Posted on September 10 2026
The most useful thing to understand before buying tailored clothing is which measurements are adjustable and which are locked in at manufacture.
Get this right and you can buy confidently off the rack. Get it wrong and you'll own an expensive jacket that never quite works.
What can be altered easily
Trouser hem and waist. The simplest alterations there are. Most trousers have one to two inches of fabric in the waist seam, which is why buying trousers that fit the seat and thigh and adjusting the waist is always the right order.
Jacket sleeve length. Straightforward, though on a jacket with functional buttonholes the sleeve has to be shortened from the shoulder instead, which costs more.
Jacket waist. Taking in the side seams to follow your shape. This is the alteration that most transforms a jacket, and it's routine.
Shirt body. Darts in the back take several inches out of a billowing shirt for very little money. Probably the highest-value alteration in menswear.
Trouser taper. Narrowing the leg from knee to hem changes a dated silhouette into a current one.
What can be altered with more difficulty
Jacket length. Possible, but shortening a jacket moves the pockets out of proportion and can only be done by a small amount before it looks wrong.
Trouser rise. Rarely worth it. The cost approaches the price of a new trouser.
Letting out. Only possible if the garment has seam allowance. Good tailoring usually does. Fast fashion usually doesn't, which is why cheaper garments can't be grown into.
What cannot be fixed
Jacket shoulders. This is the one. The shoulder is the structural foundation of a jacket, built with padding, canvas and a set sleeve. Reworking it means dismantling and rebuilding the entire top half, which costs more than most jackets are worth.
If the shoulder seam doesn't sit on your shoulder bone, put the jacket back. There is no fix.
Chest width on a jacket. Limited adjustment only. The chest is where the canvas lives.
Shirt collar size. A collar cannot be enlarged. It can be replaced entirely on a very good shirt, which is rarely economical.
Shoe width. Leather stretches slightly with wear and a cobbler can help a little. A shoe that is genuinely the wrong width will never be right.
The buying rule this produces
Buy for the shoulders and the chest. Adjust everything else.
If a jacket fits your shoulders and you can do it up comfortably, a tailor can make the rest fit you properly. If it doesn't, no amount of money will save it.
For trousers, buy for the seat and thigh and adjust the waist and length.
For shirts, buy for the neck and shoulder and adjust the body.
What it's worth spending
A reasonable guide: alterations on a suit typically run a fraction of the garment's price and improve it dramatically. Spending on alterations for a mid-priced suit gets you closer to the look of a much more expensive one than spending the same money on a slightly better suit with no adjustments.
Fit beats price. Almost always.
Pieces that take alterations well
We alter in house
Everything we sell can be adjusted here, and we'll tell you honestly before you buy whether a garment can be made to work on you. If it can't, we'll say so rather than take the sale.
Come see us in Markham.
Common questions
What can a tailor actually alter on a suit?
Sleeve length, trouser length, waist, and taper are routine. Shoulders are possible but expensive. Chest and jacket length are where it stops being worth it.
Can a suit jacket be made smaller?
Through the waist, yes, usually two sizes. Through the shoulders, only by rebuilding the jacket, which costs more than the alteration is worth on most suits.
How long do suit alterations take?
A week to ten days for standard work. Say so early if you have a date, and most shops can move faster.
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