Your Jacket Will Need Alterations
Finding a good seamstress who can do impeccable alterations is essential to support your addiction to pre-loved Chanel.
If you live near a Chanel boutique, you are very lucky, and you can skip this post because you can always go to the boutique for your alteration needs. But if you don’t, like me, AND if you buy your pre-loved Chanel, as I do, you will need to find an excellent seamstress to do alterations locally.
Chanel jackets can be altered up and down in two sizes. It’s a wonderful thing! I have a detailed blog post about Chanel jacket construction that allows for generous alterations here.
In my experience, 80% of the time, your newest acquisition needs alteration to fit you perfectly. Some parts may need to be let out, and other parts (like length) may need to be taken in, depending on how short you are.
My arms are thick! So even the jacket that’s technically my size usually requires letting out the arms like this 19A black jacket with gold details.
Finding a good seamstress for quality alterations is absolutely essential for your Chanel acquisitions. Nobody looks good in dowdy clothes. An expensive piece of clothing will only look like a million dollars if it fits you well.
Chanel is not cheap. Chanel is never cheap. Even used, 20-year-old jackets sell for thousands of dollars. What that means is that your jacket has to be altered by someone who knows what they are doing, not Micky Mouse.
Chanel Boutique Is The Best For Alterations
Of course, the easiest and best option is to have the alterations done by Chanel’s own seamstresses. Chanel has its own team of seamstresses, and they are trained to work specifically with their designs. Not only are they the best, but they are free!
How many times the best is free? Right? Chanel will alter its own newly purchased clothing for free. In the ideal world, you buy a jacket in a boutique, leave it for alterations, and pick it up or have it shipped when it’s ready.
Chanel will alter their clothing for free if it’s not worked on in the past. So you can take your new pre-loved acquisition to the boutique, and they will alter it for free. How do you know for sure if your pre-loved purchase has had alterations or not? You don’t. You have to rely on their expertise to tell you that.
If the free option is unavailable, they will tell you how much it will be to do the work. Given a choice, I would choose their seamstress over any other. For obvious reasons, they likely have the best talent and access to everything in Chanel’s arsenal.
A Good Seamstress May Require Research
Saks, Neiman Marcus, or Nordstrom Can Be Options
Not all of us live near a boutique, and some of us love pre-loved more than the current collection. Now what? You have the option of going to high-end department stores such as Neiman Marcus or Saks.
Their seamstresses are skilled in high-end clothing. They may not be as specialized as Chanel’s seamstresses, but they should still be able to do a great job with your jacket.
My recommendation is to make sure you have some prior experience with the alterations department of that particular person before you hand them over your prized possession.
The other option is to find an independent seamstress. There are many skilled professionals who specialize in alterations for high-end clothing. It’s important to do your research, ask questions, and find someone who knows what they are doing.
Many Seamstresses Don’t Know This
In my search for an expert seamstress, I naively went to a local shop that had many glowing reviews on Google.
I walked in with my Chanel Cuba and told her it was too small and I needed her to take it out. To my surprise, she had no clue what I was talking about. She firmly said, “Commercially made clothing can’t be taken out.”
I quipped, “This is Chanel. Chanel has plenty of seams available for it to be taken out.” She was adamant and absolutely uninterested in even looking into it.
She didn’t even bother to look at my jacket. I was kind of surprised by her lack of curiosity. Too bad she lost thousands of dollars of business, and she will never know!
So I went to another tailor about two miles away from her. She had fewer reviews on Google, so I wasn’t sure. I walked in and told her what I needed, and she knew exactly what I was talking about.
It sounded like she had seen enough Chanel clothing to be confident. She opened up the seams (that was painful to watch) and confirmed that she could do the work.
Here is the said Chanel Cuba jacket before and after alterations. It fits. It zips! What a miracle.
I have held on to her with both hands and don’t ever plan to let go! She is the reason why I can keep buying jackets that are too small or too big. I have had her take out and take in the same jacket because I lost a bunch of weight, and it was necessary. It takes her hours to alter some of the complicated pieces, like this black tweed from 19A.
Final Thoughts
Finding a good seamstress to alter your acquisitions will need research and some trial and error. I love mine. She makes my jackets look good on me. She makes it possible for me to buy an expensive piece of ill-fitting clothing. Haha!
Be prepared…your prized acquisition will be opened up with a razor… like the one below. It’s a little nerve-wracking, but if she is a pro, she will make it look all good in the end.
