That $1,000 suit you bought from an exclusive Los Angeles tailor is expensive, but well worth the investment. It'll make or break your image, and you definitely don't want to go to a formal occasion wearing a suit that makes you look ridiculous, comical, or just plain scraggly -- especially when you're in Beverly Hills or Los Angeles, where the clothes you wear say a lot about you.

You've got to make sure that every single flat spot, every single angle and every single crease all work to your advantage, portraying you as a significant presence in the room. It's all about custom-fitting a suit to you. And that's where Beverly Hills and Los Angeles alterations fit in.

WHAT ARE ALTERATIONS?

Leave explaining the babble on proportions, sizes, measurements and symmetry to the professionals. In more down-to-earth terms, alterations are modifications to make your suit complement your physical features. It's as simple as that. Beverly Hills alterations and Los Angeles alterations are particularly notorious because of the level of attention and detail that local tailors give their customers. If you want quality suits and alterations to match the suit then Los Angeles and Beverly Hills are the places to go.

WHY GET THEM

If you think you can just buy a suit off the rack and bring it home right away your right, but don't expect to get a quality suit that highlights your physical features. Simply put, there is no such thing as "one-size-fits-all" when it comes to suits. That's where alterations come into play, by custom-fitting your suit to make you look stronger, more powerful and more respectable. Alterations are necessary for suits: one wrong proportion means the difference between a person who's trying to look cool and a professional who exudes coolness from his entire being.

WHEN TO GET THEM

Even when their suits are on the rack, high-quality and professional tailors normally provide on-the-spot alterations for customers who order a suit from them. When you pick out a suit, they take your measurements and adjust the suit to fit your body's proportions. But of course, people's bodies change over time. Whether you build more abs or the opposite, you'll still have to adjust your suit to have it serve your purposes.

It is not a pretty sight when you see a power suit that is hanging off a man who is skin and bones, or bulging grotesquely at the belly. A few alterations here and there will make sure the suit still retains its striking effect on people.

WHERE TO GET THEM

Whether it's a professional tailor who specializes in custom-men's suits or your next-door neighbor who knows little about tailoring, it's pretty easy to get alterations for your suit. However, you'll need a skilled tailor who knows what he or she's doing. As mentioned earlier, one wrong snip here, or a wrong stitch there and your thousand dollar suit is completely ruined. When you're looking for suit alterations, it's best to stick to prominent and skilled tailors who know what they're doing. This is why local tailors from Beverly Hills and Los Angeles who preform alterations are so renowned: these tailors are on top of the fashion business, and know how to alter a suit's proportions to perfectly 'suit' a customer.

Don't get lazy or skimp on the money when it comes to your modern-day 'suit of armor.' Suits are meant to be powerful and significant signs of a man's prowess. If you go outside in a suit that doesn't do its job properly, you're more likely to raise eyebrows than impress people, and alterations will help keep your armor in tip-top shape.