Trouser alterations, pinned in the shoes you actually wear.

Why trousers are pinned on the body

A trouser hem is the meeting point between cloth and shoe, and it reads differently standing, sitting and walking. That is why every pair is pinned on you, in the shoes you will wear with it, rather than measured flat on a table. A Chelsea boot, a slim Oxford and a loafer each want a slightly different length; pinning in the right shoe removes the guesswork.

The same goes for the seat and waist. Cloth sits differently on a moving body than it does on a hanger, so the fitter checks the line from the side and the back before marking anything. If you are unsure between a clean single break and something shorter, three pins at different lengths usually settle it in seconds.

What we alter

Suit trousers, dress trousers, chinos and jeans in men’s formal and smart-casual cloth. Most requests are one of the following, and many pairs need two or three together:

• Plain blind-stitched hems, from £28 — the most common request
• Turn-ups re-made to depth, or a hem finished with heel tape, from £34
• Jeans shortened with the original hem retained, from £32, so the factory finish stays
• Waist taken in or let out, from £34; with the seat included where needed, from £48
• Taper from knee to hem, from £36; the full leg from the thigh, from £48
• Replacement zip with the fly re-made, from £42

Jeans, chinos and suit trousers are not the same job

Suit trousers are usually hemmed with a blind stitch that disappears from the outside, and the two legs of a suit are matched to the jacket so the outfit reads as one piece. Turn-ups are rebuilt to the depth you choose, and heel tape can be added on cloth that will meet the back of a shoe every day.

Jeans are different. Where the length allows, the original hem is cut off and re-attached so the factory chain-stitch and fading stay exactly where they were. Chinos sit somewhere between the two and often suit a slightly shorter, cleaner line than a suit trouser.

Tapers are the change most people notice in the mirror. A taper from the knee keeps the seat and thigh untouched and simply cleans up the lower leg; a full-leg taper from the thigh changes the whole silhouette and is pinned more carefully.

Several pairs at once

Trousers are often the easiest place to start a wardrobe. Because the £30 visit fee is credited in full once confirmed work reaches £120, a handful of pairs in one visit usually costs no more in fees than a single job. The £60 minimum order applies to the whole collection, not to each pair.

If a matching jacket also needs work, it can be pinned on the same visit — see jacket and blazer alterations. For wedding parties, the groom plus three or more fitted together at one address receive the wedding party rate.

Turnaround

Standard turnaround is 7–10 working days from collection. Hems, tapers and waist work are the kind of jobs that suit express (about 72 hours, +30%) in London, Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds, Bristol, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Cardiff and Belfast. Next-day work at +50% is sometimes possible for simple hems — ask when you book and we confirm before collecting.

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.