Is it easier to take in or let out a suit? (2024)

Is it easier to take in or let out a suit?

Taking in your suit jacket is much easier than letting it out. A tailor will be able to pin the jacket exactly where the fabric will be taken in to give you a visual prior to altering. Two type of vents are offered in men's suit jackets: the solo center back vent design or the double vents at the side back panel seams.

A suit jacket is quite complex in construction and can't simply be shrunken down multiple sizes, because the proportions will be altered and the elaborate structure (lining, canvas, padding, pockets, etc.) will have to be reconstructed to the point that it would be more cost-effective to buy a whole new jacket.

Although an easy alteration, there is a threshold as to how much the waist can be opened depending on fabric allowance in the waist and the area where it adjoins the center seam in the back of the hips. The limit here is typically around 1.00 – 1.50 inches in either direction.

First, if the area is tight (notice the horizontal pulling above between the shoulder blades), then the garment should be “let-out” on the seam nearest the pulling. A dual line “hash tag” is the international tailoring symbol for “let-out”.

“Letting out” means making the garment bigger. This is done by unsewing the seam and re-sewing it further out, toward the edge of the fabric.

How To Tailor Your Suit Jacket Or Blazer At Home - YouTube

Tailor A Suit Jacket In 4 Minutes! (PRO TUTORIAL) - YouTube

Can it be fixed?: Taking in or letting out the waist of your pants is certainly possible. There's more room to take the waist in than to let it out, as there is only so much extra fabric at the seams. Take note, however, that the best outcome is achieved if the seat of your pants is also altered.

Generally, the bottom edge of a jacket should end between the two knuckles on your thumb. This rule can be pushed a little bit when wearing a casual sport coat because they tend to be a little shorter.

Taking In a Suit Jacket, Blazer, or Vest: For $20 to $90, you can take in a suit jacket, blazer, or vest. Jackets with three seams cost more than those with two. Taking in the sleeves costs an additional $20 to $40, and adjusting the shoulders costs between $75 and $150.

How long do suit alterations take?

Tailoring a suit can be finished in as fast as a few hours. However, the average turnaround time is anywhere from 2 days to 4 weeks. Several factors affect how long the tailoring process will take, including who the tailor is, the time you are getting your suit tailored, and so on.

If your suit jacket is too tight for you, you can either go to a tailor to make it bigger or you can buy a new suit jacket that fits you well.

The waist of a pair of trousers can be let in or taken out 2-3". Look inside the seat for extra fabric at the waistband – this, minus half an inch or so, is as far as you can take the pants out. Trousers are easily shortened, but lengthening them requires fabric at the hems.

While a tailor can make alterations to the fit in the shoulders, it doesn't mean they should. It's often an ill advised adjustment to make because it can trigger a cascade of other adjustments needed throughout the garment. The amount tailors have to charge for that usually make this alteration not worth it.

Man's Suit Jacket Fits Too Tight - Men's Clothing Alterations - YouTube

Sometimes, the only way to adjust the length is directly from the shoulder. However this involves detaching and reattaching the sleeve later. It's a very costly alteration that requires a lot of work and tailors don't like doing it. Plus, it also depends on the skill of the tailor.

It's more important than most people think! A good suit or sports jacket should fall past the waist and drape over the top of the curve formed by the buttocks. An ideal fit will cover a man down to the point where his butt starts to curve back inward, and stop there (but anywhere in that general region is okay).

Let that flap vent! Free your butt! Before you wear your spiffy new suit — whether it has a single or double vent — snip those stitches. Because they're supposed to be removed, you'll find that they're pretty weak, which means you can just wiggle a finger underneath the "X" and pop it right off.

Can suit pants be let out?

Can it be fixed?: Taking in or letting out the waist of your pants is certainly possible. There's more room to take the waist in than to let it out, as there is only so much extra fabric at the seams. Take note, however, that the best outcome is achieved if the seat of your pants is also altered.

Suit jackets can be made bigger by letting out the seam allowance that holds excess fabric. First things first – What is seam allowance? Seam allowance is basically the excess fabric that's stored at the seams of a garment. These seams can be opened, which will result in the excess fabric being used.

Man's Suit Jacket Fits Too Tight - Men's Clothing Alterations - YouTube

Unfortunately, the best way to travel with a suit is simply to not put it into any piece of luggage. Period! Ideally, you transport it in a garment bag and hang it from something. But when most of us travel, we use the overhead compartment on the plane.