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-Hey, any idea about where i can get a good tailored dress shirt for a reasonable price? I'm a short guy, and nothing i buy ever fits me.
-Hi, do you know if there is any place in New York that can distress my jeans or make them more distressed?
-These winters in NYC have taken a beating on my down jacket. It's starting to fray at the seams and feathers are flying loose. Is there such thing as a "down jacket repair kit" - or are these places I can go to get my jacket fixed?
Since these questions about fixing, tailoring, and distressing clothes seemed somewhat similar to Ask Gothamist, we thought we'd answer them all at once.
We have a number of slim and shorter male friends who complain about shirts being too big. Many of them have found that shirts from European designers have a better fit for them, as European men tend to be slimmer than Americans and like their clothes to be more fitted. For inexpensive shirts, look for stores with a European origin, like H&M, Mexx, or Zara. One man we know who is on the slim side got a dress shirt at j.crew recently and loved the fit (we know many Ask Gothamist readers hate to shop at retail chains, so by all means feel free to post non-inflammatory comments on where to get reasonably priced, tailored men's shirts at other places in the city). Another option would be to try your own hand at taking in your shirts - you can get a brand-new sewing machine for about $99 (or the cost of a few visits to the tailor). You can invest in some sewing lessons or books on how to tailor. Of course this will take more time and effort, but in the long run, you'll save money and have shirts that fit you perfectly.
Ask Gothamist is sure you could pay some fancypants place to distress your designer jeans, but this one is easy to do yourself. Wash the jeans a few times to get them nice and soft. Use something abrasive on spots where you want the jeans to look worn - sandpaper, a pumice stone, or a cheese grater should all do the trick, depending on the degree of distress you're after. Try using some bleach to lighten your jeans in places where they would naturally fade. Look at old jeans to see where they naturally distress. You might want to experiment on some older jeans first.
As for fixing your down jacket, we're sure just about any tailor in the city will fix it for you. But we don't think you need any sort of special kit to fix it yourself, other than a plain old sewing kit that you can find for a few dollars in just about any drugstore.
Got a question? Need advice? E-mail ask(at)gothamist(dot)com.
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I have that same problem. But, you know, the fool is fluttered at every word.
i've never found fitted clothing at the typical cheaper shops... shirts are always boxy and long although H&M is a good suggestion. if you can manage, it might be worth it to make a painfully expensive purchase of a few articles and make them last many years. agnes b homme and APC are great for small people wanting good fit. they sometimes have sales.
also century 21 usually has plenty from european designers for smaller guys that are much cheaper, but go wearing a t-shirt so you can try on since there are no fitting rooms. and bring minimal baggage so you can get around that madhouse.
Besides Zara and H&M, I often rely on Old Navy. Their shirts are often cut smaller than Gap or Banana, perhaps as a cost saving measure?
To replace the zipper on my $130 knee length down jacket, the tailor was asking for $50. My advice, do it yourself.
Listen up those of you disgruntled with your clothing!!
I am now going to part with one of the BEST KEPT secrets in NYC!!
The Cheapest tailor/clothing fixer-upper is the Ludlow Express off of Delancy street (going north on the west side of Ludlow.
Last spring I had a zipper replaced in a pr of shorts, sleeves taken in on a blouse and seams reinforced (where I had split them!) on a pr of gouchos ... ALL for the paltry sum of $10!!
(Shortening of pants w/o a cuff is a mere $2!!)
They are ALSO open SEVEN DAYS A WEEK! (however weekends can be busy).
AND .... AND .... AND IT IS WHILE YOU WAIT!
Ok when it's busy you may have to wait 1/2 hr - 1 hr .... so go shop on Delancy ... or that Major Candy Store in the neighborhood ... I think it's on the next block north.
Take care as to where you get your leather jackets repaired. I took my favorite vintage leather motorcycle jacket to get relined and zippers replaced, and it was hacked to peaces. The lining they used frayed within days, the zipper was replaced twice and it looked like some ran over it with toothpicks along the zipper edge. I provided lining fabric for them but it was not enough and the used the rest from cheap stuff. I was disappointed and since donated it Salvation Army for some else.
I have to say that the best funk-tified guy in Brooklyn was the Purple Phantom Duct Tape Dude. He uses duct tape as fabulous accessory- duct tape lined bolero hats and shoes. Duct tapes lines most of the seams of his pants and shirts, and then he uses it as an appliqué. He has been definitely making his own unique fashion statement for years. I wonder has any one else seen him
– pushing his aluminum cans around in grocery carts –
or truly is he the Purple Phantom?
As a slim guy, I also think the J Crew dress shirts fit really well.
I repaired my own wool peacoat this weekend; you can find lots of little guides online for minor repairs like that. And you can get a portable sewing machine (ideal for quick fixes, not really intended for making your own clothes from scratch) for about $30 at Target.
Learn how to make clothes yourself. It's easier than you might think. With a bit of practise you can have your own custom clothing, that fits you perfectly. If you decide to, then I also recommend getting some styling books, to determine the kind of clothing and colours that suit your body type and skin/hair colour.
i have a pair of denim jeans my sister wore and she sewed up the sides, and now that i've un done the damage to my expensive jeans, theres a huge colour difference because the jeanshave faded colour, and the part i just undone is a different colur.
How do i fade the denim jeans to look like a similar colour
hey. well im just trying to figure out how to make a duct tape jacket. please tell me. email me at sportyfreak0003@yahoo.com
The coolest thing I saw done with jeans recently was up on 125th St at this African Clothing ETC store. (Dunno the name ... but I'm sure if U ask around someone will).
What they do is open the whole inseam from the cuff to the crotch and insert a jazzy piece of African material from leg to leg, front and back ... making a skirt actually.
The material has to be just right for it to work ... but it usually does. Most of the saleswomen were wearing one. Bet it will become a hot trend in the not to distant future!
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hi, i was just wondering if you knew how to make a really baggy shirt into a fitted shirt for girls, thank you so much, im a beginner wit the needle