Tailoring and styling · Portland, Maine
Hem & Harbor Alterations cuts bespoke suits, alters bridal gowns and everyday pieces, and styles whole wardrobes, with every change chalked on the body before a seam is opened.
From the break on a pair of everyday trousers to a lace wedding train, each job starts at a stated rate. The exact total is itemised on the fitting ticket while the garment is pinned.
Original-chainstitch denim hems, dress darts, coat relining, cashmere repairs and trouser waist adjustments.
from $32
Everyday tailoring detailsJacket waist suppression, sleeves shortened from the cuff or the shoulder, collar gaps corrected and trousers tapered.
from $145
Restyling detailsBodice shaping, lace hems lifted by hand, cups sewn in and French or American bustles.
from $380
Bridal alteration detailsNo two pairs of shoulders sit at the same slope. The garment is pinned and chalked on the customer, shoulder pitch and fabric recovery are checked in motion, and the price is written on the fitting ticket before any work begins. Original stitching is kept and seam allowances are left clean, so a garment can be let out again in later years. Where a garment cannot take the change asked for, Hem & Harbor Alterations says so in the fitting room.
A hem, a restyled blazer or a full commission follows the same order, from the first message to the final try-on. Nothing is cut before the fitting ticket is agreed.
A message naming the garment, the change wanted and the date it must be ready by. A wedding, gala or business trip on the calendar helps the workshop plan the fittings.
Bring the exact shoes and the shirt or foundation garments the piece will be worn with. Trouser break, train sweep and bodice tension are pinned on the body, not read from a size chart.
Every seam change, the total and the collection date are written down and approved before a needle touches the garment. Where the cloth will not take the change asked for, the tailor says so here.
The work is sewn and shaped over wool pressing hams on the premises. The garment is tried on again at collection, and any minor fine-tuning is done promptly at no extra charge.
Shears, chalk, machines and pins: the tools behind every hem, bustle and basted jacket that leaves the bench.
Master tailors, a couture specialist and a wardrobe stylist share the fitting room and the machines, and the person who pins a garment is generally the one who alters it.
Lead bridal and couture specialist
A bridal and eveningwear specialist of sixteen years, trusted with hand-beaded bodices, bias-cut silk gowns and seamless multi-point bustles, as well as the everyday mending that keeps fine pieces in wear.
Founder and master bespoke tailor
A master tailor of twenty-four years, trained in traditional full-canvas coatmaking and posture correction. Enzo cuts bespoke menswear and womenswear suiting and restyles off-the-rack suits, blazers and overcoats.
They handled my wedding suit and my wife's delicate lace gown under one roof, with extraordinary calm and precision.
David & Rachel H.
The first dress shirts of my career where I can button the top collar for a tie without feeling strangled.
Victor N.
They relined my ten-year-old camel overcoat and kept the original chainstitch on three pairs of raw denim.
Graham W.
The exact shoes and the shirt or foundation garments the piece will be worn with. Half an inch of heel changes the trouser break and the sweep of a train.
The shoulders and upper chest. Waists, sleeves and trouser legs are straightforward to alter; oversized shoulders can cost nearly as much as the garment.
Eight to twelve weeks before the date. Everyday suit and dress alterations usually take five to ten working days.
Often, depending on the cloth left inside the seams. A quick seam inspection at the fitting shows how much safe room there is.
Name the garment, the change wanted and the date it must be ready by. The workshop replies with the times a fitting can be held.