If you wonder should I get alterations or buy something new, just know that McMahan Cleaners in Denver can expertly take care of most garment problems you have with skilled alterations and repairs. We know that the clothing you buy doesn’t always accommodate your exact shape or size, but that’s no problem. Our tailors have the experience and a keen eye for detail to help you get the exact fit you want.
Alterations
At McMahan Cleaners, we’ll take your measurements and provide any alterations needed, including:
- Raise or lower a hem
- Shorten/taper sleeves
- Adjust waist
- Adjust shoulders
- Add darting
- Taper/slim pants
- Take seams in or out
- Take up/shorten jackets
Many alterations you might need are quick and uncomplicated, like replacing a zipper, hemming a skirt or replacing a button on a dress shirt. These are fairly simple repairs.
There are some alterations that need a little more time and skill, like taking in or opening up a pair of pants or tapering pant legs, altering a shirt to feature a new collar, adjusting the length of lined jacket sleeves with non-working buttons and taking in or opening up a jacket. But we have tailors that can expertly take care of these types of alterations for you.
Some alterations are a little more complicated and may require extensive changes to the garment, like replacing the lining, adjusting the overall length of a jacket and making changes to the sleeve length if it’s lined and have buttons that work. In addition, reweaving, which mends smaller holes with fabric from elsewhere on the garment, can be a more involved alteration.
If your garment needs major changes, like to a garment’s shoulders or to the way the back is connected to the front, anything that will take extra time and skill, you may want to consider if it is worth doing. At this point, we recommend taking into consideration the cost and how much you want to keep wearing the garment.
Repairs
Our tailors also offer a variety of clothing repair services to help fix damage from everyday wear and tear, including:
- Replace zippers
- Replace/reset buttons
- Re-attach blown seams
- Repair rips or tears
- Patch holes if needed
- Repair belt loops
- Replace worn elastic
When you bring your garments in for dry cleaning, your pricing for any needed alterations and repairs will be based on the services you need, as well as the clothing material and design. Adjusting a pleated silk skirt or shortening the sleeves of a leather jacket will require more time than a basic hem. However, we offer expert craftsmanship at affordable prices. Our goal is to make you a happy customer so that we become your tailor of choice.
Most of the time, alterations and repairs can save you time and money and are a good investment instead of having to go shopping to buy a replacement, if you can even find one. But there are times when an item just can’t be repaired like when the clothing has been burned or exposed to acid, has a large tear in the fabric that’s not on the seam, or the fabric is worn too thin. There may also be times when an alteration is not possible if, for example, there is not enough material to let a seam or hem out.
However, most of the time our tailors can make your old garment look new and fashionable, or repair it so it’s wearable again. So, if you ask, should I get alterations or buy something new, our answer is to usually try alterations, but come to McMahan Cleaners in Denver today for an expert opinion. If it makes sense for you and your wallet, we’ll make all the fixes you need