i've always been intimidated about using a dry cleaner/tailoring place, but my boyfriend talked me into taking that giant step and so i did this morning.

is it normal to charge ten bucks to hem a damn pair of pants? all's i want is to make 'em shorter. jeez, my mom used to do that in five minutes for free, sheesh.

i got ripped off, didn't i?

Anxiety said:

Unless it's denim, in which case an overlocker machine is needed!!

I take up my own trousers!! I have no patience for da tailor

Anxiety said:

my brother got charged $37 (AUS) for a pair of pants to be hemmed and taken in 2 inches, he was ripped big time.

I've worked in a fashion retail store, and the amount of money people have 2 spend on top of their already dear purchases is astounding!! If da work is simple u shouldn't have 2 pay dat much in my own opinionz!!

269 said:

gawd DAMN it!!!

that's just ridiculous. fortunately, the pants i took in were on clearance at field's and even with the tailoring fee, i'm still getting a crazy deal...but still...twenty bucks to make a couple of damn pants legs shorter? that's nuts.

Anxiety said:

well seeing as it's really noting to hem a pair of pants...kinda. But If you think that paying 10 bucks to have someone do it for you is ok then thats cool. I don't hem my pants...but if I had a sewing machine that could do it right and fast and not mess it up, i'd do it my self.

TwinkleBitch said:

when we go to chicago, i am buying a sewing machine and making you hem every pair of anxy's pants

10 bucks is cheap. I had to get all my school uniforms hemmed back in the 80s, and I remember it costing more than that.

Satan said:

i like your politics, mrs. gravel.

TwinkleBitch said:[quote]

Anxiety said:

well, i looked at it this way - i figured either i'd just bite the bullet and pay ridiculous money to have my pants hemmed, and i'd probably wear them all the time as a result, or else i'd have two pair of pants that i bought and would never wear because i wouldn't pay to have them hemmed. and considering i got two really really nice pair of pants this weekend for next to nothing, the extra twenty bucks was just kind of a spare trifle of karmic balance.

but still, damn. ten bucks to hem some damn pants? i can't wait to hear what kind of cuss words my mom's gonna use when i tell her about this.

Satan said:

Yeah and then I'll...ah fudge it

You didn't get ripped off. Ten bucks? That's about the going rate where I'm from.

Stax said:

jeez louise, that seems like a lot of money. my bf gets his clothes dry cleaned all the time, and he figured it would only be about five bucks a pair. ah well. live and learn...

I find drycleaners expensive. I just use them for things that cannot be put in the washer.

Anxiety said:

Live and learn is exactly right. I took some things in a few years ago and, when they told me the price, I walked out in self-righteous disgust. I went to a different place and the price was exactly the same.

Stax said:

that sounds about right.

Not only did you NOT get ripped off, but $10 for a tailored hem is an excellent price!

Jean Paul Gautier, Versace, Dolce & Gabana, Galliano, etc...they all offered to make me clothes; but they weren't up to my standards!

The only time I've ever gotten clothes tailored was when I bought suits. They needed to be tailored, as the pant legs were intentionally left unfinished. I think the charge was something like $15 for each suit, with free future alterations for life if needed (e.g., if I gain or lose weight).

Sounds about right I'd say. I remember one place quoting me £7.50 (about $14) to replace ONE button on a leather jacket, and I supplied the button. Their reasoning was that leather is hard to work with. WTF?? The holes are already there from the missing button! Exit in self righteous disgust indeed! Bought a thimble and did it myself in less than 10 minutes, and the button's doing fine 5 years later.
[Edited 2/1/05 1:10am]

I have never paid extra to have my pants shortened, which always happens.
It's always been free here (Spain),but reading your experiences I bet this will soon change

Bad habits spread like flu.

theres a fashion designer in florida who makes clothes hotter than what prince wears.

he makes all my stuff. i dont even wear jeans or regular clothes anymore

Are they good pants you're going to keep for a while? Then it's definitely worth it.

If you, say, spend $90 on pants, then 10 on tailoring and keep them 10 years, it's the same as getting a new pair for $10 per year... except that you look a LOT better.

$10 sounds cheap for hemming pants. Especially if they did a good job.

Chico1 said:

thats why u still wear toughskins from sears

$10 is right, I think I have paid $8 before, Im lucky now though my exes mom is a seamstress

There's a little old lady who does tailoring by my parent's house who only charged me, like, $8 to alter a bridesmaid dress I had for a wedding a few years ago. She's great! I don't have a lot of things tailored, but when I do I always go to her cause she's a cute little old lady with some eastern european accent.

TheRealFiness said:

fartman said:

I get almost all of my clothes professionally tailored. I have a neighborhood tailor who doesn't cahrge an arm and a leg for the alterations. I get everything professionally tailored and altered because everything looks so much better when it's cut to fit your body. It really does look as if they were made to fit you, because, they are, in a sense if you get them tailored. It's well worth the expense if you're not getting ripped off (shop around for tailors). You'll get years of enjoying wearing clothes that fit you well and that you look good in.