Customizing the fit of t-shirts

[ryuatmn]

I already own a few pieces from DRKSHDW, Damir Doma)etc which I adore but, the thing is I'm still a poor high school student and I can't afford to be dropping £100+ every time I want a new tee. Now I've bought myself a few long-sleeved t shirts a few sizes too big and all that's needing done is to have the sleeves/mid section(?) of them taken in. I'd really only using them for layering so I'm not too concerned about any intricate detailing or getting an asymmetrical cut. I was thinking about bringing a few of my RO etc tees to a tailor so he could get a rough idea of the look I'm trying to achieve. Would this be a feasible option or is it likely that he'd just tell me not to bother wasting his time?

[marc1975]

Hi,

... I've bought myself a few long-sleeved t shirts a few sizes too big..

Hmm.. I still remember my days in university when they gave away those XXL-T shirts to everybody who signed up for a credit card.
The shoulder width was too wide, the armholes were huge, and the overall shirt felt like a tent.
Have you bought this kind of t shirts ?

Of course the tailor can take the shirt apart, try to use the material and put it together again.
Quite honestly: In that case, he could also do a t-shirt based on your description from scratch and might even be cheaper. It really depends on how much you are willing to spend on your experiment. No good businessman will tell you not to waste his time if he can earn money ...

Cheers,
Marc

[ryuatmn]

Yeah I realized that once I had tried them on that the shoulders may pose a bit of a problem, for that reason I think he'd need to just start from scratch. I thought that initially too but the idea of asking a tailor to customize a few t-shirts might seem like an odd request. Funnily enough I've yet to actually contact a tailor regarding this little project so I've not got the faintest idea of how much it'd cost. I'd happily spend £50~ each if they turned out alright though.

Oh and I've been advised to delete this thread, I got as far as using the edit function but got pretty lost after that. Could someone point me in the right direction? Nubs these days eh!

[michael_kard]

You can easily get Rick Owens basics on eBay for 50 pounds.

[Oasis]

Originally Posted by michael_kard

You can easily get Rick Owens basics on eBay for 50 pounds.

Yeah, but most of them are horrible sizes, colours or designs.

[michael_kard]

Not necessarily. I've bought two basic white DRKSDHW long sleeves, a mainline tank top and a black mainline long sleeve for around 140 dollars in total over the past three months.

[Oasis]

Originally Posted by michael_kard

Not necessarily. I've bought two basic white DRKSDHW long sleeves, a mainline tank top and a black mainline long sleeve for around 140 dollars in total over the past three months.

I've been looking for basics, granted specific variations generally to replace what I have, for a few months with no luck.. Or at least no luck at £50...

[michael_kard]

Originally Posted by Oasis

I've been looking for basics, granted specific variations generally to replace what I have, for a few months with no luck.. Or at least no luck at £50...

Sometimes they just end for ridiculously low prices for no reason at all. 777 had a NWT rayon/silk long-sleeve that ended for something like 30 euro. eBay auctions are really unpredictable sometimes.

[Oasis]

Originally Posted by michael_kard

You can easily get Rick Owens basics on eBay for 50 pounds.

Originally Posted by michael_kard

Sometimes they just end for ridiculously low prices for no reason at all.

This is the same for anything on ebay though; doesn't mean I (or the original poster) can pick up cheap Rick easily.

[lowrey]

not to mention the oversaturation of fake crap and keyword spam that makes up 95% of search results...

To answer the original question, its fairly easy for a tailor to taper the body and/or sleeves of a t-shirt for a narrower fit. I wouldn't imagine this costing more than $20-30 if its a simple classic cut tee. its also possible to lift the sleeves at the shoulders.

[messenoire]

i dont know how this would translate aesthetically because of the materials and finishes used on the cheaper shirts. i don't normally buy for the length but moreso the design and fabric composition. have you found any cheap basics in better fabrics? i know american apparel makes a viscose tee for fairly cheap that looks like the more expensive rick basics but again it doesnt feel the same due to fabric composition. you can get silent basics for pretty cheap and they feel/look better than a basic hanes tee.

[Patroklus]

If you live in any fashion capital (even shitty ones like LA) then there's someone selling Rick-ish jersey. Failing that, you can probably order some swatches and then place an order for more fabric that you like. It'll be cheaper per yardage than any cheap T; even silk or cashmere knits can usually be found for less than $40/yard.

[ryuatmn]

I had actually forgotten all about this thread! Unfortunately every tailor/seamstress that I asked all turned me down! There was even a guy that stated he done bespoke/custom-made pieces who refused my business. Half of them didn't even bother to respond to my original email where I provided them with several clear pictures of the look I was hoping to achieve, and that I could provide my own material if needs be.

Welp,

[Patroklus]

Well, if they're already making a lot of money producing suiting or whatever then they might not be interested in spending time making tshirts. Or maybe they thought you were after 5/$5 shirts from Walmart or something. Or maybe they have their heads up their ass or maybe they just don't own overlock machines. At any rate, dress makers and tailors in hipper parts of the city or in hipper cities in general might be more receptive.

[ryuatmn]

I probably should have mentioned that I would have been willing to spend a decent amount (£50-£60) per item as I'm in dire need of some plain t-shirts. Just about every place I visited specialised in suiting etc.. although even people I had contacted through gumtree (kinda like craigslist) had the same answer. Unfortunately I only live in little ol' Edinburgh which is about as hip as my gran and a flight of rather steep stairs. Ah well, I'll keep the thread up in case I come into any luck!

[Urthwhyte]

Did you try checking for any Art colleges in the area? Should be some students who could easily turn them out for some drinking money

[casem83]

It seems really foolish to me to spend that much to adjust cheap tees, the material is very important and will still be cheap and I doubt the remake is going to be exactly what you want. Just shop for Silent or T Alexander Wang online. With sales coming you should be able to get them for cheaper than you are willing to pay for alterations and the fabric will be far superior.

Originally Posted by Urthwhyte

Did you try checking for any Art colleges in the area? Should be some students who could easily turn them out for some drinking money