How Much Does It Cost to Get Clothes Tailored in London?

London tailors and alteration shops are everywhere — from the dry cleaner with a sewing machine to Savile Row — and prices vary just as wildly. A simple hem might be £8 at one place and £25 at another, with no obvious quality difference. I’ve used alteration services across London for years, from emergency wedding fixes to routine suit adjustments, and the price landscape finally makes sense to me. If “how much does it cost to get clothes tailored in london” is the question you’ve been asking, here’s the straight answer — practical, honest, and based on what actually works.

Here’s what alterations actually cost in London in 2026, what’s worth altering versus replacing, and how to find a good tailor without paying Savile Row prices for a hem.

Real alteration prices in London

Basic hems: trousers £10–£18, jeans (keeping the original hem) £12–£20, dresses/skirts £12–£25 depending on lining and fabric. Waist adjustments: taking in trouser/skirt waist £15–£30, letting out (if fabric allows) £15–£30. Jacket work: shortening sleeves £15–£30, taking in the sides £25–£45, relining £80–£150 (often not worth it unless the jacket is quality).

Dress alterations: hemming £15–£30, taking in sides £20–£40, adjusting straps £8–£15. Bridal and formal wear costs more — wedding dress alterations typically run £80–£300+ depending on complexity, and always book a specialist with bridal experience, not a general dry cleaner. Zips: replacing a dress zip £12–£20, a coat/jacket zip £20–£40 (the zip itself plus labour).

Trouser hem: £10–£18 | Jeans (original hem): £12–£20
Waist in/out: £15–£30
Jacket sleeves shortened: £15–£30 | Jacket sides taken in: £25–£45
Dress hem: £15–£30 | Dress sides: £20–£40
Zip replacement: £12–£40 depending on garment
Wedding dress alterations: £80–£300+ (specialist only)

Prices skew higher in central London (Zone 1 adds 20–40%) and lower in outer boroughs. Dry cleaners offering alterations are usually cheapest; dedicated alteration shops mid-range; proper tailors most expensive but worth it for structured garments.

What’s worth altering vs replacing

The rule: alter good fabric and good bones; replace cheap basics. A £150 wool blazer with a £30 sleeve alteration becomes a £180 blazer that fits like bespoke — excellent value. A £15 fast-fashion top with a £20 alteration is money wasted; buy the right size instead. The alteration should cost no more than about a third of the garment’s value (replacement cost, not what you paid second-hand — a £30 Vinted Reiss blazer is a £200 blazer for this maths).

Almost always worth it: hemming trousers and jeans (cheap, transformative), taking in waists (the most common fit issue, cheap fix), shortening jacket sleeves, and nipping dress sides. Rarely worth it: relining cheap jackets, major restructuring (turning a boxy jacket fitted is possible but £60+), letting out garments with no seam allowance (check inside — if there’s no extra fabric, it can’t be done), and altering very cheap fabrics that won’t hold stitching.

Second-hand plus tailoring is the power combination: a £25 charity-shop suit plus £60 of alterations fits better than a £150 new suit. This is how stylish people on budgets do it — the tailor is the secret weapon. For the suit-specific version, see suits under £200 and wedding suit costs.

Finding a good tailor in London

Word of mouth wins: ask well-dressed colleagues, check local Facebook groups and Reddit’s r/London for recommendations, look for shops with consistent five-star Google reviews mentioning specific garments. A good sign: the tailor pins the garment on you and discusses options; a bad sign: they quote without looking at you wearing it. Turnaround is typically 3–7 days; express service (24–48 hours) usually adds 50–100%.

Dry cleaner alterations are fine for simple hems and zips — they’re fast and cheap. For anything structural (jackets, dresses, wedding wear), use a dedicated alteration tailor. Areas known for good value: Tooting, Walthamstow, and Greenford have excellent tailors at outer-London prices; Marylebone and the City charge central premiums. Some of the best value in London is in the alteration shops inside larger dry-cleaning chains — ask to see previous work.

Build the relationship: once you find a good tailor, bring everything there. They’ll learn your fit preferences, warn you off unfixable purchases (“don’t buy that, the shoulders can’t be altered”), and often do small fixes (loose buttons, tiny hems) for free or a fiver. A good tailor on speed dial is one of adulthood’s quiet luxuries — and in London, it’s more affordable than people assume.

DIY: what you can do yourself

Basic hand-sewing handles a surprising amount: loose buttons (£0, ten minutes, YouTube tutorial), small hems on unlined garments, and emergency fixes (safety pins and fashion tape, £5, belong in every bag). A starter sewing kit costs under £10 and pays for itself with the first saved garment.

Iron-on hemming tape (£3–£5) does acceptable temporary trouser hems — fine for a one-off event, not a permanent solution (it fails in the wash eventually). For the committed, a basic sewing machine (£80–£150) opens up simple alterations and repairs; local adult-education colleges run beginner courses for £50–£100. But know your limits: structured tailoring (jackets, lined garments, anything with interfacing) needs professional equipment and skill. DIY the simple stuff; pay a professional for the rest. Your clothes — and your tailor — will thank you.

Bridal alterations: what to expect

Wedding dress alterations are a specialist world: budget £150–£350 for typical adjustments (hemming layers, taking in bodice, bustle for the train), more for complex restructuring or intricate beadwork. Book 2–3 months before the wedding; you’ll need 2–3 fittings. Bring your wedding shoes and undergarments to every fitting — hem length depends entirely on shoe height, and this is the most common fitting error.

The bustle — gathering the train for the reception — deserves discussion at fitting one, not discovery on the day. Practice bustling with your maid of honour present; label the loops if needed. And build a small emergency kit: fashion tape, sewing kit, stain remover, plasters. Bridal specialists (not general dry cleaners) are worth every penny here — beaded, boned, layered gowns need expertise, and the price difference is small relative to the dress cost.

One money-saving truth: buying a dress that’s close to your size minimises alteration costs. A dress needing two sizes of taking-in can cost £300+ in alterations; the “bargain” sample two sizes too big often isn’t. Factor alteration estimates into the purchase decision, not after.