I've just had a dress professionally altered for the first time ever - can't believe the difference!

[Wilburissomepig]

Never in my life have I had a garment professionally altered but I have a lovely evening dress that I'm wearing in a couple of weeks that needed shortening. Took it last week to a local lady who suggested a couple of small changes as well as the length. OMG. I actually cannot believe the difference it's made, I thought it looked ok before but it looks like it was made for me now. I'm genuinely gobsmacked. I'm not very confident about myself at the moment but I can't wait to wear it now!

That's great that you've got something that makes you feel amazing! What were the other adjustments?

That’s why bespoke suits look amazing on men .

An alteration on the shoulders (which I wouldn't even have considered) and under the arms. I thought it fitted OK but this lovely woman has worked some kind of magic on it.

The best thing I ever did for my wardrobe was find a good seamstress. I take about 50% of all my clothes to her for tweaking (less now that I am buying vintage which actually fits my bust/waist/hip ratio). She is amazing and the clothes all look miles better as a result.

How much does it cost? It sounds great!

Ive thought about doing this with some things. My arms seem to be too big for my waist, makes finding well fitted jackets impossible

I do this all the time!

this is part of what i do in my job and i love seeing the reaction from people when i've done the alterations and they see it on for the first time.

Those of you who already do this, are they expensive clothes to start with or just high street items?

Something taught to me very early on. When you look at that "investment" piece for your wardrobe, add £20-50 for tailoring to really make it an "investment" piece that looks perfect on you.

CuriosityDoor - I do it with both. Have even had a cheap Miss Selfridges skirt taken in at the waist for a perfect fit. I think even if it's cheap, the joy of alterations is that it makes it look so much better, you couldn't tell how little it cost originally!

Curiosity, usually clothes that will last. No point taking Primark to the tailor as the garment doesn't wash/last as long. I usually do it with things I find on sale that are reduced because the arms are a bit too long (just as an example)

The best thing I ever did was get my one piece swimsuit tailored. Off the rack never fits right on my apple shape - huge difference if I just size it by my chest and then have the bottom taken in.

Where do you find a good seamstress/master? I had coat sleeves taken up at a dry cleaners and it wasn't great.

Coat sleeves are probably one of the very hardest things to alter because even minor changes almost always throws off the proportions. Tailored items like coats and blazers are generally difficult to alter because there is so much structure built into them.

I think it's best to search for a good fit off the rack for these items, or splash out on made-to-measure if you can afford it.

I totally agree @Wilburissomepig (awesome reference btw!).

I took a Reiss jumpsuit to the local tailor for £40 and it literally takes two stone off me when I wear it. It’s like witchcraft!

I got a few cm off my coat sleeves when I got 8cm off the end recently. It looks great. Hangs well.

I seem to have shorter than normal...well high street fit clothes. So jackets and coats look odd on me as the hang way down my hands.
I've recently bought a fairly fitted jacket and the sleeves look silly covering most of my hands...it will look much better shortened.

I tend to not buy anything with over complicated (like a buttons on the bottom of sleeves) so thye are easier to alter

I took a £25 coat to a local seamstress to fit new buttons and make ‘loops’ out of leather for the buttons to fasten for £10. The coat shaves 2 stones off me and looks really fabulous! Ok its not as warm like my Jaeger or Calvin Klein coats, but it looks the part 👍

ask around to see where other have their alterations done, sometimes clothing shops will recommend someone and ask to see their work before you let them work on your clothes.
one of my regular alterations is men's jacket cuffs, i take off buttons, unpick decorative buttonholes, shorten (or lengthen) the cuffs and redo the buttonholes and attach buttons. i wouldn't let anyone do an alteration on my jacket if they didn't do that, its supposed to look like it hasn't been touched imo

It’s like witchcraft!

It really is! It was quite a pricey dress (for me anyway) and the alterations cost £35 but, oh my, totally worth it. I reckon I'll be spending tomorrow raking through my wardrobe looking for stuff to alter.