Tailoring at PAU: made to measure, and altered

Not on campus, which is why we do this. Tell us what needs doing and we collect the garment from your block, take it to a tailor we have used before, and bring it back when it is done.

Everyday things: dress, shirt, blouse, trouser, skirt and jumpsuit alterations, taken in, let out or hemmed, and trouser shortening. Tailoring proper: suit, dinner suit, tuxedo, morning suit, wedding suit and waistcoat alterations, and coat or jacket relining. Occasion wear: ball gowns, evening dresses, prom dresses. Native: agbada and kaftan alterations. The harder materials: leather, suede, shearling and fur coat alterations and repairs. And the small jobs that are most of the work, which are zip replacement, general repairs, and jean shortening with the original finish kept so it does not look cut. If what you need is not on that list, ask anyway: it is what we are asked for most, not everything a tailor can do.

It depends on the garment and the job, so we agree the price with the tailor and tell you before anything is cut. Nothing is started until you say yes.

Yes, and it is half of what this is for. Native wear, a suit, a gown, aso ebi for a wedding: tell us what you want and when you need to be wearing it, and we find a tailor who does that kind of work and agree the price before anything is cut. We can buy the fabric on the way if you do not have it, so it is one errand rather than two.

Longer than you think and it depends entirely on the tailor's queue, which is worst before the events everybody else is also dressing for. Lead with your date rather than your design: it decides whether the thing is possible at all, and we would rather tell you no at the start than late.

The tailor takes your measurements if you do not have them, and for something made there is usually a fitting partway through as well. Say if getting to a fitting is hard and we work round it, but a garment made without one is a garment nobody can promise will fit.

Yes. Tell us roughly what you want and what you would spend, and we send you pictures and a price before anything is bought. Nothing is cut until you have seen it and said yes.

Try it on while we are still at your block. If it is not right it goes straight back with us and the tailor fixes it. That is far easier on the day than a week later.