Is your lined jacket too long? What is the right length?
Shortening a lined suit jacket takes some concentration but can be achieved without too much fuss if you know what you are doing in advance. This type of jacket is longer than a bomber jacket which finishes around the waist or upper hip area.
Is your lined jacket too long?
Drop your arm and raise the thumb. This is your perfect length for your body shape.
Shortening a lined jacket (no splits) is one of the most challenging of clothing alterations, or may seem so in the beginning. Just the thought can put a lot of people off and send them running to a clothing alteration shop. We have talked about what a person should be charging for clothing alterations, and this is one of the most expensive.
Because I work from home, I charge $40.00 plus GST (10% tax) which is $44.00 per hour (USD$36 and GBP£24). And it would take me around one hour to shorten a lined jacket. Some jackets take longer and some less. If I felt it was going to take me one hour I would charge AUD$44.00.
If you add splits into the equation, maybe one at the back or one either side, then the price would increase. Keeping in mind that the more you shorten a jacket, the more the chances that the split cannot be kept. The fabric for a split is cut away above the split, so the higher you are shortening the jacket the less fabric you have. You need at least 5 cm (2 in) to put a split back on, and that is the bare minimum.
I would prefer more than that for it to look reasonable.
Happy altering
Judith aka genie