make sure you choose trousers that stay around your waist! I used to laugh at kids with their trousers half way down their legs, but it seems the stores are selling them in this style

You are expected to tailor them

When I've bought suits here in the past they also expect to tailor them to make sure they fit you exactly, both the trousers and jacket. I've even bought shirts here where they've tailored them to fit me better. And normally for free

I think you will find that most on here left the "suits" behind when they came to Spain, as a symbol of a life change.

A tailor catering to expats would have less work than one working for Tarzan.

You're so right! Before I left the UK I got rid of at least 20 "business suits" (mostly to charity shops) - it felt rather like the ritual we used to have of trashing your school hat on the day you left for good (do they still do that, I don't suppose most have hats to begin with, now)!

I often look at clothes in UK shops when I go back to visit now, and have to force myself not to buy them as I wouldn't have any occasion to wear them. I'm still mourning the Prada dress I found in TKMaxx for 10% of the original marked price, but it was really "office" wear and the fabric too heavy to wear in Spain, so I had to leave it behind.

You really are different from the rest of us on this forum, and by your posts you must see it.

Tailoring a shirt to make it fit better!!!!!

If Ifound a shirt that did not fit me well, I would try another one,simples.

One can always be found unless one has a hump like a wok on your back.

Most on here do not do dress functions, and find that smart casual does for the events they attend.

I've still got one suit and a couple of ties left for weddings and funerals, but I noticed at the last funeral that most people now wear casual clothes, even my dead pal in his coffin.

And was he wearing square toed shoes?

My OH is the same, never wears a suit except for weddings and funerals. Not everybody dresses casually for funerals even now, though - his oldest friend died earlier this year and we went to the funeral in the UK. There were about 50 of his former workmates there, every one of them in black suit, white shirt and black tie - it looked like a scene from Reservoir Dogs!

Or a ladies night in Great Queen Street.

Ah, how little you appear to know about fashion, styles and fitting. It simply isn't always possible to recreate the same shape from the same fabric after cutting a huge chunk off the bottom. Sometimes there just isn't enough fabric in the right places.

If it were really as simple as you say, it wouldn't be a problem.

I'm not saying I know anything about what the right thing to do is, I am only telling you what the shops expect you to do!

I suppose you have short legs. I have a friend who is a barrister and under 5ft tall, she has to get all her suits tailored

That's the thing, they're no shorter than average and even a bit longer than some. That's why I just don't get it.

As already mentioned, normally trousers are long simply to allow for alterations. It's cheaper than storing different lengths as you do in the UK... and pay extra for that choice by the way. Many times I get annoyed because I can find short and normal but not long in my size and prefer a system where you can get exactly what you need whatever your legs lenght.

I never had any issue getting an alteration in Spain if needed, and in many places they are done free.

If you are talking about "real" fashion that cost a lot of money, then you can afford getting things tailored. For normal people, looking for normal street fashion, this is not a problem as the designs allow for adjustments if needed.

I remember when I first saw a tiny boxer strip peeping out of the jeans edge of a male model... I think it was an add for Calvin Klein? that was sexy!

Now... I'm not interested in seeing stupid kids' underwear, as their trousers start after their bottoms have already finished. It looks silly and they obviously haven't got a mind of their own to refuse dressing like clowns. Last week I had a couple of those in front of me, and I got the giggles, so at the end I had to wait and go out of my way, as I was about to start laughing and in these times unfortunately you can easily find a knife poking out of your belly at any moment if a small kid thinks you are not "respecting" him enough.

Even at work I had to tell a young colleague of mine on a casual Friday that I wasn't interested in knowing the colour of his boxers (navy blue with white skulls and bones...). I have never been able to look at him professionally again!

Jeez, whatevers happened to todays generation of females that they appear unable to take up a pair of trousers or use a needle and thread ?

I've been capable of doing my own patching, stitching and repairs, if needed, since I was in my teens and I didn't join the lasses at domestic science at school neither.

Dives for cover from the incoming. !