A jacket that fits well at the shoulders but nowhere else is a common problem. The sleeves run past the shirt cuff. The body hangs loose rather than following the line of the wearer. The lining is shot. These things are fixable — and worth fixing when the jacket itself is a good piece.
We alter jackets at Angelz on Arlington Way, a short walk from Angel tube. Sleeve shortening, tapering, pocket repairs, and button work are all part of what we do. No appointment needed.
Jacket sleeves are the most common alteration we carry out on jackets. Sleeves that run too long — covering too much of the shirt cuff, or reaching the hand on a casual jacket — throw the proportion of the whole garment off.
Sleeve shortening is £44.99. That price reflects the work involved. Shortening a jacket sleeve is not simply cutting fabric from the bottom. The sleeve head is opened, the lining adjusted, the sleeve recut to the correct length, and the whole sleeve reset and finished at the shoulder so the result looks factory-made. A badly shortened sleeve shows immediately at the shoulder seam. Done properly, it is undetectable.
We shorten sleeves by the amount needed — a centimetre, two centimetres, or more. The shirt cuff should show approximately 1.5 to 2 centimetres below the jacket sleeve when the arm hangs naturally. We pin to this point unless you specify otherwise.
A jacket that is too wide across the body bags at the back, pulls at the front, and makes the whole garment look as though it belongs to someone else. Tapering brings the body in at the side seams for a slimmer, more fitted shape.
Tapering is £34.99. We assess the jacket before pinning — where it fits and where it does not. A jacket that fits well at the chest but is loose at the waist is tapered from the waist down. A jacket that is consistently too wide through the full body is taken in from the underarm to the hem. The lining is adjusted alongside the outer fabric so the jacket sits correctly inside and out.
Tapering changes the line of the jacket significantly. We press on a form after tapering so the new shape is set and the jacket hangs correctly before it leaves the shop.
A jacket that is too long for the body wearing it disrupts the proportions of the whole outfit. The bottom of the jacket should finish at the knuckles when the arm hangs naturally — this is the standard point of reference for most jacket lengths. If the jacket sits significantly below that, shortening it makes a considerable difference.
Body shortening is £39.99. The hem is opened, the jacket body reduced to the correct length, and the hem finished and pressed. The lining hem is adjusted at the same time.
Jacket pockets take daily use. Keys, phones, and hands put the pocket lining under consistent stress, and eventually the lining wears through at the corners or the mouth of the pocket.
Full pocket lining replacement is £24.99. Half replacement — repairing the worn section rather than replacing the whole lining — is £19.99. We also restitch loose or open pocket seams and repair pocket welts that have pulled away from the jacket body.
The Heritage Crafts Association — the UK charity that documents and supports traditional craft skills — lists tailoring among the crafts it monitors for continuity and skill preservation. Pocket construction and repair in particular sit within the more specialised end of tailoring work, requiring knowledge of how the pocket is built into the jacket’s internal structure rather than simply stitched onto it.
Elbow patches extend the life of a jacket where the sleeve has thinned or worn through at the elbow — common on tweed jackets, academic blazers, and any jacket worn with the arms frequently resting on hard surfaces. We apply elbow patches in leather or fabric at £24.99 per patch.
Leather patches are the more hardwearing option and suit casual and country-style jackets well. Fabric patches — cut from a matching or contrasting cloth — are more discreet and work better on smarter jackets where a leather patch would look out of place.
We assess the jacket before attaching patches. The patch needs to be positioned and stitched in a way that sits flat against the sleeve and does not distort the surrounding fabric.
Missing or loose buttons on a jacket are small problems that have an immediate visual impact. Jacket button replacement is £5.00 per button. Tightening a loose button before it goes is £3.00.
If the jacket has spare buttons — usually stitched inside the lining or attached to the care label — bring them along. We use them to keep the set matching. If not, we match from our stock as closely as the jacket’s buttons allow. A near-match in size and colour is usually achievable for most standard buttons.
A jacket with a torn or deteriorating lining is uncomfortable to wear and often affects the way the jacket sits externally too. Relining gives a structurally sound jacket a complete interior renewal.
Full jacket relining and silk relining are covered in detail on our dedicated jacket relining page in Angel. If you are bringing a jacket in for sleeve shortening or tapering and the lining also needs attention, we can assess and quote for both at the same visit.
We work on blazers, suit jackets, sports jackets, casual jackets, military-style jackets, and tailored wool jackets. Leather jackets are assessed individually and handled under our leather cleaning and repair service rather than standard alterations — the attachment methods and materials are different from fabric jackets.
For suit jackets worn as part of a two or three-piece, our suit tailoring service in Angel covers alterations to the full suit including the trousers and waistcoat alongside the jacket.
We alter the full range of outerwear alongside jackets. Our coat alterations service in Angel covers sleeve shortening, body shortening, and pocket repair for all coat types. The full overview of what our alteration team handles is on our clothing alterations page for Angel.
We are at 18 Arlington Way, Angel, EC1R 1UY — two minutes on foot from Angel tube on the Northern Line. Customers come in from across Islington, Clerkenwell, Pentonville, Finsbury, and King’s Cross.
Walk in and drop off. No appointment needed. Sleeve shortening and tapering typically take three to five working days. Pocket repair and button work are often quicker. We give you an accurate date at drop-off.
Can you shorten jacket sleeves on a leather jacket?
Leather jacket sleeve shortening is assessed individually — the method differs from fabric jackets. Bring it in and we will look at the construction before quoting.
My jacket fits at the chest but is too wide everywhere else. Can you fix that?
Yes. Tapering from the underarm down addresses excess fabric through the waist and hip of the jacket without touching the chest or shoulder. We pin the amount to take in before cutting anything.
Can you shorten sleeves on a jacket with surgeon’s cuffs — the ones with working buttonholes?
Working buttonholes make sleeve shortening more involved and sometimes limit how much can be taken off. We assess this before starting and discuss the options honestly.
How long do jacket alterations take?
Most alterations are ready within three to five working days. More involved work — body shortening alongside tapering, or relining at the same time as sleeve work — may take a little longer.
Trouser Alterations · Dress Alterations · Skirt Alterations · Coat Alterations · All Clothing Alterations · All Services
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