About Alteration——Price List／Shops／Wedding Dresses／Bridesmaid Dresses／Suits／Pants／Services／Clothing
What can you do when you have clothes that don’t fit but don’t want to throw away? You can always hire an alteration tailor! Having been verified and reviewed, all alteration tailors registered on Toby are professionals with extensive fashion knowledge and alteration experience, and a great service attitude. These alteration tailors and shops are located in various districts, including Central, Causeway Bay, Mong Kok, Aberdeen, and Bowring Street in Jordan, etc. They offer alterations for suits, wedding dresses, and bridesmaid dresses.
Aside from a list of recommended alteration tailors and shops, I want to know how much it will cost.
Simply submit your request to Toby and an alteration tailor will contact you shortly with a quotation. You can receive quotations from up to 4 alteration tailors and make a decision based on their quotations, service records, and customer reviews. Toby can always provide a solution to your needs at anytime and anywhere.
What does an alteration cover?
Depending on the clothing item and issue, the types of alteration can vary greatly. If you need to alter a top, such as a shirt or a suit jacket, it will usually involve the tail length, sleeves, shoulder width, body width, and neckline. If it is a bottom (such as skirt or pants), you might want to alter the hem, trouser legs, hip line, and waistband. As for dresses and nightgowns (such as a wedding or bridesmaid dress), alterations can be done on the length, shoulders, underarm, and waistband. If there are front darts on your nightgown, some alteration tailors can even make alterations to fit your bust shape.
What should I watch out for when altering a wedding or bridesmaid dress?
Purchasing an inexpensive wedding dress from Taobao or other websites and then hiring a tailor to do the alterations will definitely help to save cost; however, you should watch out for the following.
1. Is the fabric suitable for alteration?
A lot of wedding and bridesmaid dresses have lace trimmings and layers of chiffon. Since an alteration involves unsewing and resewing, these fabrics can be easily damaged. In addition, there is no quality guarantee on purchases from Taobao, there is a chance that the damage might be too severe to rectify.
2. Is there any seam allowance?
The seam allowance (sometimes called inlays) refers to the area between the stitching and raw, cut edge of the fabric and it can range from 0.5 cm to 1 cm. However, some wedding and bridesmaid dresses might not have any seam allowance, meaning you can only make the dress smaller but not larger. Even if it is possible to make the dress larger, all you might be able to do is to add a transparent zipper that only gives half an inch of leeway; therefore, it is best to ask about the seam allowance ahead of time or buy a dress that is one size larger.
3. Can the design accommodate major alterations?
Major alterations in certain designs and patterns can hugely affect the dress shape. For example, if you have an off-shoulder or embroidered dress, the alteration tailor will suggest you not change the design or simply purchase a tube dress, alter the bust and underarm areas and then add a piece of fabric.
What should I watch out for when altering a suit jacket?
A fitted suit jacket can enhance your body contour and hide figure flaws. Most suit jackets require alterations on the shoulders, sleeves, and waistband. If you need alteration on the shoulders, please make sure that the shoulder pads are also altered based on the shoulder width and there is a chance that the neckline might be affected too.
How long will an alteration take?
Generally speaking, an average alteration takes approximately 2 to 5 days and if it is very simple, it might even be completed on the same day. However, if you need to alter a nightgown (such as a wedding or bridesmaid dress), the alteration will take 1 week or longer, so you should make arrangements early if your wedding is coming up soon. At the same time, you should avoid doing the alteration too early because many brides tend to lose a lot of weight 1 to 2 months prior to the wedding.
Can an alteration be reversed?
An alteration means making changes to a piece of clothing by adding or removing parts and the cutting of fabric, so an alteration is irreversible. Even if the original fabric is not removed, the stitch holes will become visible after unsewing; therefore, you should be extra careful when picking an alteration tailor and make sure that he/she is clear about your requests and measurements to minimize mistakes.
How should I pick an alteration tailor?
Most alteration tailors have worked as a tailor, seamstress, or fashion designer, meaning they have extensive knowledge of clothing structure and minor alterations won’t be a challenge for them. However, you should seek the service of a specialized alteration tailor when it comes to wedding dresses and suits, etc. When shopping for a suitable alteration tailor, you should reference his/her portfolio first and take note if he/she pays careful attention to your requests.
How much does an alteration cost?
Depending on the type of clothing and alterations, the price generally starts from $40. As for suits and suit jackets, the price will be based on each alteration item and the average cost is around $500 to $800. If you wish to alter a wedding or bridesmaid dress, the cost can range from $350 to over $1000.