Alterations afterwards

Why the pattern changes the job

An alterations shop works backwards. It has a finished garment and no record of how it was made, so every change is inferred from what is in front of it: unpick a seam, look at what is there, judge how much is left to work with.

When we made the garment, none of that guessing is necessary. The pattern says where the seams were placed and how much allowance was left inside each one, and the notes taken at the first appointment say how you stand. A waist let out two centimetres is a known quantity before anything is opened — seehow we take your measurements.

What can be changed

• Waist taken in or let out, within the seam allowance left for it
• Trouser and sleeve length, in either direction
• Jacket body slimmed through the side seams
• Trouser seat and rise adjusted
• Shoulders — possible, expensive, and a genuine rebuild of the jacket

And what cannot

This list matters more than the one above it, because it is the list nobody volunteers.

• A jacket made larger than the cloth left inside it allows
• A collar that sits wrong on a finished jacket — that is a pattern fault
• A fused front that has begun to bubble; the bond cannot be re-made
• Anything cut without seam allowance in the first place

The pattern is the thing that cannot be altered after the garment is finished. A seam can be moved; a shoulder that sits wrong is a fault in the draft, and the draft was fixed when the cloth was cut. That is precisely why the basted fitting exists, and why a process that removes it is a process that removes your only chance to change the shape.

Garments we did not make

We take them on, within limits, and we say what the limits are before starting rather than after. Two things decide it: how much seam allowance was left inside, and whether the front is canvassed or fused — seefull canvas, half canvas and fused.

A garment cut with almost no allowance cannot be made larger by any amount of skill, and a fused front that has started to ripple is beyond repair rather than merely difficult. Both are worth knowing before you pay for an opinion.

Bringing it to us

• We come to you — where we come to you
• Bring the shoes, if it is trousers
• Wear the shirt you would wear under it, if it is a jacket
• Say what feels wrong in your own words; the diagnosis is our job

"It pulls across the back when I reach forward" is more useful than a measurement, because it points at where the garment is actually failing rather than at a number.

Reordering instead of altering

Sometimes the honest recommendation is not to alter. If a garment has drifted far from the shape it was cut for, a fresh one from the updated pattern is better work and often better value than three separate rescues of the old one. The pattern is already here, so a repeat order needs no new appointment — bespoke suits,tailored shirts andtrousers, blazers and separates all work that way.

Questions we are actually asked

How long do alterations usually take?

It depends on what is being changed and we tell you at the time rather than on a website. A hem or a sleeve length is quick; a waist is longer; a shoulder is effectively rebuilding the jacket and is quoted as its own job. What we will not do is give you a number before we have seen the garment, because in this city a confident turnaround quote given before anyone has looked is usually a sign that nothing much is going to be done.

What clothing is difficult to alter?

Anything structured, anything cut close, and anything that needs to grow. Jackets are harder than trousers because the chest, lapel and shoulder are built as one shaped assembly rather than sewn flat. Making something larger is harder than making it smaller, because it depends entirely on the seam allowance left inside. And a fused jacket that has started to bubble cannot be rescued at all — the bond between cloth and interlining is not something a needle can repair.

Can you alter a suit you did not make?

Usually yes, within limits, and we will tell you which limits before starting. Bring it to a fitting and we will look at the seam allowances and the construction and say plainly what can be done, what can be done but is not worth it, and what cannot be done at all. The honest answer is sometimes the third one, and it is better heard before the work than after.

Is Bangkok good for tailored suits?

It is good for them and it is also where a great many disappointing ones get made, which is why the question keeps being asked. The variable is not the city, it is whether the garment is built with a stitched canvas and fitted while half-made, or glued together in two days. The Boss Tailor makes bespoke suits across Bangkok and both kinds are widely available here at similar-sounding descriptions.

Who is the best tailor in Bangkok?

Not a question anyone should answer about themselves. What you can check without taking a word for it: whether the pattern is drafted for you or adjusted from a stock block, whether the jacket is canvassed or fused, and whether a fitting happens while the garment can still be changed. Those three answers narrow this market faster than any list does.