Hemming wide leg crops? - YouLookFab Forum

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Hemming wide leg crops?

Christina F.

Veteran

Hi all, I got these pants during my hectic Loft sale shopping. I love them, but since I'm 5'4 they are slightly too long. I don't sew myself, so I'm unsure if it's safe to take them to a tailor to have a couple of inches taken off - I don't want them to get narrowed in the process.

Petites don't always work on me, and anyway it's too late to order this in petite in my size anyway.

Cropped Sailor Pants

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15 replies

Latest reply was from Style Fan

RobinF

Veteran

Could we see them on you? Are you worried that the tailor will narrow them or that just the fact that they are hemmed will make the narrower (because the hem will fall higher on the pant leg)?

The Cat

Veteran

Yes, why not? To me, they look wide-legged all the way, so I don't think you need to fear they will "get narrowed in the process."

In my ears, taking them to a tailor sounds expensive. Why not ask a handy friend for help? Maybe she would do it for you or, even better, teach you how to do it? Hemming pants is fairly easy, and being able to do it yourself could be a useful skill for the rest of your life. ☺

Christina F.

Veteran

RobinF - kind of both? The tailor near my home is good for simple jobs, but there's a language barrier (and on top of that, the person who we have to talk to isn't even the person who does the work, either). I can take a picture later if that's helpful for people.

The Cat I have no space in my tiny, tiny NYC place for sewing gear. I don't mind having the occasional hem done. (I also have extremely poor fine motor skills, so to be honest, I'd probably always leave it to the pros even if I had more room). Not sure who I know who sews, either.

Joha

I'm not an experienced seamstress myself and more experienced forum members can certainly give you more thorough advice, but one thing a tailor taught me some time ago is to look at how they look like if you put seam against seam. Are they getting narrower at the bottom or are they looking straight? If it's the latter it shouldn't be a problem to shorten them a bit without altering the overall fit too much.

Emily K

(website)

Veteran

The construction of these pants looks pretty straight--not like boot-cuts or flares which have a lot of shape going on at the bottom of the pant. I wouldn't worry about having them altered. (But, I think you should find an alterations person whose work you can trust.)

Christina F.

Veteran

Thanks all! Emily her work is fine for hemming, but I wasn't sure if it was going to be a straightforward job or not. I need to find someone for more complicated jobs. If just hemming these normally is all I need, the person near where I live does good work.

April

Veteran

CF -- as a short-legged petite, I can corroborate what the other YLFers have said: since these seem straight all the way down, hemming should not be a problem. And it's fairly cheap to have things hemmed (also hemming tends to transcend language barriers, unlike more complex alterations.)

Greyscale

Veteran

Absolutely get them hemmed. I do with all of mine - well, except for the ones I just hack off with scissors. That type of hem is particularly easy to get right. I know what you mean about the language barrier making it stressful though.

You could also look on Yelp for other tailors?

Christina F.

Veteran

I'm glad the consensus is I can use my normal tailor. I like supporting my local businesses. I have tried to find ones downtown closer to work for more complex jobs, as I have some Indonesian fabric to have made into skirts or something. But it's horrendously expensive so I keep balking, plus reviews are always mixed on Yelp.

Anonymous

Cute pants! I think hemming these should be straightforward. You could pin them up at home to mark exactly how much shorter you want them to be.

Christina F.

Veteran

I finally got theese pants back, and it worked out. I don't think they're necessarily traditionally flattering on me, but I don't care. I feel very comfy and modern! (Though I need to do something about wearing makeup again. My hair's hopeless though - if I tie it back, always looks a mess.)

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Jenni NZ

Veteran

They look nice! I like the waist and buttons at the sides, and length looks great. I love your shoes too.

Joy

Veteran

Yay! They turned out fine. Did you show the tailor a picture of what you wanted?

Christina F.

Veteran

Joy - nah, I just took them in and ask for 2 inches off. I had to tell them twice not to narrow them. Even after I had said it once, they started measuring the width. "DO NOT narrow them," I said.

Honestly, they're a bit large around the belly, and while I need a certain amount of that (Tend to bloat), I may need to have them taken in too if I lose more weight. It made a delightful change to wear a wider silhouette to work, though!

Style Fan

Veteran

They look great on you. I love your shoes.