On the same pavement as our brand’s Paris boutique, rue d’Aboukir, tucked into a kind of recess as though it did not want to draw too much attention, is a shop cherished by those for whom details matter. This is Zécaf Alterations. Inside, the place is overflowing with a cheerful jumble of spools in every colour, tools that prick and cut, machines that hum loudly when in use and, of course, all the shirts that the master of the house repairs and tends to one after another.
This small man, with eyes brimming with mischief, is called Coban Cafer and comes from distant Kurdistan. There, he grew up in a family of tailors and naturally became one himself when he needed to earn a living. At the time, Mr Cafer was even an ace at made-to-measure suits. In 1988, as his native region was shaken by yet another bout of political unrest, the craftsman left to live in Paris. For him, it was like a dream. “Paris has always been the fashion capital for me. I imagined very prim women, with long gloves and large hats,” he smiles today. In the big city, Mr Cafer was unable to establish himself as a tailor. But resourceful as he was, he eventually found work as an alterations tailor for a renowned designer: Thierry Mugler.
“Tie your knot beneath the button, not inside the shirt. It looks much neater!”
After several years working there, Coban Cafer opened his own alterations business on rue d’Aboukir in 2004. With some success: today, dozens of clients come to seek his help at his counter every day. “Once I return your garment to you, you will forget it has been altered,” Coban Cafer boasts with an enthusiastic, sincere laugh. “It will even be better than before!” At Hast, we often recommend that our clients visit the alterations tailor on rue d’Aboukir should they need to alter one of our pieces. For our journal, Coban Cafer of the renowned Zecaf alterations shop details the different alterations that can be made to a shirt.
Shortening
Sometimes we want to shorten our sleeves so that they fit our arms perfectly. In that case, the alterations tailor will choose to alter the garment from the cuff rather than the shoulder. “It is less expensive for the client. And with an alteration from the top, the arm may end up too tight,” explains Coban Cafer. In practical terms, this involves unpicking the seam of the sleeve placket, the strip of fabric running down the sleeve, as well as the seam holding the edge. Once this first step is complete, the excess fabric is cut away with large scissors, then the sleeve is reworked along its length so that the placket can be repositioned. “If you simply cut the sleeve and fold what remains over the placket, the length will not be what you want,” adds Coban Cafer.
Taking in
There are two very precise methods for making a shirt fit its wearer’s body a little more closely. If only a small adjustment is needed, the alterations tailor creates two parallel darts at the back: even, invisible folds of fabric. If, on the other hand, more substantial work is required, he removes long strips of fabric from the sides of the shirt. “We cut and remake!”
Pockets
Some of Mr Cafer’s more particular clients ask for their shirts to have extra pockets, or simply pockets at all. The alterations tailor then takes fabric from the shirt to create this detail. “So that nothing shows, I take the fabric from the back of the shirt,” explains Coban Cafer.
Tears
Mishaps happen. Like a providential character, the alterations tailor can retrieve threads from the shirt seam and darn the hole closed. According to Coban Cafer, this is costly work and fairly rare. He himself prefers to create a kind of zigzag with separate thread, reinforced with a patch sewn onto the reverse of the shirt. “When the tear is at the elbows because of friction, some clients like me to sew on elbow patches. It used to be unfashionable, and I have the impression it is becoming fashionable again,” says Coban Cafer.
Air
People with broad necks can sometimes feel a little short of air in their shirt. It is then possible to move the collar buttons for greater comfort. But take care: this can only be done by a few millimetres. Too great a shift could distort the alignment of the shirt. “And you mustn’t add fabric to the collar; it makes a shirt ugly!” warns Coban Cafer.
Ultimately, there is only one alteration you can carry out without the help of an alterations tailor. If you know how to thread a needle and use it, sewing on a button is not particularly complicated. Ideally, use thick thread for a better hold. A bonus tip from Coban Cafer: “Tie your knot beneath the button, not inside the shirt. It looks much neater!”
