We’ve all been there – you’ve got a piece of beautiful clothing but, much to your disappointment, it doesn’t fit quite right. Maybe you’re ready to exchange it but you’ve misplaced the receipt. You’re shopping and you find the perfect piece only to find that they don’t have stock left in your size.
Maybe you’ve recently lost weight and want to still make use of your wardrobe full of clothes. Thankfully, there are several easy alterations and tricks that’ll allow you to convert those ill-fitting garments into cherished, tailored pieces.
1. Easy Alterations for pant waist
Have you been gifted some ill-fitting pants? Too big, too baggy, but gorgeous nonetheless? Nobody likes to keep pulling their pants up every 4 seconds. Not to mention that some baggier pants are not all that flattering. The trick to crafting those perfect-fitting pants is taking in the waist and rear seam before slimming the legs accordingly. To alter the waistline, all you really need to do is alter from the center-back of the pants. First, you’ll need to remove the belt loop and then measure how much fabric you need to take out. You can use pins to mark the point where the alteration will need to be done and start sewing from there.
2. Long sleeves
While long and wide sleeves are in right now, they aren’t for everybody. They can be somewhat impractical – especially when it gets chilly and you want to put a cosy cardigan on top. So what if the dress or top of your dreams has wide sleeves? Alter it!
The easiest way to cut down a voluminous sleeve is to stitch a continuous line from the armhole all the way up to the opening of the sleeves. It’s important to note that when a sleeve is too loose, it usually means that the armpit is sizeable, too. Start by taking from 1.5 cm all the way up to 5 cm from the underside sleeve seam – from the wrist, through the underarm and into the side-boob seam in order to create a slimmer sleeve.
3. Take in a shirt easily at the side seams
Have a blouse or shirt that technically fits but just doesn’t look right? That is the perfect candidate for a few easy alterations! Pretty much anywhere a straight seam exists on a piece of clothing, it’s possible to make an alteration. So take advantage of this fact and make that free-flowing, ill-fitting shirt your new favourite.
All you need to do is check that it has a straight seam on each side – the rest is an easy fix. If the blouse or shirt in question has sleeves, things can get a bit more complicated – as you’ll need to fix the underarm area too. Just make sure the shirt has enough space in the underarm to allow for a bit of fabric to be removed.
4. Add darts with easy alterations
Darts are your saviour when it comes to altering a top. Commonly used in blouses, their purpose is to improve a shirt’s fit at the bustline. In the world of alterations though, darts can also be quite useful if you want to shape pants or a skirt. For example, if you’re after pants that actually stay up, darts can be placed over the fullest part of each bum cheek, which is where the most fabric is.
You can also use darts to slim down a baggy jacket. This is especially handy if you have broad shoulders and always need to buy your jackets a size up just so they fit around your upper body. Simply open up the jacket’s lining and add two darts to the back of the jacket. Make sure you start behind the sleeves and work all the way up until you reach the hem.
5. Make a maxi skirt or dress a couple of sizes bigger
Have a stunning dress but can’t seem to make it fit? We’ve all been there. It can be frustrating to know that with only a couple of extra centimeters you’d be able to rock the dress.
Well, there are a couple of tricks that can help with that.
Firstly, the zipper trick. If the dress in question has one of those invisible zippers, then you’re in luck. For those invisible zippers to be installed, there has to be extra fabric – which means, if you remove it, you get those extra centimeters of fabric back, hence making your dress bigger. So, if you don’t mind a regular, classic zipper on your dress then go for it.
If you’re after a couple of extra centimeters on an easy-flowing maxi dress or skirt, you can add those sought-after centimeters to the sides, using the side seams technique. You’ll be adding the extra fabric equally on both sides in order to make it fit well.
Make a little trip to the fabric shop and find one that matches that of the garment you’re trying to alter – the print or colours will depend on your taste, but just make sure the material matches (so if the dress is made of viscose, choose viscose).
6. Shortening Jeans Without Losing the Original Hem
While it sounds impossible to the average DIY-er, you can actually shorten your old jeans without damaging the original hem. Our stylist tailors can perform original hem alterations by first taking your desired measurements. They then fold the leg opening inside out at the exact alteration length.
Next, we will sew the fold with the thread as close to the hem as possible, cut the jeans to the desired length and reattach the hem by sewing the fold back in place.
It sounds a little bit too meticulous, but it helps preserve the distressed and unique detail of your denim hems. This is part of our full range of invisible alterations that preserve the style and character of denim jeans but fit you better as if tailor-fitted to your size.
7. Resizing Jackets for a Sharper Silhouette
Breathe new life into your old and boring jackets by resizing them to achieve a sharper and more defined silhouette. This process commonly involves altering the waist and sleeve sections to your desired fit and body shape.
If the jacket’s side and back seams are a bit too loose, they will be altered and taken in, and the overall fit will be adjusted for a more tailored look and feel that contours your body.
Resizing and altering jackets can also enhance your natural waistline’s flow, creating a more streamlined and flowy appearance. We can also narrow the sleeves and resize them to your measurements, giving your old jacket a modern and sleek look that perfectly fits your wrist.
Waistline, check, wrists, check. With the right measurements, alterations, and techniques in taking in your old jacket, you can turn them from ill-fitting clothes to sick custom-made pieces to top off a layered outfit.
8. How to Fix Gaping at the Bust
If you have a button-up blouse or dress, you must be familiar with this problem. When the garment pulls at the chest area, it creates gaps between the buttons, which could definitely be a bother when you’re outside or at an event.
One easy fix is to reposition the buttons to close the gap or add an invisible snap that provides additional button closure without affecting the overall design. Another more detailed repair should be to alter the darts and reshape the piece to avoid pulling at the chest area.
Either way, you can ensure a flattering and more comfortable fit without compromising the garment’s overall fit and style—something you can always do at home!
Turn your trash into treasure
It can be frustrating when you have an item you like and it doesn’t fit well. Don’t stress, it’s easy to make any garment fit you like a glove. With the 5 easy alterations tricks mentioned above, altering ill-fitting clothes is totally possible.
If you’re not the DIY type and prefer to leave the technicalities to the professionals, find your nearest LookSmart in Australia or New Zealand and have a tailor turn your trash into treasure.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can alterations completely change the fit of an outfit?
Yes! After all, the primary goal of alterations is to adjust a garment’s overall fit and provide a more flattering look that conceals trouble areas. You can also request specific adjustments to various areas, be it the waist, butt, sleeves, and length.
Can you alter clothes that are several sizes too big or small?
It’s possible to take in clothes that are a few sizes too big, but letting out pieces that are too small may be extra challenging. In other words, larger sizes can be taken in easily, but letting out small sizes will require complex processes and the exact same accuracy, further limiting the alterations.
Can I alter stretchy fabrics like spandex or knitwear?
You may have experienced it: having to sew spandex or knitwear together at home, only to realise it’s pulled between the threads a little bit too much, and now you end up with an altered piece—but for the worse.
It sounds too delicate to alter stretch fabrics. But in reality, you can do so with specific knowledge and techniques for sewing stretchy clothes, which improve the fit and comfort while preserving the item’s strength.
How many times can a garment be altered?
How many times you can keep altering a piece will depend on the type of fabric, the history of alterations, and the overall design. Some pieces will have complicated sewing and patterns that may be ruined if altered a little bit too many times.
In most cases, well-constructed spandex or knitwear may be altered several times, but excessive alterations may compromise the overall fit and quality of the fabric. Hence, we highly recommend speaking with our expert tailors to ensure the best results.
