Alterations
How long alterations take
Most alterations take two to three days; ask about sooner for a simple job. Bring the shoes you will wear.
- 4.8 from 22 Google reviews
- Tailoring in Bangkok since 2011
01
The usual times
Most alterations take two to three days; the table shows the usual time by job.
| Job | Usually |
|---|---|
| Trouser hem, simple | Two to three days; ask whether it can be sooner |
| Trouser waist, jacket sleeves, shirt body | Two to three days |
| Jacket waist and sides | Two to three days |
| Dress hems, straps, linings | Two to three days |
| Wedding dress | Two fittings, the first about three weeks before |
Two to three days is the shop’s ordinary turnaround and covers most of what comes through the door.
resizing a suit you already own explains why moving a waist is quicker than moving a shoulder.
What makes one job slower than another is almost always the cloth rather than the alteration. A hem is a hem until it is a hem in chiffon. Beading, lace, linings and anything that marks are hand work, and hand work does not compress.
The other variable is what is already on the bench that morning, which is why it is worth asking whether it can be done today rather than assuming in either direction.
02
Same day
Whether a job can be done the same day depends on what is already on the bench that morning, so it is a question to ask rather than an assumption to make, and the answer you get will be a real one. If you are flying out, say so when you hand the garment over rather than when you come to collect it.
A dress is the one thing not to plan around a same-day turnaround — beading and linings are hand work. dress alterations says what to expect.
03
Bringing it in
Bring the garment, wear it, and bring the shoes you will wear with it. Work pinned on your body is work that fits; work done to a description is work that matches the description. That is why a tailor’s alterations service starts from the garment on your body, not from a description. If you cannot come in, send a photograph on WhatsApp to 085 048 7655 first — some jobs can be assessed well enough from a photograph to tell you whether the trip is worth making, which is the useful thing to know before you cross Bangkok.
04
What makes a job slower
Five things make an alteration slower than the usual two to three days:
- Delicate or beaded cloth, where beading has to come off by hand and go back on.
- Linings, which mean opening the garment rather than working at a seam.
- Several jobs on one garment, done in order rather than at once.
- Anything structural — shoulders, lapels, collars. See what can and cannot be altered.
- A busy bench, which is why it is worth asking for the date.
Our craftsmanship at the bench
Questions people ask
- How long do alterations take?
- Two to three days for most work, which is the shop’s ordinary turnaround. Ask whether a simple trouser hem can be done sooner. Anything structural, or several jobs on one garment, takes longer because the work is done in order rather than at once. Ask what date you are being given rather than assuming the usual one.
- Can you do it the same day?
- It depends on what is already on the bench that morning, so ask when you bring it in. Ask rather than assume, and you will get a real answer. If you are flying out, say so when you hand the garment over, not when you come back for it. A bench that looks busy may still have room for a hem, and a quiet morning may already be committed.
- What makes a job slower?
- Delicate or beaded cloth, where beading has to come off by hand and go back on. Linings, which mean opening the garment rather than working at a seam. Several jobs on one garment. Anything structural, meaning shoulders, lapels or collars. And a busy bench. Saying what the garment is made of when you first ask about timing is the single most useful thing you can do, because a hem in cotton and a hem in beaded chiffon are different jobs sharing a name.
- How long does a wedding dress take?
- Two fittings, the first about three weeks before the day. That timing is deliberate rather than cautious: a dress altered months ahead is altered to a body that may have changed by the wedding, and the second fitting is what catches the difference. Both fittings are done with you wearing the dress. A wedding dress hangs differently on a body than on a hanger, and that difference is the entire job rather than a detail of it. Bring the shoes to both fittings, because the hem is settled at the second.
- Do I need to leave the garment?
- Yes, once the work is pinned on you. The fitting is the part that needs you present; the sewing does not. Come wearing the garment and the shoes you use with it, and the pinning takes a few minutes. It is the sewing that needs the days.
- Can I get an answer before I travel?
- Send a photograph on WhatsApp to 085 048 7655. Some jobs can be assessed well enough from a photograph to tell you whether the trip is worth making, which is the useful thing to know before crossing Bangkok in traffic. A photograph is enough to say whether a job is ordinary, unusual or not worth doing.
- Do I need an appointment?
- No. Walk in any day between 10am and 9pm. The shop is inside BTS National Stadium station at exits 3 and 4, beside MBK Center. For anything with a date attached, message first anyway, because the useful conversation is about when the work can reach the bench rather than about whether it can be done.
- What if the alteration is not right?
- Bring it back and wear it. Corrections to alteration work are judged the same way as the original: on your body, not from a description. Whether there is a charge depends on the job, and you will be told before any further work starts. Say what is wrong in plain words - tight, loose, short, long - because those are the words the pinning is done from.
4.8 from 22 reviews on Google
What a customer said
5 out of 5 stars
We stumbled upon The Loft Tailors getting off the sky train going to MBK. The price of the suit was very competitive and the craftsmanship was great. My son went to the fitting appointment and needed slight adjustment. When we came back to fit again it was perfect. They also are very fast.
Visit the shop
BTS National Stadium Station Exit 3 & 4, Rama I Rd, Wang Mai, Pathum Wan, Bangkok 10330.Open 10am to 9pm, every day.