

Fit looks fine as is to me. I'd maybe have them taken up an inch, but I wouldn't touch them otherwise.

Don't be silly Edward, a young fellow like Mondo can't go around looking like his great grandfather for goodness sake. The lady has his best interests at heart, he should look modern, contemporary, to go with his youthful appearance, just like this young man: (just joking Mondo.)

 

[MondoFW]

Don't be silly Edward, a young fellow like Mondo can't go around looking like his great grandfather for goodness sake. The lady has his best interests at heart, he should look modern, contemporary, to go with his youthful appearance, just like this young man: (just joking Mondo.)
View attachment 122467

This man could not decide between knickers or pants! Never seen em that short

 

[Benny Holiday]

They've lined that poor sod up against the wall so they can shoot him and put him out of his fashion nightmare misery!

 

[Mathematicus]

I have to disagree with the user who said that trousers' legs can be altered as much as you like. The key is to mantain proportions with the original cut, otherwise it will always look like a bodge-up in the worst cases, or the alteration will be apparent (which is not so better actually). In short, you can't make a full cut, double pleated pair of trousers from the 40s into a sleek late 60s example.

Also, if your trousers measure 9 inches at the hem and you want to taper it to 7, you have two options: either you taper all the leg down, with the very likely outcome of having to slim down the hips (above crotch) as well to keep balance (and if they have pleats this might mess up the fit of these), OR you taper them from the kees down only, which will lead to a strongly tapered look which, in my personal opinion, looks unsightly because your thighs will puff out.

If the trousers are not straight but already taper down, better results can be achieved. But a hem of 7 inches (which is SKINNY for me, and I have wear 6UK shoes!) will need to be balanced with a reasonably fitted leg.

 

[GHT]

They've lined that poor sod up against the wall so they can shoot him and put him out of his fashion nightmare misery!

Wes, you crack me up. Finding that photo didn't take long, all I did was to Google: "What's fashionable?" Since then I have been doing some research and it turns out that the, so called, slovenly chic look, is what you should be wearing:

If you study this young fellow's appearance, you will see that he's sporting a tie, a pocket square, a blue suit and a pair of brogue style shoes, although I can't quite make out his shoes, it's a poor photo. Admittedly, his trousers, have divorced his shoes and married his knees, but what do you think of the overall look?

Think about it. Here's a picture of me a couple of years ago, about to take the classic car to a wedding. I'm sporting a tie, a hat, no pocket square, a blue suit and, out of shot, a pair if blue & white spectators.

All in all there's not a lot of difference, it's just the way that the ensemble is presented. I rather like his look, except for those short pants, I couldn't wear them, not even if I was his age. He probably thinks the same about my hat.

 

[GHT]

I have to disagree with the user who said that trousers' legs can be altered as much as you like. The key is to mantain proportions with the original cut, otherwise it will always look like a bodge-up in the worst cases, or the alteration will be apparent (which is not so better actually). In short, you can't make a full cut, double pleated pair of trousers from the 40s into a sleek late 60s example.

You can alter them as much as you like, but I do see where you are coming from. In another thread I showed Mondo how my wife turns oversize tapered trousers into straight trousers with a classic turned up cuff. Letting trousers out is far more limited than taking them in. What my missus does is to dismantle the trousers into their original panels by unpicking the waist band, the crotch seams, removing the zipper, the inside and sometimes, the outside leg seams and the hems, if she were to take them in, she would trim the panels to the appropriate size required. It's not easy and it takes her a couple of days, so if you say someone who did alterations for a living would charge £20 an hour, your bill for labour would be sixteen hours times twenty, equals £320. Hardly worth it really.
When I can remember that thread I'll post a link to it.

 

[Mathematicus]

You can alter them as much as you like, but I do see where you are coming from.

I didn't say it is impossible, I said that in order to obtain a wearable item, you need to keep proportions in mind or expect to recut the trousers completely. As you said, turning a pair of baggy trousers into something tamer requires that someone very skilled dismantle the whole thing and does it up again in the right way.

Even if your are willing to do that, things can go wrong. For example, if the trousers are big all around, so bigger waist, hips and lower crotch, then a complete recut will be likely to be more wearabla than say altering a pair of trousers which fits at the waist but puff out below waistband (the crotch has no outlet cloth and it will stay where it was cut originally, so bringing the two sides apart it will constrict).

 

[GHT]

I didn't say it is impossible, I said that in order to obtain a wearable item, you need to keep proportions in mind or expect to recut the trousers completely. As you said, turning a pair of baggy trousers into something tamer requires that someone very skilled dismantle the whole thing and does it up again in the right way.

Even if your are willing to do that, things can go wrong. For example, if the trousers are big all around, so bigger waist, hips and lower crotch, then a complete recut will be likely to be more wearabla than say altering a pair of trousers which fits at the waist but puff out below waistband (the crotch has no outlet cloth and it will stay where it was cut originally, so bringing the two sides apart it will constrict).

You are right, that's what I meant when I said that I can see where you are coming from. In essence, what my wife does is not so much alter as recycle. I can't remember the thread but these photos will give you an idea. Sorry about the poor quality, I asked her to keep a photographic record of her work, given that she spent a lot of time altering the trousers, it would be ungrateful of me to even mention the poor photos.

 

[Benny Holiday]

GHT all I can say is that those "fashionable" fellow's tight little shorts with that outfit make him look like either a) a bad Pee Wee Hermanesque comedy act or b) his parents didn't teach him how to dress! But of course I'm totally biased in favour of classic style which, of course, is why I'm on this site in the first place.

I really dig your blue and white spectators!

 

[Mathematicus]

What is most ridiculous about those outfits is that some infamous designers claim that shorter trousers "enchance the silhouette" and "are more practical".

When I lived in Roma, I took the underground every day and I saw every kind of sartorial obscenity. There was a guy, in his 30s, always wearing a skinny suit with tight jacket and trousers that clenched his crotch and were a good 2 inches too short. He loved to walk across the platform to let his dashing outfits to be admired, especially his colourful socks (if he wore socks at all). Usually, in Italian big cities mechanic cleaning across the kerbsides is performed on very early night of some weekday. In that area of Roma it was Friday and, on a particular day of February, cleaning was delayed (probably because of some silly reason) until commuting time (8.30-9). The kerbsides near the underground station were cleaned from the mud and the residues left by beggars while the crowd walked in the station. I was lucky enough to get in before the operators started to use water on the nearest part to the entry, but those who came some minutes later had a full service of spraying water mixed with dirt, condensed beggar's piss and cigarette ash around their ankles. The wise guy that day had decided to go sockless to enchance the beauty of his carefully waxed body in a revolting plum-coloured suit, and when he approached the underground station all of the filth went all over his hairless calves, dripping inside his crass, roundish chunky shoes. In the desperate attempt of saving himself from the disaster, he bent to repair his exposed ankles with his expensive man purse and his arm, with the only effect of receiving a generous splash of that shit both in the purse and suit coat.

When he finally got in the station, his expression was like he'd had to swallow all of that grime!

 

[Deleted member 16736]

Learn to sew and make or tailor your own clothes. You can find good vintage patterns on etsy. Frankly, I wish I had learned when I was your age. I'm learning at 50!