# Alteration and Weight Loss



## DapperDandy (Feb 8, 2009)

Hello,
I've a friend who's recently lost weight and gone from a 46R to a 42R. He wants to know if there's any way to alter his old 46R suits to fit his new 42R frame. Thanks in advance for your input.


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## dks202 (Jun 20, 2008)

*alterations*

I'm no tailor but it happened to me too, from 46L to 42L. I only did one suit. It was over $200 to recut the pants and alter the jacket. And that was only to take in the sides of the jacket. The shoulders were still way too wide and it would have cost a lot more for that. I grew into a 44L where I am now.


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## PJC in NoVa (Jan 23, 2005)

Going down that many sizes implies a lot of weight loss. Your friend needs new suits.


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## Packard (Apr 24, 2009)

How long has he been at the new weight? These things have a way of not staying stable. Perhaps an inexpensive suit until he is sure he can maintain this current size. If he can't he may regret altering the larger suits.


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## Joho (Apr 7, 2009)

Packard said:


> How long has he been at the new weight? These things have a way of not staying stable. Perhaps an inexpensive suit until he is sure he can maintain this current size. If he can't he may regret altering the larger suits.


I agree with this.

Seeing old suits can be motivational for trying to lose weight! :icon_smile:


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## Packard (Apr 24, 2009)

I lost 60 pounds. I've kept my largest suit as a reminder of where I was. I might go to a Halloween party dressed as the "Old Packard" wearing the big suit over my street clothes. (Suspenders would be needed, but it would easily slip over my current attire). (Was a 46" waist; now a 34" waist. Was a 54" jacket; now a 44" jacket (plus tailoring as I really need a 43" jacket).


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## Rolex Luthor (Jan 5, 2009)

I lost 55 lbs over the course of a year and went through two rounds of alterations on my suits as I gradually slimmed down before finally giving up and buying new suits. If you lose 10-20 lbs the alterations can be OK, but more than that things start looking bad. The shoulders, for instance, are going to be way too big. I went from a 44R to a 39R and that's just too much alteration.

Spending money on new suits is an excellent motivation to keep the weight off, believe me.


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## cmavity (Feb 5, 2009)

I would say it depends on the quality of the suits. As has been posted, that kind of weight loss requires major work ($200 is a pretty good estimate, but a good tailor should be able to size your friend and give him a solid estimate), and it can probably be done. Whether it is worthwhile depends on the suit. I also dropped a couple sizes and found it worthwhile to alter only a couple of my suits (and it was very painful to lose the side vents on my Brioni--couldn't keep those and make it work--but a wearable Brioni is better than an unwearable Brioni with side vents). Of course, those two suits are currently out of the rotation due to my gaining most of the weight back, but I WILL get back into them.


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## dfloyd (May 7, 2006)

*Your friend should just be happy he lost ....*

all that weight. I went from a high of 201 to my current wight of 165. I never gained it back because I changed my life style. He shouldn't worry about altering suits, but should be concerned about how he gained the weight in the first place. He doesn't have to regain the weight! I didn't regain the weight and it's been more than twenty years.


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## upr_crust (Aug 23, 2006)

*I am in the process of going through this exercise, and my advice is . . .*

. . . to go from a size 46 to a size 42, unless the suit is made of cloth of gold (or vicuna), donate the suit to a local charity shop, and start afresh, and buy new.

I am in the process of having some of my old 44R's altered to my size 42R frame, but not all of the suits that I have can (or should, in the opinion of my tailor) make that transition. (I brought my tailor four suits - he's altering three, and one, along with two others of the same ilk, made their way to Housing Works, a local AIDS charity).

Once one goes beyond a reduction of one or two suit sizes, the re-cutting of the suit becomes quite a bit more expensive, and is not that worth it, unless the suit were originally very expensive.


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## FlowRate (Jul 9, 2009)

Joho said:


> I agree with this.
> 
> Seeing old suits can be motivational for trying to lose weight! :icon_smile:


I will hereby take a picture of myself in my old 46L suit if requested. I, too, went from a 46 to a 42 (and the 42's have to be tailored down a little more, too!). It looks like a tent on me and is really the only reminder I have of how big I was, besides my old 38W pants. =)

But yeah... new suits are definitely required. I finally just threw out most of my old wardrobe and now I need new clothes


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## Lawrence Connor (Jan 20, 2009)

Shoulder size change much with weight loss?

And was he really 46 R if he is truly 42 R now?

Is he really 42 R now if he was truly 46 R before?

The shoulder dimension of the suit. The shoulders.

How much can that change with changes in weight?


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## windsor (Dec 12, 2006)

Lawrence Connor said:


> Shoulder size change much with weight loss?
> 
> And was he really 46 R if he is truly 42 R now?
> 
> ...


According to a book on altering menswear, men carry a lot of weight in the upper portion of their body, and weight gain or loss will show up in the shoulders and chest, requiring alterations in those areas of their suit and sport coats. My own experience tells me it also shows up in the waistline. I would guess a six pound drop is equal to a one inch drop in waistline. Women, the book informs, carry their weight in a different place, but that is a subject for another day.:icon_smile_big:


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## Lawrence Connor (Jan 20, 2009)

I have gained quite a bit in the last several years, all in one place, my belly and my belly alone.


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## Rolex Luthor (Jan 5, 2009)

Lawrence Connor said:


> Shoulder size change much with weight loss?
> 
> And was he really 46 R if he is truly 42 R now?
> 
> ...


Definitely. When I lost my weight I was surprised how all my sizes changed. Not only did I lose bulk in my shoulders and chest, but my shirt size went from 16.5/36 to 15/34. Not sure how the weight loss made my arm length shrink -- maybe from the shoulders?


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## gnatty8 (Nov 7, 2006)

upr_crust said:


> . . . to go from a size 46 to a size 42, unless the suit is made of cloth of gold (or vicuna), donate the suit to a local charity shop, and start afresh, and buy new.
> 
> I am in the process of having some of my old 44R's altered to my size 42R frame, but not all of the suits that I have can (or should, in the opinion of my tailor) make that transition. (I brought my tailor four suits - he's altering three, and one, along with two others of the same ilk, made their way to Housing Works, a local AIDS charity).
> 
> Once one goes beyond a reduction of one or two suit sizes, the re-cutting of the suit becomes quite a bit more expensive, and is not that worth it, unless the suit were originally very expensive.


I agree with upr_crust here. That much weight loss renders the suits almost unwearable, particularly in the shoulders. The body might be amenable to tailoring, but the shoulders will always look off. Donate them and start over. Excellent incentive to keep the weight off also..


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## petro (Apr 5, 2005)

Rolex Luthor said:


> Definitely. When I lost my weight I was surprised how all my sizes changed. Not only did I lose bulk in my shoulders and chest, but my shirt size went from 16.5/36 to 15/34. Not sure how the weight loss made my arm length shrink -- maybe from the shoulders?


Because shirt sleeve length is measured from the center of the back. As you lose dimension across the shoulders and back and chest then the cloth has a shorter path.


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## pkprd869 (Jul 7, 2009)

Dapper Dandy, you can get your friend to wear his now too big clothing for a week, film a little bit, and get What Not to Wear to buy him the new wardrobe:devil:. I don't know if we'll be keen on what they suggest, but hey, they foot the bill.


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## tomboys (Apr 21, 2009)

Not all men are created equally. Genetics plays a huge role in where and when the weight comes off when you lose weight.


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## Mike147 (Jan 15, 2006)

Your friend should buy new suits, shirts, pants, etc... I recently went from 46R to 42R - I had a few things taken in (shirts) and bought new things. 

The altered items just don't fit very well - too big in the shoulders, neck, hips, waist, etc. I like my new clothing much better.


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## jturner421 (May 6, 2009)

Have to agree with going the option of getting new clothes. I went from a 48L to a 42L and attempted to take in some old suits when I was half way through my transformation (44L) and the suits looked pretty bad. I recommend donating them to Goodwill or some other organization of your choice. In addition, if he's not done losing weight or changing the way his body looks, hold off on any expensive purchases. For example, if he's intent on starting a weightlifting program and changing his physique, his weight may not change dramatically but the way he fits into his clothes will.


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