Since discovering the wonderful possibilities of alterations, I’ve slowly plucked some of those items in my closet that just weren’t working for whatever reason, and have taken them to get altered. You know the ones…the items you pull out of your closet to wear, but once you put them on, there’s something not quite right with them?
Maybe you bought it on sale, and because it was so cheap, you ignored the fact it fit a little funny? Or maybe you were so used to having things fit so grossly over sized on you, that when you found something that was close to fitting, you bought it, even though it still wasn’t quite right? I was a huge offender of this variety up until very recently, and even though I now know better, I still make the occasional mistake and revert back to my old ways.
I have a jacket from Banana Republic that is one of the above mentioned offenders. I LOVE jackets, but finding a good fit was eluding me for so long, that when I found this one in size Petite 00, and it fit semi small, I got so excited I bought it right away without really taking a good hard look at it. Did I mention it was also on sale, which quickened my response to whip out my credit card? Double offender! To make a long story short, this jacket has been sitting in my closet for over a year, and each time I pull it out with the intention to wear it, I put it right back because there is just something not right with it. The fit kept me from feeling comfortable when I put it on, and how can you feel good in your outfit when you’re not convinced you look good in it?
I finally thought to take it to my tailor to see what her assessment of it would be. I hoped there was something she could do, since I had already spent the money on it, and it was worth it to me to invest a bit more into making it wearable. Right away, she said it needed the sides to be taken in, and the sleeves to be slimmed.
After alterations: Sides taken in and sleeves slimmed.
The jacket looks and feels immensely better now! When it’s buttoned, it contours to my waist, which makes me look like I have a womanly shape underneath. And when it’s left unbuttoned, it nips in just a bit at the waist to give a feminine silhouette. This jacket is an offender no more!
Hi,
Thanks so much for this guide; I was just wondering if this was a more expensive alterations because whenever I want to alter jackets (none fit me off the rack), the bill runs pretty high because usually the lining has to be taken apart and major structural changes made. Was this is relatively simple alteration? I'd love any more details that you could share.
Thanks so much for blogging about xxs petites!
-A fellow petite
The jacket looks a whole lot better after alterations!!! I picked up a blazer at Zara a few weeks back and had to put the XS back on the rack because to me it didn't sit right but after reading this I think I might be able to work with it if I can somehow get it slimmed down like urs :)
p.s. Also I wanted to ask if u had any insight into BCBG's xxs fitting in some of their stuff like dresses etc. Thanks in advance!!!
-This jacket alteration was a bit pricey compared to other alterations I've done in the past. I got a bunch of other stuff altered at the same time, so I'm not sure about the exact price breakdown, but I think it was in the $60-$70 range. I would save this alteration for something really special, like in a great fabric or something with great details.
-BCBG size xxs has always been too big for me. I would skip the regular line, but go to Nordstrom and check out the BCBG Petite dresses. BCBG only makes dresses in petite sizes, only sells them at Nordstrom, and they only goes down to a size XS, but some of them fit pretty well. Others were still to big…I have a post with some pictures I took of BCBG petite dresses in petite XXS here:
Dresses That Run Small: BCBG Petites
The jacket looks a whole lot better after alterations!!! I picked up a blazer at Zara a few weeks back and had to put the XS back on the rack because to me it didn't sit right but after reading this I think I might be able to work with it if I can somehow get it slimmed down like urs :)
p.s. Also I wanted to ask if u had any insight into BCBG's xxs fitting in some of their stuff like dresses etc. Thanks in advance!!!
Hi,
Thanks so much for this guide; I was just wondering if this was a more expensive alterations because whenever I want to alter jackets (none fit me off the rack), the bill runs pretty high because usually the lining has to be taken apart and major structural changes made. Was this is relatively simple alteration? I'd love any more details that you could share.
Thanks so much for blogging about xxs petites!
-A fellow petite