Gerry Davis pants tailoring service

[SeeingEyeDog]

Greetings brothers,

      The fall weather has turned ideal in my area for baseball and I hope where you are, too.

      I'm firing my "tailor" (dry cleaner on the corner) because they can't/won't tailor my pants as I have asked. I like the look of a slightly longer hem in the back (heel area) and a slightly shorter (instep area). I dunno'..."The Drape" look? My current tailor hems them at 90 degrees no matter what I tell them to do. (If only there was some sort of handheld, pocket device that could display a picture of how I want my pants to look...)

     My questions are...When you order pants from Gerry Davis with tailoring service (+$15), do they come with "The Drape" or do they come with 90 degree hems? And finally, what are the guidelines for measuring one's inseam to ensure I transmit the correct measurement to them? I'll hang up and listen to your answers...

~Dog

[MadMax]

I never let the seller do a pant hem for me. I've paid for Honig's to put numbers on my shirt and jacket sleeves, but that's it. 

I've gotten very fortunate that with all 3 places I've had pants hemmed, they've understood what the break should be. The first one was the athletic equipment repair & reconditioning shop I worked for in high school, who just so happens to do all the alterations and equipment maintenance for the Milwaukee Bucks, Brewers, Admirals and nearly all the universities and high schools in the area (Yup! This is where I cut my teeth on becoming a gear geek!). The founder and proprietor (my boss during high school) was Old World Italian, and appreciated the cut of a fine suit. He and his staff would do all the uniform tailorings for the pro players off hand measurements, and I can still remember him dawdling around the shop with a cloth tape measure draped over his shoulders. I fell out of touch with them, and I since found another seamstress in Waukesha who designs and fabricates her own clothing line. She does alterations, but insists on doing hand measurements based on you wearing the garment in her shop. This is key – you wear the plate shoes and the shin guards (if plate pants), or wear your base shoes and get into a hands-on-knees stance (if base pants), so the tailor/seamstress can see how the pant rises and falls. This same lady also altered and tailored my plate coat exceptionally well, and constructed the ball pockets from scratch.

In Phoenix, we have the benefit of having a fairly large population of Armed Forces servicemen (and women), as well as a good amount of LEOs. I just so happened to locate a seamstress who understands and performs a "parade ground break" when she stitches a hem. Several of my fellow Vultures are former military, and they insist and expect us to get "parade ground" -worthy alterations to our uniforms.

See if you can locate a tailor or seamstress who does alterations for Armed Forces, LEOs, or Fire Service.

What I also recommend, for proper draping, is to double, hide, or add additional fabric in the hem, along the bottom edge. This will aid in keeping the pant leg lying straight and falling down to a proper break in wind, or when you complete a mad dash.

[kylejt]

Living in San Diego, most dry cleaners know this, but my uniform shop, where my LEO gear comes from, does a great job on proper pants hems. 

 

[Ump0000]

Always go to a taylor for hems, not the retailer.