Dinner suit and black tie alterations, done before the invitation date.

Black tie shows every detail

Evening dress is the most uniform thing a man wears, which is exactly why fit stands out. In a room of black and white, the jacket that sits cleanly at the collar, the sleeve that shows a little shirt cuff, and the trouser braid that falls straight to the shoe are the things people notice.

A dinner suit is also often worn rarely — bought years ago, inherited, or hired for one night — so it is common for it to need work before an event.

The dinner suit package

The most common combination — jacket sleeves, jacket take-in and trouser hem — is offered as a package, from £150. Priced separately, the same three jobs start at £158. Other work can be added on the same visit at list price.

What we alter for black tie

Owned and inherited evening wear, and hire suits where the hire terms allow:

• Trouser hems, with the side braid kept in line down to the shoe
• Jacket sleeves and body suppression, peak or shawl lapel
• Evening shirt sides, sleeves and cuffs
• Waistcoat take-in, from £40
• Buttons and small repairs

Older and inherited dinner jackets

A dinner jacket from a previous decade is often well made and worth keeping. Older cloth and canvas need a light hand: the jacket is opened rather than rebuilt, the original lining can be kept, and the trousers can be recut to a more modern rise. Vintage construction is quoted after the visit, once the fitter has seen the inside of the jacket.

Hire suits for black tie

A hired dinner suit cannot be recut the way an owned one can, because the hire company will want it back as it went out. Many hire terms allow sleeve and hem changes but not cutting into seams. Tell us the hire company when you book and we only do what the terms allow; the shirt and waistcoat, which are often owned, can usually be taken further.

Timing around the event

Standard turnaround is 7–10 working days, so a request two to three weeks before the event is comfortable. Express (about 72 hours) covers hem, taper, waist and shirt work in London, Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds, Bristol, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Cardiff and Belfast, though not full jacket recuts. For weddings, the groom and his party can be fitted together — see wedding suit alterations.

How the home visit works

Send a request with a preferred day and a two-hour window. We reply to every request by email within one working day. A named fitter then comes to your home, office or hotel; appointments run daily, 07:00–21:00, and most visits take under half an hour.

The garment is pinned on you, confirmed in sterling before it leaves, and returned pressed to the same address. Standard turnaround is 7–10 working days. There is a £30 visit fee, credited in full when confirmed work reaches £120, and a £60 minimum order per collection.