Removing elbow patches

[carldelo]

I have a new OTR sports jacket that I really like, but I'm not digging the elbow patches. I'm not wild about patches to begin with, plus they'll be sitting in the wrong position once the sleeves are shortened, i.e. they'll be too close to my wrists.

Anyway, I'm considering having my tailor remove them as part of the fitting, and was wondering if anyone here had done the same in the past and what the results were. It seems like there shouldn't be any trouble, really, I just thought I'd check before attempting this on a new jacket (it was inexpensive, at least).

Thanks for any feedback.

PS my tailor is quite competent, so I'll obviously be asking her opinion, but I'm interested to hear any Lounge anecdotes.

 

[Fastuni]

What untowardly thing should happen?
Removing the stitching is no difficulty. Since the coat is new, there will be no fading/color difference.

I assume it is a woolen/Tweed-like fabric... so nothing will be seen from the stitching after a good dampening/ironing.
It could be problematic with thinner, more delicate fabrics with smooth surface.

 

[carldelo]

...It could be problematic with thinner, more delicate fabrics with smooth surface.

Ah, there's the rub. The fabric is quite lightweight, 95% wool / 5% poly with a smooth finish. I really like how thin and breathable it is. But it makes the patches feel obtrusive because they're relatively heavy, and I do worry a little about seeing a vestige of the stitching. Really, there's no reason this jacket should have patches.

 

[Baron Kurtz]

Modern?

In addition to the stitching, I wouldn't be surprised if the patches are glued to the fabric. This will be seriously problematic, but should be easy to find out. You may just have to put up with the patches in that case.

 

[carldelo]

Modern?

In addition to the stitching, I wouldn't be surprised if the patches are glued to the fabric. This will be seriously problematic, but should be easy to find out. You may just have to put up with the patches in that case.

Yes, it's a new modern OTR jacket. Good point about gluing, that should be easy to check by turning the sleeves inside out - thanks. If the patches can't come off, I'll be returning the jacket in this case.