Want to start getting your clothes tailored? You’re in the right place! This guide will teach you everything you need to know.

Here’s what we’re going to cover on this page:

• Which alterations can be done
• What can’t be fixed
• How much it will cost you
• How to find a good tailor
• Basic DIY alterations

But first…

Why get your clothes tailored?

Fit is the most important aspect of style. If your clothes don’t fit well, nothing else matters (price, brand, color, etc.).

They won’t look good on you.

So I ask you: Do your clothes fit? Do you want them to fit better? Go to the tailor and get them altered. This is the #1 way to improve your appearance quickly – without buying anything new.

What Can Be Altered

Most fit problems are very easy to fix at the tailor. Getting your pants hemmed, for example, is a simple and affordable alteration that any half decent tailor can handle.

But some problems can’t be fixed, and it’s important to understand when not to spend money on tailoring, and when not to buy something that doesn’t fit well in certain places.

Here are three visual guides that show you what can and cannot be altered on shirts, pants and jackets, along with the average cost of each alteration.

The above graphics and links go into great detail about tailoring each type of garment – jackets, shirts and pants – but if you just want a simple list of alterations prices, read on…

Clothing Alterations Cost

Here’s how much it will cost to get your clothes tailored:

Garment	Alteration	Price Range
Jacket	Shorten sleeves (working buttons)	$40-60
Jacket	Shorten sleeves (faux buttons)	$20-40
Jacket	Adjust collar	$40-80
Jacket	Take in sleeves (make them slimmer)	$20-40
Jacket	Take in jacket (make it slimmer)	$20-40
Jacket	Shorten jacket	$30-50
Jacket	Replace button	$5-10
Shirt	Replace shirt collar	$30-40
Shirt	Replace sleeve cuffs	$30-40
Shirt	Shorten sleeves at wrist	$15-25
Shirt	Shorten sleeves at shoulder	$35-50
Shirt	Take in sleeves (make them slimmer)	$15-25
Shirt	Take in shirt (make it slimmer)	$15-25
Shirt	Shorten shirt length	$20-30
Shirt	Replace button	$0-5
Shirt	Add darts	$15-25
Pants	Adjust waist	$10-20
Pants	Adjust rise	$20-30
Pants	Remove belt loops	$5-10
Pants	Replace button	$5-10
Pants	Fix zipper	$10-20
Pants	Take in legs (make them slimmer)	$15-20
Pants	Taper leg opening	$10-20
Pants	Hem pants (make them shorter)	$10-20

Of course, knowing what clothing alterations can be done is only half the battle. You have to find someone who can actually do these alterations…

Finding a Reliable Tailor

You need a tailor. And not just any tailor – you need a tailor you can trust.

After much trial and error, I’ve figured out a simple, surefire method for finding talented and trustworthy tailors. Read my guide to learn how to find your own tailor:

And remember: once you find a great tailor, be sure to spread the word by leaving great reviews on Yelp, Google, etc. This will help their business and help establish you as a loyal customer.

It’s not rare to get discounts and faster turnaround times once you build a strong relationship.

DIY Clothing Alterations

If you’re naturally handy or willing to learn your way around a sewing machine, you can definitely learn how to do most basic alterations yourself.

This is a great way to save some cash, and many people find DIY tailoring to be an enjoyable hobby.

We recommend starting with the basics. Feel free to check out these two guides (don’t worry, they have lots of pictures):

By the way, I created a free downloadable version of this guide, so if you want to save it to your computer or phone for reference, just fill out this form, and I’ll email it to you: