Guide · Suits
Suit alterations: what's possible, what it costs
Updated: June 2026 · 3 min
2 min read
Take in the jacket, shorten the sleeves, trousers to measure: what can be altered on a suit and what can't. Trouser hemming from €15, waistband from €20, jacket work on request. Usually one to three working days. How to read a fitting is in our suit guide.
- Trouser hemming from €15, waist from €20
- Jacket work (sleeves, waist, sides) on request
- Usually one to three working days
- Bring shirt and shoes to the fitting
- Workshops in Berlin, Bernau, Strausberg and Tangermünde
Contents
Prepare your suit for alteration
So the fitting reflects your real proportions.
- 01
Wear the right shirt
Wear the shirt you'll put on with the suit — it affects shoulder, chest and sleeve length.
- 02
Put on the right shoes
Shoes set the trouser length. Bring the ones you wear with the suit.
- 03
Mark what bothers you
Too wide at the middle, sleeves too long, trousers too long? Tell us exactly how it should fit.
- 04
Check shoulders and collar first
These are the expensive areas — if they don't fit, a different suit is often worth it.
- 05
Come by
We pin jacket and trousers on the body and name the price and pickup day.
What can be altered on a suit
Plenty on a suit is straightforward: shortening the trousers, adjusting the waistband, taking the jacket in at the waist and shortening the sleeves. More involved are the leg width and slimming the jacket across several seams. It gets genuinely difficult and expensive at the shoulders, collar and jacket length — those should already fit off the rack. We can see what makes sense for your suit at the fitting.
Typical suit alterations
What we do most often on a suit.
- Shortening the trousers — with or without cuffs.
- Waistband in or out.
- Narrowing the leg width so the line is right.
- Taking the jacket in at the waist.
- Shortening or narrowing the jacket sleeves.
- Taking the jacket in at the sides.
Costs and turnaround
Gross prices, incl. 19% VAT. Final price after assessment. Usually one to three working days.
- Trouser hemming (suit)
- from €15, 1–3 working days
- Waistband in or out
- from €20
- Jacket in (waist/sides)
- On request.
- Jacket sleeves shortened
- On request.
What's difficult and expensive
Shoulders, collar and the length of the jacket are among the most demanding corrections — there's no magic here. If the collar stands away or the shoulder sits clearly off, the alteration is involved and not always worth it. So the rule is: when buying, check shoulders and collar first; the rest can be adjusted. We'll say honestly when a correction isn't worth it.
Read it first, then alter
Before bringing a suit in for alteration, a top-to-bottom look pays off — shoulders, collar, back, waist, length. How to read a suit fitting step by step is explained in our suit fitting guide. Bring the real shirt and shoes, and the fitting reflects your true proportions rather than a guess.
More guides
01
What a tailor changes that brands cannot
Off-the-rack sizing is designed for a body that barely exists — the perfectly average one. A tailor starts from your actual measurements, and that shift changes how you carry yourself, how often you reach for a piece, and how much the clothes look like they cost.
Updated: June 2026 · 4 min
02
The fit problems built into every volume garment
Zara, H&M and their competition cut for an average body. That works well enough — until your shoulders slope differently, or you're long in the torso, or one hip sits higher than the other. Those aren't bad luck with a particular piece. They're built into how volume cutting works.
Updated: June 2026 · 3 min
03
How to read a suit fitting — top to bottom
A suit that fits is almost invisible — you stop thinking about it, which is the point. Before you take one to a tailor, it helps to know which areas to focus on first and which fixes are straightforward versus genuinely difficult.
Updated: June 2026 · 4 min
Frequently asked questions about suit alterations
What does a suit alteration cost?
Trouser hemming from €15, waistband from €20. Jacket work (waist, sides, sleeves) on request, depending on the work. We give the final price after the fitting.
Can a jacket be taken in?
Yes, at the waist and sides well. The jacket can be slimmed across several seams — how much makes sense depends on the cut.
Can the shoulders be altered?
Shoulder work is the hardest and most expensive correction. They should already fit off the rack; if the shoulder is clearly too big, a different suit is often worth it.
Can the jacket sleeves be shortened?
Yes. We shorten sleeves so about a centimetre of shirt cuff stays visible, taking working buttons into account.
How long does it take?
Usually one to three working days, depending on the work and how busy we are. When you come in we give a firm pickup day.
Is an alteration worth it on a cheap suit?
If the shoulders and collar fit, the rest is almost always worth it — a fitted suit looks far better than the price suggests.
Ready? Stop by.
wiederjut Tangermünde · Lange Str. 62, Tangermünde