Getting clothes altered

[AgingDisgracefullyHere]

I have heard the virtues of getting clothes altered to fit extolled, but how do you actually do it? Do you go to the business and tell them what to do, or do they have you put on the clothes and mark it with chalk and measure what ought to be done?

I go in, pop the clothes on and they pin it/ mark it to the right place.

Also, what sorts of clothes can be altered? Can casual clothes, knits, etc be taken in to fit better?

Casual clothes can be altered, but it depends on the alteration you need; if the alteration is major it might be cheaper to get rid of the garment, hems are fine. Knits are trickier. A jersey dress that you want to shorten needs to be shortened at the waist not the hem.

Depends what you need altering. I have pinned things at home and asked them to make those alterations, eg for taking a hem up.

I went to a brilliant lady before she moved away. She had me put the clothes on and pinned them that way. This was for things like having a skirt made a size smaller. I've also used another alterations place just for simple things like having a skirt or trousers taken up by two inches - I pinned those at home myself.

So, do you buy things with the intention of getting them altered? What sorts of alterations are feasible? What if, say, a pair of trousers were gorgeous material and actually long enough, but a bit baggy in the bum or crotch.. Can that be sorted?

How about a coat that's just a bit too big across the chest and shoulders?

Obviously hems can be taken up, but I'm very tall and that's never an issue.

What if, say, a pair of trousers were gorgeous material and actually long enough, but a bit baggy in the bum or crotch.
Both can be done.

How about a coat that's just a bit too big across the chest and shoulders?
Don't go there. It's too big a job.

I have had trousers turned from
wide leg into skinny, and skirts remodelled - expensive ones that were worth the outlay of 20-30 quid to make them perfect. Wouldn’t bother on cheaper clothes though!