Seeing a tailor for clothing repair can seem like a luxury expense, or something reserved for special occasion formal wear, but what you may not know is that a tailor can actually save you money on your regular wardrobe too. Here are 3 ways a tailor can save you money.
#1: Stop Replacing Items You Can Fix
Instead of buying brand new clothes every season or when your favorite piece of clothing tears, you can see a tailor instead. Tailors can lengthen a pair of pants, shorten sleeves on jackets and coats, shorten straps, and raise a dress to fit properly.
Another alteration you may not typically consider is “shrinking” loose items. If an item has stretched over time, or you’ve lost weight, tailors can usually take most items down a size or two. The type of item and the structure will determine the possibility and the cost of such an alteration, but usually if you can pinch fabric at the seams and the garment fits better, chances are your tailor can adjust it for you.
Paying a tailor to fix or adjust the clothing you already own will save you a significant amount over buying new clothes all of the time.
#2: You Can Buy Secondhand More Often
Regularly utilizing tailoring can allow you to purchase more high-quality items secondhand since you know you can get the fit altered if needed. It can be difficult to find clothing that fits perfectly at a thrift store, but understanding how a tailor can alter clothing will create more possibilities when choosing clothing from these stores.
#3: Take Advantage of More Sales
Have you ever found a great pair of dress pants on sale, but left them on the rack because they were just too long? A hem adjustment is one of the least expensive alterations you can get from a tailor – so for a nice pair of pants, it is definitely worth it.
Oftentimes clothing on “clearance” tends to be specialty sizes that are leftover. You can easily turn those “talls” into your length with the help of a good tailor – saving you money.
Besides the financial savings, there are other benefits to using a tailor, too. For example, you can make an item in your wardrobe that “fits fine” fit perfectly. One of the things that makes those celebrities and style icons look so polished and put together is the fact that their clothes look like they were custom made for them. Achieving that same look and feel within your own wardrobe may be more affordable than you think.
You can also feel better about investing more money in your clothing, since you can be confident the pieces will stay in your closet longer.
Once you’ve decided to work with a tailor regularly, you can get a feel for what is possible and what is not. Before you agree to an adjustment, be sure the tailor understands exactly what alterations you are looking for. Also, you will likely get a better price quote if you can bring multiple items at once, instead of one at a time. Utilizing a tailor can make your wardrobe seem custom-made for you while also saving you money on clothing.
