How long do suit alterations take?

Standard turnaround

For most alterations, standard turnaround is 7–10 working days from the day the garment is collected. That covers the journey to the workroom, the work itself, pressing and the return to your address.

The clock starts at collection, not at the request. We reply to every request by email within one working day. The visit is then arranged in a two-hour window that suits you, daily between 07:00 and 21:00.

Express and next-day work

Express turnaround is about 72 hours, at +30%. It is offered in London, Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds, Bristol, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Cardiff and Belfast when the work is hem, taper, waist or shirt — not full jacket recuts.

Next-day work at +50% is sometimes possible for simple jobs, where available. Ask when you book and we confirm before collecting, so you never pay for speed that cannot be delivered.

What takes longer

Some work needs more time than the standard window allows:

• Shoulder adjustments and jacket shortening, which are the most involved jacket changes
• Complex jacket work that needs a second fitting before it is finished
• Heavy coating and vintage construction, which are quoted after the visit
• Remote postcodes — Highlands, Western Isles and some Cornish and Cumbrian addresses — which are scheduled on a weekly run

How far ahead to book for an event

For a single suit before a specific date, a request two to three weeks ahead is comfortable with standard turnaround. For jacket work that may need a second fitting, allow a little longer.

For a wedding party, six to eight weeks before the day is comfortable and four weeks is the minimum for the wedding party rate. Everything is returned pressed at least seven days before the wedding, leaving time for a final try-on.

If the date is closer than that, send the request anyway. We will tell you what express work can do before anything is booked.

Seasonal timing

Overcoats and black tie both tend to be needed at once by everyone. Booking coat work at the end of the summer, and dinner suit work well before the season’s dinners and balls, avoids being caught by the rush.