The London Lounge

Having been an avid reader and grateful pupil of this forum for quite some time, I had hoped that my first post would allow me to 'give something back' as it were. Unfortunately, it must be on the rather more mundane question of the possibilities of altering trousers. For this I apologize, and only hope that I can contribute on a higher level in the future.

I was recently given a rather fine two-piece DB in navy pinstripe; the coat requires some simple alterations, nothing that any tailor couldn't do in his sleep. However, the trousers are a trickier problem. The previous owner had them made with reverse pleats and belt loops, but my preference is for forward pleats and a braces back. Could the trousers be altered in this way? They are the only incongruous details of an otherwise excellent suit.

With thanks in anticipation.

I defer to our tailors, but years ago I had some RTW RL suit trousers converted from reverse pleats to forward. It can be done, but to look right there should be (other things being equal) more cloth fullness in the upper thighs for forward pleats than for reverse. The tailor who converted my suit trousers inserted a diamond-shaped gusset in the fork to give the necessary ease (not something I'd wear now). Other (bespoke) tailors have since told me that they allow more cloth for forward pleats to ensure that they don't pull open. If your trousers are very full in the thighs to begin with, or a bit too large in the waist, and the reverse pleats are deep, you should probably be able to do it.

Removing belt loops is not difficult, nor is sewing in brace buttons, assuming the waistband is solidly made. That will not change the line or placement of the waistband, so if it's high enough on the waist to accommodate braces comfortably, you're set. If by "braces back" you mean a higher or "fishtail" back, you're unlikely to be get a very satisfactory result. You'd need to find more of the exact dye lot of cloth to add the extension. Most fishtail suit trousers are cut without a horizontal rear waistband, so your join would look a bit "pieced." Here's a bespoke example. You can see how the seams and darts go well up to follow the concavity of the lower back:

and here's what it looks like when pieced at a horizontal waist seam as a "modular" MTM option. You might not mind this look:


Good luck and if successful, let us see the result.

Couch, greatest thanks for your excellent reply. The trousers are an inch or so too large in the waist, and very full in the thigh, so from your description of the process it is eminently practical. As for the back, I had in mind simply a splitting of the waistband in a 'V' to give that bit more comfort with braces. Luckily, they are well-cut in that they sit on the natural waist and higher at the back than the front. I do have fishtail backs on my own trousers, but wouldn't attempt it on this pair for the reasons shown above, i.e. the need to 'patch' with extra cloth, and the seams and darts ending up out of kilter.

You're most welcome. Note that "splitting" the waistband (if it's not already made with a center back seam) may or may not be possible, because you need some cloth to turn under at the edges of the cut. If the waistband is not already pieced, there may be just enough cloth available when the tailor takes in the inch of excess you say the waist currently has. Even if you can't split the waistband, however, braces should not be uncomfortable presuming the trousers sit at your natural waist and the brace buttons have beveled edges.

couch wrote:... years ago I had some RTW RL suit trousers converted from reverse pleats to forward.

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I´m glad to hear that I am not the only one who has tried this with RTW trousers.
I tried a few to experiment and see if I could match them to the style of some of my bespoke suits.
It´s totally doable, but in my case the results have been mixed. Sometimes the new forward pleat pulls open and sometimes the new crease is a bit off center. My current tailor tells me that trousers should be cut for forward pleats from the start. Couch´s explanation makes complete sense in this context.
Good luck Busonian, and welcome to the LL.