Getting a coat (that's too big) altered?

[MadameSapphire]

Has anyone had this done successfully? I've inherited a beautiful wool/cashmere coat, but it's much too big. Buttons would definitely need moving but, more difficult is that the shoulders (which are almost like a dropped design) just look ginormous and appear to have a very thin, dropped style padding that emphasises this! Coat is gorgeous and I'd love to wear it, but currently look like I'm wearing my husband's coat...

Thanks! x

I haven't done it to a coat (used to do military uniforms)
There is an altertaion shop near me that will alter at the top of sleeve, it;s quite a specialist job

If it's a good quality coat it may be worth doing

I had a coat taken in once, they didn't move the buttons. Instead they took it in at the back seams. They said coats usually have one seam down the middle of the back, but this coat had two so they had to do it to both. It did fit much better after that and as it was a Boden one I'd got in a sale I thought it was worth the risk. I took it to a dry cleaners who do alterations, I think a lot of them do and they only charged me £15. This was about 10 years ago but the place is still there and they haven't changed their prices that much. I'm in London.

It sounds a bit like the beautiful oversized MaxMara coat I used to wear in the 80s, which would look unusual now - it too had thinly padded dropped shoulders, and the buttons appeared widely spaced. But the cut was such that it actually fitted. A bigger size clearly didn’t.
If it really is too big a size, I think you’d have a lot of difficulty altering it. You could probably sell it without too much difficulty.

Thanks @Oldraver and @ThisIsNotARealAvo - that's really helpful! I think it's worth it, so I'll pop in to the dry cleaners (when it's open!) and see what they say. Realise I may need to find a seamstress instead. Thanks again!

@borntobequiet - it probably is an 80s coat! Do you think it'd look ridiculous to wear it now? I think it looks overcoat-y and will look kinda cool thrown over fitted, feminine clothes. It definitely swamps me at the moment!

I've had a couple done: shoulders adjusted, sleeve length and width and buttons moved. But but I had to find a 'real' tailor to do it and he told me he never did raglan shoulders.

Those 80s coats were meant to look as though they swamped you! If it fits, it will probably “feel” two sizes too big. I used to wear over biggish jumpers, leggings and boots, with a big pashmina style scarf. In fact my style hasn’t changed much at all, just the cut of clothes. Currently I’m wearing a long green dressing gown style coat over jumper, tight jeans and boots, or a fitted down coat over same.

Thanks @borntobequiet. I'm happy for it to be oversized, but am concerned, as a petite size 6, that I'll look ridiculous. The shoulder line just seems to look strange... Maybe I'll post a pic a bit later for some more advice...

I'd try someone who does tailoring alterations.
Not long before the 1980s fashions will look fresh and new.

Aren’t oversized coats and jackets fashionable again?

@Notarealmum

Aren’t oversized coats and jackets fashionable again?

They are but the cut is very different. The 80s cut was loose all over and fell from the shoulders but the modern cut is quite narrow across the back/upper arms and is more tapered towards the hem, at least in my experience. All Saints’ coats are a good example. But others might disagree.