Hems, take-ins, repairs
Clothing alterations
Trousers, jeans, jackets, dresses: resized and repaired by hand at the same bench where Gregory has worked since 1978.
Chapter 01
The common jobs
Most of what comes through the door is straightforward, and no less careful for it. Trouser and jeans hems are an everyday job, along with taking in or letting out a waist so a pair actually sits where it should. Sleeve length comes up constantly too, one customer had a coat with arms that were too long and had them shortened, calling the result professional and said Gregory went the extra mile to get it right.
Zippers and linings are another regular repair, replacing a broken zipper or mending a torn lining so a favorite jacket or dress keeps going instead of getting retired. Belt holes get punched to fit a new waist size. None of it is glamorous work, it's the kind of steady alteration and repair that keeps clothes you already own fitting and looking the way they should.
A navy satin strap with a stitched repair, a customer garment brought in for alteration
How a fitting works
You put the garment on and Gregory pins the changes directly onto you, marking with chalk where a hem falls, where a waist needs taking in, where a sleeve should end. That in person fitting is what makes the difference between a rough estimate and an alteration that actually fits.
The piece is re-checked again at pickup before it goes back to you, so nothing gets called finished until it's confirmed against your own body a second time. Walk ins are welcome for this kind of work, no appointment needed, though calling ahead to (617) 482-1111 never hurts if you want to make sure Gregory is free.
Chapter 03
What can't be done
Every garment has a seam allowance, and that allowance is the real limit on how much a waist or a seat can be let out. Once a garment has used up that extra cloth, there's nowhere left to go no matter how much the fit calls for it.
Gregory will tell you plainly at the fitting if a change isn't possible, rather than after the work is started. That honesty up front is part of what perfect fitting clothes are our number one priority actually means in practice, better to know before than after.
One customer wrote that Gregory took in a coat with arms that were too long and fixed it perfectly, calling him professional and willing to go the extra mile.