Diane von Furstenberg Roccoco Jacket – To Alter, Or Not To Alter…

This jacket is adorable on you – the cropped length, the 3/4 sleeves, and the slightly extra volume on top (with the layers) really flatter your shape. If your tailor is confident they can make the alteration, I say go for it! I have had shoulders taken in before – particularly on winter coats, and it has never been a big deal. The one thing I'd be a little concerned about with this jacket is how it would impact those layers of fabric at the top of the sleeve/shoulder area. Your tailor should be able to assess if it can be done without ruining the jacket. I too have found DVF styles (size 0)tend to run too broad through the shoulders – had to have a wrap dress taken in for this same issue.

I want to love this so much Kelly but I am not a big fan of how it fits you. I don't know a lot about tailoring but this one might be difficult because of the design and I imagine you paid a small fortune for DVF in a small size so in my opinion it's not worth it to spend much more on alterations. I vote return even though the concept is adorable.

I have a jacket something like that. Stein Mart Boutique. You will adore the jacket if altered to fit. Look on facebook at graduation pics of my daughter…….had it on then. Wore it to church yesterday with graphic print tank from WHBM and skinny pants with ankle boots with bows on side. Got the best compliment! Mine is short sleeved. Sometimes in Boutique at Stein Mart we get xs and pxs…Michael Kors and other name brands. Bonnie

wow, this jacket is so beautiful!! the jacket is a little boxy, but if you like that and plan to keep the jacket, I would say to go for the alterations. Especially since you have a tailor you trust and knows how to alter clothes for your body.

I think you should alter it if you have a great tailor. They should know what they are doing and can give you great recommendation on what to do. The jacket itself, without alteration, looks great on you already so with alteration it could look a whole lot better. I have had one of my winter trench coat shoulder taken in and it was worth it. Most likely your tailor will alter the shoulder width and take in the extra back fabric to fit the shoulder and extra back fabric problem.
Good luck.

I hear you about getting limited to a few brands…But for the price of this jacket and alterations, you could fly halfway to Germany and get a lot more choice :P
Here's what I propose- we'll all help you create a psychological escrow account. Return this and your 'money' is safe with us till you find the right one.. :). When you do, we'll be ready to give our blessing…!

I've made several jackets in my brief sewing career, and that is not an alteration that I would want to attempt. To put it in perspective, I bought a Zara long sleeve button front blouse at a thrift store for $5. It needs the shoulders taken in and I just won't go there for fear that I will destroy the sleeve, and that is a shirt that cost me less than a cup of gourmet coffee.

The problem with taking it in at the shoulder is that it will drastically change the way the armscye (armhole opening) fits. The armscye is shaped to accept the head of the sleeve, and it's not a simple matter of just taking it in. The entire sleeve would need to be removed, along with the lining which is sewn in separately. The fabric would need to be trimmed at the shoulder seam, which would then affect the way the sleeve is reinserted. Think of it as a pipe and a hole. The pipe is 5" in diameter, and the hole is 5.025" in diameter – just large enough to accept the pipe. If you change even the placement of the armhole at the shoulder, the sleeve will insert differently. That's not an alteration, that is something that really should be done on the pattern before the garment is sewn. If this were an unlined blouse, it would probably work. But it may have shoulder pads, a sleeve head, and a lining, which all would need to be dealt with separately. There is no guaranteeing it will come out looking right.

The slimming of the shoulders is not going to fix the amount of excess fabric across the back, either. This entire jacket is simply designed and scaled for someone with broader dimensions that you. Sometimes you can get away with things being slimmed at the side seams, but this is getting too complicated.

I would be so worried the end result would look messed up. There is no way to determine that until you go in and start hacking away fabric. I would be scared to remove a sleeve and then reinsert it later into an armhole of different dimension.

Notice that I didn't say "get rid of it". Although the fit isn't perfect, it's not awful. I think it looks fine from the front.

Too big! It is a lovely jacket, but it is also not an uncommon style. I've seen a variety of jackets like this around – I notice because I always am drawn to them, but with my large chest, they always look terrible! Point is, with a bit of shopping, you should be able to find a better fitting one.

The complexity of the tailoring issue has been amply covered, but I just want to add — note how well the ruffles line up from the sleeve to the body. It is going to take a *very* skilled tailor to get them to line up again.

Oh boy! Thank you for all the comments! It's so hard to decide! It's days like this that I really really wish I was just an average height and didn't have to worry about altering down EVERYTHING.

On one hand, no, it's not a perfect fit, and the alterations could be difficult. I could walk away from this jacket and try to find a better fit, but…

Clothing of this quality is not made in petite sizes, so any jacket even CLOSE to the design/quality of this jacket will need alterations, pretty much guaranteed.

Oh the decisions!

@Tamara – The soft silk layers have me worried too. The alteration would have to be done very carefully.

@Karen – I ended up finding this at Barney's Coop. Nordstrom had it at a great price, but the size 0's were totally gone store-wide.

@Elle – I know! It's not a great fit right now, so it's hard to imagine after alterations. I see the potential, but I'm afraid the difficulty of alterations may not be worth it. Hmm.

@Michelle – I'm wondering if a seam down the center could not only bring in the shoulder, but also some of that extra back fabric. But you're right, if I go for it and it doesn't work out, that's hundreds of dollars down the drain. Eek!

@A.Li – That's pretty much exactly what I thought might be able to be done. Add a seam down the center of the back taking it all in at the back.

@Alex – LOL. Thanks for the pep talk Alex! I just worry that any other designer or garment of similar quality will have the same problems. I wish designers made petites!

@Abhitoabby – LOL! Interesting idea. =)

@Anonymous – Aww man. Disappointing to hear I'd have to grow 5 inches to fit the size 0. LOL.

@littlenashua – I had no idea taking in the shoulders required the sleeves to be re-set. I thought it dealt only with taking the garment in at the back seam, perhaps removing and re-attaching the collar. I'm finding it hard to imagine why the sleeve would be detached, but again, I'm no expert. Thank you for your detailed description Kerry!

I love it! But I think I agree with the nay-sayers on this; it's just too much to alter.

I would say yes, but with the ruffles the alterations could end up costing a lot.

From the front, I actually didn't think it was too bad and was going to vote for no alterations… but then I saw the side view and realized its boxiness. From what others had said, it sounds like a difficult alteration and might not turn out well despite the high cost. If it were me, this would be an item I'd have trouble letting go of, but usually end up regretting down the line. But you're not me :) So I guess it depends on if you love it enough to either overlook the side view or risk investing even more $$? Hmm don't think I helped you at all there lol, sorry!

I hate work web sense (I went to comment this morning, only to submit and tell me it was blocked!), so here I am, a bit late in the game.

I thought it looked really great in the front, but it wasn't until the side and the back that I thought it definitely need an alteration if you want it more fitted. It's ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS though, so I can understand if you want to keep it. If you think you can't imagine parting from it, I say go for the alteration. Maybe go to Francois ;);) and even though it will be pricy. It all comes down to whether or not you will totally love and wear the jacket without being reminded of the price each time :D

Let us know what you decide!

I had an evening gown taken in at the shoulders and yup…it narrowed the armhole. But my gown had no embellishments on the front to complicate the alteration. If it had been a Loft or J.Crew (for argument's sake), would you have kept it?

Hope you had the shoulders done? it would look so much smarter.