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Original hem vs regular

marianne

This is something I always meant to ask - what are the advantages of keeping original hem on jeans? Last fall I had my first premium jeans pair hemmed at Nordstrom free of charge, which was nice, but is there a reason to pay extra? Thanks, and sorry if it's a silly question.

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17 replies

Latest reply was from Maya

Maya

Veteran

Marianne, the advantage of leaving the original hem is that the jeans are not cut. So if you decide initially that you want the jeans for flats, but then change your mind and want to wear them with heels, it can be taken out and re-hemmed. Or if the tailor (or your mom or whoever) accidentally hems them too short, it can be corrected. You'll also have better luck selling them later on, if that is something you're interested in doing. Alterations, no matter how well done, usually decrease the value.

I requested the tailor to leave the original hem on my R&S jeans because I didn't want to take any risks, especially since I wasn't wearing shoes. Once you cut the jeans, there is no going back.

The only disadvantage I can think of is that they get rather bulky at the ends where all the fabric is folded, especially if you need a lot of the length taken off. But it's not really bothersome to me.

ChristineB

When they hem jeans & keep the original hem, it preserves the original stitching as well as any wear or distressing that was done to the jean. When they don't keep the original hem & just turn up the hem to shorten the jean, all that original stitching, wear, etc, is lost.

http://www.daciaray.com/?p=38

This link shows how to hem jeans preserving the original hem, and while you won't care about the steps, it helps illustrate what I mean, I hope.

marianne

Thank you ladies! Christine, I do know how it is done and I was considering doing it myself but I don't think my cheapo sewing machine can handle denim very well. I don't quite understand why it's more expensive since the sewing job isn't more complicated. I could also see the bulkiness being bothersome with the way I walk. With the regular hem, I figured if Nordstrom messed up the length they'd get me a new pair, but I would be worried about taking them to a tailor. I didn't really think of the possibility of altering the length in the future. I'll keep it in mind for the next time.

Anonymous

Did you buy your jeans on sale? Is that why Nordstrom's is charging for keeping the original hem? I ask because I haven't been charged at all by them but I may not have bought the jeans on sale. I noticed last time I went in to have them hemmed the tailor asked me if I had bought them on sale and I wondered why she wanted to know that.
I think saving the original hem is more custom work. If they didn't have to copy the original hem they could just run all jeans hemming through the same process. It's an extra step for them to customize.

shiny

Veteran

Hmm... with my jeans, they kept the original hem, but they did cut the jeans, so they couldn't be altered to any other length. So I'm not sure if that is universally true. In my case, my legs are short (I'm 5'0" and inseam is 26-27 inches in stocking feet; most premium jeans run around 36 inches), so if they didn't cut the jeans, I'd be walking around with several inches of fabric at the hem!

The biggest disadvantage is that if you want to tuck the jeans into boots, the excess bulk rubs your ankles and your boots may not even zip up over them. I ended up duplicating my skinnies, and taking scissors to them ... and leaving no hem at all. Yes, they are all frayed now because I never had them finished, but I don't care. Nobody sees my hems. These are strictly boots-only jeans, and who knows, I may end up hemming them into clamdiggers this summer.

The advantage is that it simply looks nicer. You can always tell when jeans have been hemmed and they didn't retain the original hem. It looks goofy, IMO.

tarzy

Veteran

You can do original hem and still cut off the extra if you don't want the bulk, but do want the original seam. In Shiny's case, as she mentioned, they have to cut off all that excess because it's so much.

The main advantage to keeping the original hem is that you get the original stitching at the bottom in the same color as all the other seams, as ChristineB says. I always feel it looks better that way. When you just turn up the bottom and lose that seam, it just doesn't look right.

Doing "original hem" is incredibly easy. I do it myself, and I don't even have a sewing machine. I do it by hand, using tiny stitches, and I have never had a problem, and you can't even tell I've done it by hand. And believe me - I am NOT a whiz at sewing or any type of crafts at all. It is ridiculously easy to do, and I think the only reason tailors charge so much is that most people don't understand how easy it is to do. It's even easier for a tailor, because they do in the machine.

As I said, you can do the "original hem" technique and cut off the extra if you are taking the length up a lot. You still keep the original seam, but you can't let the hem down again (because you have cut off the extra.) Or, you can do the "original hem" technique and leave the extra. That's what I do, because I usually only take up about an inch or so. I actually learned the technique from that same site that ChristineB posted! It has saved me so much money doing it myself. (Although I would gladly pay someone else to do it, for a reasonable fee.)

I love the way the original hem looks. It is also called "European hem" in some places. Where I live they charge $25 to do it, which boggles my mind!

marianne

Hmm why do you say it looks goofy, Shiny? I could be ignorant about brand look and stuff like that, but I am not completely clueless about sewing, and Nordstrom matched the stitching very well. Those jeans don't have any distressing and the hem was very straightforward, so I figured it was fine. However, I would prefer to know if it's a faux pas.
Tarzy, around here they charge around $25-30 for original hem which I also find ridiculous. I would do it myself if it is indeed the way to go.
San, no, those jeans weren't on sale, but I don't think they even asked me if I wanted original hem. I remember hearing from someone that they charged for it, but I am not sure.

marianne

(bumping in hopes of getting a clear plan of action next time around)

Maya

Veteran

I guess I assumed the reason for keeping the original hem is in case it needs adjustment, because that's why I keep it. It's not a big deal for me since I have a 31" inseam and most jeans come with a 34" inseam, so it's only a difference of 3". However, with skinnies and straight legs, I like to go just a smidge shorter, otherwise I end up getting the back fo my shoe caught in them, or they bunch up too much.

Steph

Veteran

I'm like Shiny--when I get original hems done on my jeans, the tailor cuts off the excess because I have a very short inseam and there would be too much extra fabric. I also agree with Shiny that when I used to get jeans hemmed without keeping the original bottoms, it always looked goofy. Basically, you could tell that the jeans had been hemmed. Original hems tend to have a little bit of wear, but even if they don't, they have a little bunching (not quite the right term, but you probably know what I mean). They just look different than the rest of the jean. If they are cut off and the jean is hemmed, it just looks really obvious to me.

Marianne, if you find that you can't tell the difference between an original hem and a regular hem, maybe you have a really excellent tailor. I don't know--I know every tailor I had, despite their abilities, has not been able to make a regular hem look like an original hem.

I don't know if that helps at all.

tarzy

Veteran

Marianne - if you're game to try doing it yourself, I promise it's very easy. Check out the tutorial that ChristineB posted. As I said, I'm a klutz at any sort of crafts, but I've done all my own hemming to no noticeable harm. The pinning is the hardest part, but even that I manage, and then I usually sew the hem while I'm watching TV. The only time I won't try is if there's a lining. That's too advanced for me! Despite doing it by hand I've never had the hem come down or pull out. But I completely understand if you'd rather have a pro do it. Really, when you think about how often we wear jeans - especially a great pair that fits well - it's a worthwhile expense. I just hate that it's such an easy thing and they charge so much. I've been told that sometimes a dry cleaner with a tailor will do it for less, so I may try to find one. Either way - I vote for keeping the original hem. It just looks better!

Tanya

Veteran

I am also a fan of keeping original hems on jeans, I can tell the difference. But, on jeans that are not blue denim ( white, black-black ) aI don't think it matters so i just do regular hemming.

marianne

Thanks everyone! Steph, thank you for your explanation, it does make sense. I only had to cut off about an inch and I still don't think it's that noticeable... but like I said I am not fashion-savvy soI guess I'll go with original hem next time to avoid any blunders.

Antje

Veteran

Wow, there is a lot to learn, indeed. The one point I'd suggest, though, is to shop around for a new tailor. You mentioned that your tailor charges you $25-30 for an original hem, and I think that's shocking. My tailor (Adam Tailor) would charge a third or half of that, tops. After a few alteration you've saved enough money for a new pair of pants

marianne

Oh Antje, I remember your recommendation, but the location is just not that convenient for me, which is a bummer. And speaking of that, I asked 2 tailors in my neighborhood about taking in the waist, and they quoted $25 and $32 (!) So I might have to make a trip.

bella

(website)

Veteran

Tara, thanks a lot! I don't have sewing machine and I do sewing by hand as well. I have a new pair of pants that I need hemmed and I think I will give this a try. You assured me that I can do it!:)

Maya

Veteran

Original hems are generally more expensive than "normal" hems. I am always charged around $20 for it. Anything over that does seem pretty outrageous though.