Cut Your New Suit With Scissors

Yes, cut your brand new suit with scissors!  Say what?!

Many of you have already started your summer internship or may be embarking on your first job after graduation.  With this new adventure comes professional clothes including suits, and before you know it fall and winter along with the purchase of your first wool dress coat. Many new professionals have read plenty of articles about how to dress for success. However, what many of these pieces do not tell you is about jacket vents, skirt slits, sewn on tags, and those tricky pockets that are sealed shut.

Take a look at your new suit. Is there a vent on the back of the jacket or a slit on the skirt?  If yes, chances are the manufacturer sewed those shut with an easy to identify “x”.  This needs to be removed.  Shocking but true. So, why did they put it there?  Well, in order to keep the clothing from getting creased and making it easier for pressing when it arrives at the stores, the “x” holds it together. So, get cutting!

Now take a look at that same suit or a nice pair of dress pants or skirt.  Notice how there are pockets but you can’t get your hand in there?  Well, this is because they are sewn shut and you need to cut it open!  Again, designers and manufacturers do this so the pocket does not get creased or damaged when people try on the garment.  Many times you can stick on finger in a little opening in the pocket and pull it open. Don’t be afraid, you may have to pull hard or use a scissor, and don’t forget to cut off all the extra thread that may hang loose.

And last but not least, look at your suit jacket arms or the arms of your 100% wool coat.  What do you see? Yep, a sewn on tag that tells everyone in the world what material your coat is made of and who designed it.  Believe me, nobody cares and or is impressed when they see it.  This is not a mattress tag – cut that tag off!

Good luck with your scissors and happy cutting!