The Beauty of a Tailor
A good tailor can make any basic item look like a million bucks.
I’ve had this pair of J.Crew chinos in the back of my closet for a few months and only ever wore them twice. I loved the color and the overall style, but took a chance with the online purchase since they were final sale. As you can see below, they didn’t really do me any favors. The pants were way too long and super sloppy on top of my sneakers. I prefer my pants to be tapered below the knee as well, so these needed work in that department.
I’ve been on the search for new pants for months now, but couldn’t find a thing—that’s why I decided to get these altered. I took them to my tailor and asked for two specific things: a hem and a taper. I didn’t touch the waist or thigh area, because those were already perfect. The end result was insane. A few inches of hemming now leaves the pants sitting slightly above my low-top sneakers—the perfect fit for me. My chinos also have the most beautiful taper to them, better than anything straight off the rack. Check out the end result below.
At most shops I’ve been to, a hem runs anywhere from $10-15, while a good taper runs between $25-40 depending on the fabric, existing cut and more. I’m telling you, if you have something that doesn’t fit that well, try out a tailor before potentially wasting more money on a trial and error situation.
Have you ever used a tailor? If so, send me a before and after or tag me in your photos.
