A Tailor’s Advice on Altering Your Formalwear

We’ve all been there: You have a big event coming up—and absolutely nothing to wear. Your months-long search on the usual sites has come up empty. You’re starting to lose hope. Then, one night, after refreshing your hyperspecific saved search on The RealReal for what feels like the 10th time this week, you spot it: the perfect dress.

You’re elated—until you click through to the listing and realize it’s nowhere close to your size. You wonder: Can this be salvaged by a savvy tailor? Or should I hold off and hope that something more size-appropriate materializes on Moda soon?

For a professional opinion, I called Marina Interlandi—owner of First Class Tailors in Brentwood, California, and my personal wardrobe wizard—to weigh in on this and other occasionwear q’s below.

A Q&A WITH MARINA INTERLANDI

How do formalwear alterations compare to everyday-clothing alterations?

There’s a lot more construction in formalwear, especially gowns. You’re often dealing with lining, boning, multiple layers of fabric—all of which make things more complicated. For instance, I just had somebody bring in a dress to be hemmed. It had this netting attached to the bottom that made it stiffer, so the hem stood away from the body and created this upside-down teacup effect. You couldn’t see it from the outside, but it was there on the inside. That meant I couldn’t just cut off the extra length; I had to also add that netting back. I wouldn’t say formalwear is more difficult, per se; I would just say it's more time-consuming. For a tailor, there’s really no such thing as “hard”—it’s more about how long something takes, which then translates into cost.

Speaking of cost, what can someone expect to pay for alterations on a formal dress?

Somebody once asked me if I had a price list. I said no, and it wouldn’t be a list—it would be a book because there are so many things you can do to a garment to change the cost of the alteration. That said, this is about what you can expect for some common alterations:

• Strap adjustment: $15 to $55
• Taking up the shoulders: $35 to $95
• Taking in the waist from the sides: $35 to $75
• Taking in the waist from the back zipper: $95 to $150
• Shortening the hem: $45 to $195
• Adding a bustle: $35

Editor’s note: Prices may vary depending on a number factors, like the complexity of work, your tailor’s expertise, your location, and your timeline.

How many sizes up or down can a dress realistically be altered?

If you can’t buy your actual size, you should only size up, never down, because formal dresses generally don’t have any fabric to let out. Now, can a dress be made bigger? Sure, it can—by creating a built-in corset in the back. I call it the Bridgerton look. You can buy yourself two, maybe three inches by doing this, but it can be very costly.

As far as buying bigger, I would say you can go up to two sizes up. Anything more than that is risky because that’s when the proportions start to get thrown off.

How do things like beadwork, appliqués, or embroidery affect what alterations are possible?

Unfortunately, there’s not a straightforward answer here since it really depends on the dress and where the decoration is placed. But a professional tailor can tell you what’s possible and what’s not. I once worked on a $10,000 Oscar de la Renta dress that was completely covered with floral appliqués—I’m talking daisies stacked one on top of another on top of another. We had to take each one off, make the alterations, and then sew it all back by hand. We got it done because we like to make things happen for our clients, but it was an expensive job. So it’s important to think about these things when you’re shopping and maybe factor in that additional cost to your budget.

I will say this: If the decoration interferes with the alteration—say there’s beading on the bodice or feathers on the hem—you can expect to add at least $200 to the cost of the alteration itself.

How much time should you give your tailor to work on a dress?

When you buy a formal dress, you first want to bring it to your tailor to make sure that they're willing to work on it. This can happen whenever you find the dress, whether that’s six months before the event or six weeks before.

Once you get the yes, set a reminder to return for a fitting no more than two weeks before the big day. I don’t like to work further out than that because our bodies are constantly changing, especially leading up to an event. Maybe you want to lose a little weight or gain a little muscle. Maybe you’ve had too much salt, so you’re retaining water. Or you’re on your period. You’re bloated, then you’re not bloated. Whatever the case may be, doing alterations two weeks out lets us fit the dress perfectly according to your current body situation. Obviously, this does not apply to wedding dresses, but it does apply to every other formal dress, be it a gown or a cocktail dress.

What formal alteration are you most proud of?

I have a lot. Even today, I had a new client come in to pick up her first piece. A week ago, she brought in this long sequin skirt, tried it on for me, and said, “What would you do to this?” And I said, “Honestly, I would slim the heck out of it. If you’re willing to walk like a little penguin, I would love to take the back slit away and make it skin-tight.” She was on board, so I did it. I already knew in my head how it would turn out, but when she put it on today and we both saw how fabulous it looked, I just had such a proud moment. She said, “I knew it was going to be good, I just didn't know it’d be this good.” Those moments are everything to me.