What happens when you hand us a shirt to alter

Alterations are the reason this shop exists. We began in 2011 as a two-man alteration counter behind Luz Church, and the habit of fixing things while the customer waits has never left us.

When you try on a shirt, Selvam or one of the other tailors pins it on you, not on a table. Sleeves are marked with chalk at the point where the cuff meets the wrist bone with your arm relaxed, and a second mark is made with your arm bent, because a sleeve that is right standing can be short when you drive. Waists are pinned at the side seams in pairs, so the shirt stays balanced.

Upstairs, the cuff is unpicked, the sleeve is shortened from the cuff end so the placket stays in proportion, and the cuff is sewn back with the original thread colour. On a band-collar shirt this takes about fifteen minutes. Taking in the sides takes twenty-five, because both seams are re-sewn and overlocked again. Trouser hems are blind-stitched by hand on linen, since a machine hem shows a line on light fabric.

Every altered piece is pressed and checked on you once more before it goes in the bag. If something is still off by half a centimetre, it goes back up the stairs. This service is free for as long as you own the garment, and the most common request after a year of wear is not a repair but a slimmer taper on trousers.