How to Find a Good Tailor for Clothing Alterations

The hardest part of getting alterations is finding the right tailor. Many department stores and dry cleaners offer cut-and-sew services, but most style experts generally say they’re not worth bothering with. Department store tailors are worth checking out, as they usually have decent skills and low prices, and sometimes even free for simple solutions, like hemming.

• Ask around. Many sources say that the best way to find a good tailor is to ask people you know. Depending on the alterations needed, you can also ask high-end clothing stores to send their customers to the tailor, as they are likely to recommend only the best.

• See comments . If you don’t have anyone to ask, try searching local review sites like Yelp and Google. Look at the tailors who get the best reviews overall and see what they like and what they don’t like. Pay attention to how many stars the tailor has depending on where you are, stars are also a good sign to look out for because that is how people rate them based on the service each customer receives.

• Look for the experience. Look for an experienced tailor who works with different types of garments on a regular basis. If you are altering a garment made from a material that is particularly difficult to work with, such as leather or fur, find a tailor who specializes in these fabrics.

• Examine your work. Before you hire a tailor, ask to see the clothes they have hanging on the shelves waiting to be picked up. Examine each piece carefully to make sure the work looks good. Stitches should be neat and even, with no pulling or puckering; hems and sleeves must be even.

• Start small. Don’t trust a complicated job, like wearing a winter coat, to a tailor you’ve never worn before. Instead, start with something small and simple, like folding a pair of pants or looking at the waist. Once you’ve seen the tailor do a proficient job with these smaller jobs, you can feel more confident turning in a difficult or expensive one.

• Even the best tailor in the world cannot make good clothes out of poor quality fabric. Many fashion experts say that only high-quality clothing is worth the effort to alter, because cheap clothing doesn’t last long enough to justify the investment.