Fitting room questions

Always bring the exact shoes, or the exact heel height, and the foundation garments or dress shirt the piece will be worn with. Half an inch of difference between dress oxfords and loafers, or a change of bra structure under an evening gown, visibly shifts the trouser break, the sweep of a train and the posture of a bodice.

The shoulders and upper chest, including the armholes. Taking in a jacket waist, tapering trousers, shortening sleeves or reshaping a skirt are straightforward alterations that make a real difference. Rebuilding oversized shoulders means dismantling the collar, chest canvas and sleeve head, and often costs nearly as much as the garment itself.

Often, yes, depending on how much inlay the maker left inside the seams. Good dress trousers usually hold 1.5 to 2 inches of extra cloth in the centre-back waist seam, and a tailored jacket usually allows 1 to 1.5 inches through the torso. A quick seam inspection at the fitting shows exactly how much safe room there is.

Yes. When more than half an inch must come off a sleeve with cut working buttonholes, shortening from the cuff spoils the proportion between the lowest button and the sleeve edge. Instead the sleeve is detached at the shoulder, the sleeve head recut cleanly and the pitch reset, so the buttonholes at the cuff stay untouched.

For bespoke and made-to-measure suiting, begin 8 to 12 weeks before the event, which allows for cloth delivery from the mill and three unhurried fittings. For a bridal gown, the first pinning should be 8 to 10 weeks before the wedding, with the final try-on 2 weeks before. Everyday suit and dress alterations usually take 5 to 10 working days.

A fitting is arranged by message, through the contact form or by email; this website does not hold or confirm a time itself. A 20-minute pinning gives a private mirror and no wait. Simple drop-offs, where measurements are copied from a pair of trousers that already fits well, are welcome during workroom hours. Bridal fittings and bespoke consultations always need an arranged appointment.

Each published price covers the stated scope of that service. A price introduced by the word from is a starting point: linings, pleats, patterned cloth, layers and earlier alterations all add work, and each is assessed with the garment in hand. The exact total is written on the fitting ticket before anything is cut. A 48-to-72-hour rush, where the bench has room, carries a 25% surcharge.

Brand-new garments with tags can come straight in, though washing raw cotton chinos or casual shirts once first removes the first-wash shrinkage. Previously worn clothes should be freshly laundered or dry-cleaned, both for workroom hygiene and because pressing over perspiration or street dust locks stains permanently into the fibres.

Most mass-market suits glue a stiff synthetic interfacing to the outer wool, which can feel hot and stiff and may bubble after dry cleaning. The workshop's custom suiting uses a floating horsehair chest canvas, stitched rather than glued between the wool and the lining, so the cloth breathes and moulds to the chest over time.

Every major alteration is tried back on at collection, and any minor fine-tuning is done promptly at no extra charge. If something no longer sits right later, bring it back and say what is wrong: shoes, posture and bodies change. Where the original work can simply be moved, that is what happens; where a new alteration is needed, its scope and price are agreed before anything is opened.