Worth Knowing |

Thursday, October 21 2010

Worth Knowing

Sometimes I think I should’ve lived a few years ago, back when clothes were bought at local tailor’s atelier whom you called by the name. Well, maybe I’m being a bit melodramatic but I’m definitely one who favors independent boutiques over huge shopping malls/retailers. However, I must admit that given the current state of the economy and the flood of designer outlets available (both online and off), there are some findings to be had in such places.
I happened to stumble upon one a while ago, while scouting a nearby outlet: a navy double breasted suit from Purificacion Garcia (a renowned Spanish brand). Originally marked at 500€, the price had dropped down to 100€, a true bargain for a quality suit. As it would be too good to be true, they didn’t have my size (48) in stock, only a 46 and a 50 (though luck). Needless to say I tried them both on: the 46 was way too small, but the size 50 apart from somewhat baggy pants, sported a jacket which fitted my shoulders and had almost the right sleeve length.
This is where knowing what kind of alterations you can have done to garments at your local tailor or seamstress comes in handy. Pants can be shortened and taken in at the waist and leg, while the jacket can be adjusted to a snug fit on your torso and have its sleeves shortened (at times). Of course you can only take this to a certain extent, since excessively altering a piece might compromise its shape and aesthetic. A rule of thumb to bear in mind is that a jacket has to fit your shoulders; it’s not worth buying if it doesn’t, since this alteration is quite expensive and hardly ever has satisfying results.
Back to the suit, the size 50 was a nice fit on the shoulders so I went ahead and bought it. A trip to the tailor and 50€ later, I ended up with a smartly tailored suit for a total of 150€, check the pics.

The list of alterations:

- Shortened jacket sleeve length

- Jacket torso taken in

- Pant waist, leg and back taken in

- Hemmed pants with a 3 cm cuff