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The Lowdown:
The difference between a stylish wardrobe and one that's forgettable isn't how much you spent, but how well everything fits. A good tailor can fix that, for less than you think.
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Most men think a style upgrade requires a shopping trip. It doesn’t. Your best outfit is already hanging in your wardrobe – it’s just hiding behind a bad fit. That suit that almost fits, the shirt gapping at your chest, or the trousers pooling at your ankles aren’t write-offs; they’re starting points. To unlock them, you only need one thing: a great tailor.
We spoke to Scott Grant, an expert tailor from Lupo Bianco, the Sydney custom house behind the wardrobes of UFC champion Alex Pereira, lightweight boxing champion George Kambosos, and Australian representative Eloni Vunakece, to find out what it actually takes to dress well. The answer, whether you’re altering what you own or eventually going full custom, starts and ends in the same place: a great tailor.
Related read: The Best Suit Tailors in Sydney
Start Here: Fix What You Already Own
Before you spend a dollar on anything new, consider what’s already in your wardrobe. A piece of clothing that doesn’t fit quite right – whether that be a shirt, jeans, chinos, a suit et cetera – isn’t a dead end but a starting point. Bespoke, targeted alterations can close the gap between what you bought and what you should look like wearing it, often for well under $100. The question is knowing where to start.
What Can You Alter? Almost Anything
Alterations aren’t just for suits – you can get almost anything in your wardrobe altered. A dress shirt that fits your shoulders but billows at the waist? A tailor can take it in for less than $50. Chinos that are right in the seat but too long or too wide in the leg? Easy fix. A blazer that sits nicely across the chest but makes you look like you borrowed it from someone bigger? That’s a $60–$100 job that will make it look like it was cut for you. The principle is the same regardless of the garment: fit is the difference between a stylish wardrobe and clothes that are simply functional.
The One Alteration Most Men Never Think to Ask For
When it comes to suits and jackets specifically, Grant’s most impactful alteration is surprisingly simple.
“The most impactful alteration is to the midsection – the waist area of the jacket,” he says. “When you bring that in, it exposes the physique for what it truly is. It makes the shoulders appear wider and gives the whole suit a wow factor – a real X shape, a V look.”
This is the alteration that separates men who look like they can dress, from men who look like they borrowed their dad’s blazer. A jacket sized to fit your chest will almost always swamp your waist. Taking it in doesn’t change the structure of the garment, but it does makes it look deliberate. That one change alone can transform a suit, and it’ll typically set you back less than $100.
What Bad Fit Actually Looks Like
Whether it’s a suit, a shirt, or a pair of trousers, the signs of a bad fit are consistent once you know what to look for: things that are too long or too short, a silhouette that’s boxy instead of structured, and fabric that pulls where it should drape. On a suit specifically, the boxy look is the big one and is the hallmark of a jacket bought to fit the widest part of the body and left at that.
“A boxy-looking suit is the massive factor,” Grant says. “And it usually comes from trying to get a suit to fit perfectly off the rack. No suit off a rack will do that – everyone’s body is unique.”
The trap Grant describes is probably familiar for most men: size down for a snug fit and the sleeves run short, the jacket pulls across the back, the trousers pinch. Size up for comfort and now you’re swimming in something that two sizes too big. So what’s the solution? Finding a good tailor, of course.
The Easiest Alteration Wins (and What They Cost)
| Garment | Service | Estimated Cost (AUD) | Visual Impact |
| Trousers | Shorten or lengthen hem | $20 – $45 | High – Fixes pooling fabric at the shoe |
| Trousers | Waist and seat adjustment | $25 – $45 | Moderate – Improves comfort and rear profile |
| Trousers | Tapering legs (slim fit) | $35 – $60 | High – Modernises the silhouette |
| Shirts | Shorten sleeves | $30 – $50 | Moderate – Ensures cuffs sit at the wrist |
| Shirts | Tapering sides (darts) | $30 – $50 | High – Removes “muffin top” fabric at the waist |
| Jackets | Waist suppression | $60 – $110 | Very High – Creates the sought-after V-shape |
| Jackets | Shorten sleeves | $50 – $90 | High – Shows the correct amount of shirt cuff |
| Jackets | Shorten jacket length | $70 – $120 | Moderate – Corrects the torso-to-leg ratio |
| Jackets | Narrowing shoulders | $110 – $180 | Low ROI – Complex and often looks unnatural |
| Full Suit | Complete tailored overhaul | $150 – $350 | Maximum – Transforms an off-the-rack buy |
That means for somewhere between $50 and $150 on average, (depending on how much work your clothes need) you can absolutely transform your wardrobe. Targeted alterations are the highest return-on-investment move in men’s style, and too few men are doing it.
How to Find a Good Tailor (And How to Brief One)
Finding someone capable is one thing. Knowing how to communicate what you want is another. But according to Grant, what separates a good tailor from a great one isn’t technique but whether they can take what you’ve told them and make you feel the result before a single alteration has been made.
“A good tailor will sell you on features – ‘this fabric can do this, this detail does that’. But what you should look for is someone who can explain your vision back to you. Someone who makes you feel what it’s like to be wearing the clothes while you’re still sitting in the room. They sell you the feeling and the moment. That’s what a great tailor does.”
In practice: look for someone who asks questions before they offer answers. A tailor who immediately starts talking at you about thread count is just selling. A tailor who asks about the occasion, the look, the feeling you’re after – that’s someone worth their weight in gold.
Go in with the garment and be specific about what’s bothering you. If you don’t know what’s off, let your tailor assess the situation. A good eye will find the problem (and the fix) quickly.
Why Every Man Should Have at Least One Custom Suit
When looking at suits specifically, there’s a ceiling to what alterations can achieve. A suit that’s structurally wrong (shoulders too wide, a chest that’s too large) will cost more to alter than it’s worth, if it can be fixed at all. And once you’ve experienced what a perfectly fitted suit actually feels like on your body, you’ll quickly notice the difference between ‘altered to fit’ and ‘made to fit’.
Custom suiting starts from your exact measurements and builds a suit around your body and not a size range. There are no compromises baked in from the start, and everything part of the suits sits perfectly on your body.
How Much does a Custom Suit Cost?
The cost of a custom suit will depend on where you go, but for a premium tailor and suit, you’re looking at about $1,500.
“It’s not breaking the bank, but it’s not a cheap suit by any means,” says Grant. “Take care of it and it’ll last you quite a long time.”
$1,500 is not nothing. But the best-dressed men understand that a suit isn’t really a purchase but an an investment in how you move through the world. At that price point, you’re buying craft, fabric quality, and a fit that no off-the-rack garment can replicate regardless of what it costs. And a well-made suit, looked after well, can last a decade. Amortised over years of use, the cost per wear argument becomes very easy to make.
The Perfect Suit Cheat Sheet: Colour, Fabric, Pattern
On fabric, the Australian climate makes the decision for you. Merino wool is the answer – light, breathable, naturally temperature-regulating, and durable enough to work across every season.
Grant is unequivocal: “It’s like nature’s perfect active fibre.” The GSM – grams per square metre, the measure of fabric weight – is one of the most important factors, and probably not for the reason you’d expect.
It’s not so much about warmth as it is about drape. A higher GSM means gravity does more work, pulling the suit into a fluid, structured hang even the best tailor can’t manufacture from a lighter cloth. Go too heavy in an Australian summer, though, and you’ll feel it. Merino at a mid-weight GSM threads that needle neatly.
What does Grant say to avoid entirely? Tweed. Thick, dense (often itchy) and built for a British autumn, it has no business in an Australian wardrobe outside of a sports jacket in the coldest months.
And for pattern, herringbone is the luxury move if you want texture and style that works across all occassions, while pinstripe, checks and plaid are the ones that box you in.
The Perfect Suit Breakdown:
| Category | Recommended Choice | Why it Works for Australia |
| Colour | Dark Navy | Most versatile; suitable for business, weddings, and evening events. |
| Fabric | Merino Wool | Natural “active” fibre; breathable in summer and insulating in winter. |
| Weight | 240 – 280 GSM | The “sweet spot” for year-round wear in the Australian climate. |
| Pattern | Herringbone | Adds luxury texture without the “boxed-in” feel of stripes or checks. |
| Weave | Twill or Hopsack | Twill offers a classic drape; Hopsack is more breathable for Australian heat. |
| Construction | Half-Canvas | Provides structure and longevity without the heavy heat of a full canvas. |
A Stylish Wardrobe Starts with Fit
The path to building a stylish wardrobe isn’t complicated. Start with what you own, find a tailor and fix the fit. Once you know what well-fitted clothes are supposed to feel like, everything changes: how you shop, what you keep, and what you’ll never settle for again.
Custom Suiting: MTM vs Bespoke
| Feature | Made-to-Measure (MTM) | Bespoke |
| Pattern | A pre-existing base pattern adjusted to your size. | A unique paper pattern drafted from scratch for you. |
| Fittings | Usually 1–2 (Initial and final). | Multiple (3–5+), including a “basted” (unfinished) fitting. |
| Precision | Excellent for most standard body types. | Essential for unique postures (sloping shoulders, etc.). |
| Cost (AUD) | $900 – $1,800 on average. | $2,500 – $5,000+ for true bespoke. |
| Timeframe | 4 – 6 weeks. | 8 – 12 weeks. |
Common Questions About Tailored Suits
To a point, yes. Fit is the biggest visual cue of quality (a well-altered $300 suit will almost always look better than a $600 suit worn as-is). There are limits (fabric quality and construction will always show at close range) but for most occasions, fit closes the gap significantly.
The general rule: if the alteration costs more than 30–40% of what the garment is worth, it’s probably not worth it. Shoulder alterations on a cheap jacket are rarely worth the money. But hemming trousers, tapering a shirt, or suppressing a jacket waist almost always are.
Wear or bring the shoes you’d normally pair with the piece – heel height affects trouser length. If it’s a suit, wear a dress shirt. The more context you give the tailor, the better the outcome.
Most tailors handle everyday garments. For delicate fabrics (silk, lace), leather, or heavily structured pieces like tailored jackets, it’s worth seeking someone with specific experience. Ask before you hand anything over.
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