# Can a 38" waist pants be cut down to 35" and still be ok?



## tocqueville (Nov 15, 2009)

There's an ebay listing for a suit, an old HF. The coat's spot on, but the pants are listed as 38-39". I normally wear a 34"-36" depending on the brand and generally aim for 35". Are these pants too big to be taken in?


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## eagle2250 (Mar 24, 2006)

The last suit I purchased from O'Connell's was an OTR sized 46R. The trousers that came with it had a 41" waist. Had the local tailors reduce same to 38" and while I still have to cinch the waist up just a bit with a belt, three inches was the extreme degree to which the seamstress seemed willing to take them up! I am satidfied with the result and have received several compliments when wearing the suit.


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## PMRuby (Jan 13, 2010)

It depends on how much you trust your tailor. I recently lost a good deal of weight that was almost entirely in my stomach and butt (appx 35 pounds), going from a 36 or even 37 to a 33. I had several of my nicer trousers taken in, but did not have the procedure done to my not-so-nice ones. The key is not just getting the waist cinched - the tailor will also need to remove some fabric from the inner thighs (at least that's what mine did) to keep the article in proportion to itself. This was actually really nice for me because I still have large thighs and a bigger butt than most with my waist size - a somewhat common dillemma, especially for guys in the 20's and 30's - so this allowed me to have a large seat and thighs in my pants in comparison to the waist size. It's not an expensive procedure, but you need a skilled tailor willing to do both steps (not just cut the waist size) if you want a garment that looks correct - and you also need to be willing to pay for both parts of it. If it's worth it to you, go for it.


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## sbdivemaster (Nov 13, 2011)

General rule seems to be 2 inches in either direction. I'm inclined to say 3 inches is too much; when you're taking in the pants from just the rear, you're still altering the entire garment, e.g. the rear pockets are going to be brought closer together and the side seams are going to move rearward. It's really a matter of how the pants are designed, and whether the amount of adjustment will throw off other elements and how much.

I hope that makes sense...

*EDIT: * Noting PMRuby's post (which came in whilst I was writing mine), I was going to mention more advanced tailoring techniques, but often that can become economically inefficient, depending on your budget. So yes, it can be done, just depends on what you want to spend. And, by all means, follow PM's advice about finding a quality tailor.


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## tocqueville (Nov 15, 2009)

I just asked my tailor, and she said no. It could be done but would require major recutting.


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## firedancer (Jan 11, 2011)

SB divemaster is spot on, as usual. 

Tocqueville, the key to what he said was either direction. 

If you find out what drop the suit was manufactured with it may doable. 

If it was a 42 with a 6" drop the pants were let out already and can easily be brought back in. Just something to think about.


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## sbdivemaster (Nov 13, 2011)

firedancer said:


> SB divemaster is spot on, as usual.


Aww, shucks... :redface:


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