To alter or not to alter? - YouLookFab Forum

Hello, lovely style mavens. Inspired by your recent purges, I've been slowly tackling a full wardrobe edit - pulling clothing from storage, out of season, hidden away, everything. In the process, I've come across some cute, well-fitting jeans in flare or bootcut style. I know this is totally fashionable right now, but in the past few years I have developed a bit of a poison eye for flared styles, since discovering skinny and straight leg jeans.

Could I have these altered from flares to straight cut jeans? What are the chances of a fab result? I'm not sure if this is much more involved (and expensive) than I'm imagining. Success stories and cautionary tales very welcome.

(By the way, I recently discovered that wardrobe editing is much more satisfying if I first sort the clothes into type of item: sleeveless tops, pants, dresses etc. It's easier to try on a whole series of skirts in a row, and then it feels great to have an entire category done. It also gives a better base of comparison. But maybe this is stating the obvious, and this is how everyone already does it?)

Thank you again for all of the inspiration and camaraderie you all provide here. YLF is a wonderful place.

10 years ago

rabbit

Veteran

Your wardrobe edit strategy makes perfect sense, and I didn't do it like that at first, so it was an aha! when I realized how much easier it was to be ruthless with black tops for example when I had all ten laid out.

I don't know about altering jeans. Off the top of my head I would think that having the side seam look right on dramatically reshaped jeans might be somewhat difficult unless the tailor is skilled with denim. Also I found my eye and tastes can shift pretty fast once I get used to a trend, so I've become more reluctant to alter things that fit very well, and are flattering if it seems like they might trend again, at least until I've tried restyling them first.

viva

I sort of do what you did with the editing. Frankly, I edit without trying on most of the time because I keep my wardrobe on teh smallish side by editing often, so I know how things fit. But some things -- like work pants -- I keep for a long time. So, for them, I have had to take the pile, try on each one, and make decisions. I remember doing it about six months ago that way, and it was really helpful to make comparisons and decisions.

As for the jeans, I can't help. I don't know anything about sewing or tailoring. I'm inclined to have you try on those flares to make sure you haven't changed your mind about the style since they are back on trend, though.

Laura (rhubarbgirl)

(website)

As far as the altering goes, I've adjusted some jeans and it's turned out ok. It's almost always necessary to adjust both the inseam and the outseams. If you alter only one the jeans will end up hanging weirdly on your lower leg and twist as you walk. There are a few things to look at, like whether there's a flat felled seam on the outseam that will require more effort to reproduce, and whether you'll also need to adjust the hem length when you change the style. Any decent alterations person should be able to take a look at them and give you an idea of how successful the adjustments are likely to be, and how much it will cost.

With the ones I've done myself - keeping in mind that I don't have all the skills and fancy machines of professionals - I've ended up being happy with about half of them, and wishing I'd just left it alone with the other half. If you have the budget and ability, I'd encourage you to consider just being new pairs that have the features you want, and keeping the flares for a rainy day or getting rid of them.

barbaraq

Active Member

What Laura said. It is really critical that both inseam and outseam be narrowed equally to keep the fabric grainline straight. Otherwise they will not hang straight and you will get the twisting Laura described. I find most often that it is the inseam that is flat-felled or topstiched and the outseam that is a simple straight seam. If so, your pants may be a bit more forgiving with a less-than-perfect sewing on the less visible inseam. Probably you will have more succes going from flare to straight leg than you would to a true skinny, which would involve changing the whole curve of the outside seam from the hips down. Hope this helps.

Vicki

First, I love your editing style, by category, which would seem to make quick work by way of comparison. Thanks for that tip and it is satisfying to cull and edit, isn't it.

As for the jeans, I have no experience, but a good tailor will tell you if this is a worthwhile way to go, especially if you love the cut and wash of these jeans.

Marina

Almost all my skirts, shirts, pants and dresses need huge alterations to actually fit and I had lots of home-made clothes when I was younger since my grandmother was a professional seamstress (I deeply regret never had learned how to sew, but I learned some basic principles at least). Whenever you make a huge alteration you should avoid to alter the "basic structure" of your clothe (it's possible, but usually not worthy) and you should look for possible collateral flaws. For pants this basic structure are the line from belly to bottom and crotch area. If your jeans has some spandex/stretch and is already "skinny" on the upper portion (around hips, crouch and upper tights) you only need to reshape its legs, so it will probably work fine to turn it in a skinny jeans. If your jeans has a "fitted, but not really skinny" shape or no stretch in it, maybe skinny isn't your best option, but you can still have it reshaped some other way. Can you post a photo?

vesperholly

Thank you for the great feedback.

It sounds like there is a clear consensus that I should take the pieces to the tailor for a good estimate. I think price will play a big role in the decision. Both pairs of jeans have been stored away for quite a while. It's interesting that both washes - white, and a light casual blue denim - are ones that I seem to be quite happy living without. Maybe I should do more thinking about how I envision wearing these pants before I decide to take them under the knife.

As I become more and more confident in my closet editing, I'm surprised to discover a growing desire for a smaller wardrobe. I always thought that more was better, if you really liked your clothes - a few years ago my ideal would have been a huge walk in closet filled with fashion riches. Now I'm starting to think that with so many pieces, they won't be worn as often or in as many combinations. It feels like too many variables to keep track of - that there might be fantastic combinations never realized, or that items might be semi-orphaned and only match with one or two other items. I'm starting to imagine wardrobe FOMO, and am surprised to realize that this would stress me out. I never realized closet purging could be so therapeutic!

Rabbit, your extension of closet editing technique is great. I didn't think of organizing by color within the categories - definitely going to steal this idea! The editing victims at the moment are coming out of storage. It might be fun to take an extra garment rack I have here, and display all the black shirts (etc) on the empty rack at once, including the ones already in my working wardrobe. Talk about shopping your closet! I think it could be exhilarating...

Viva, I have tried the pants on - they are cute and fit well, and the flares are on trend. Someone else could definitely style them well! I just don't like flares on myself any more, I'm afraid - I am an 8 shape and it seems like minimizing the hips is not nearly as flattering as a tapered or straight leg, if that makes sense? It's too much going on. I'm not sure why it makes me feel larger, but it does.

Laura, Barbaraq, and Marina, thank you for these detailed tailoring comments! It must be so interesting to have a skilled eye for drape, cut, and seams. I think these two pairs might work relatively well for tailoring - they both contain stretch and are fitted through the hips and thighs. It looks like the tailoring would have to happen from the knee down, on both seams. I don't have any pictures at the moment, but one pair is Citizens of Humanity Ingrid flares with stretch. The other pair is an even stretchier one from American Eagle, I think.

Laura, thank you for your insightful comment. You've inspired me to think more about how I would wear these pants, and if it's really something I need in my wardrobe. Just because I can wear something, I'm starting to think, doesn't mean that it deserves space in my wardrobe. It may be that I should keep these pants as is and release them to a new home so they can enjoy the current flare trend!

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