Tin Trousers

10/10/2026

𝗔 𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗹𝗲 𝘀𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘀𝗵 𝗼𝗳 𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗽! 💗

Military uniforms might be our speciality, but we do get to work on some rather lovely civilian pieces too.

Jo recently had the job of replacing the back of a gentleman's waistcoat with this fabulous pink fabric, making sure the groom would coordinate perfectly with the bridesmaids on his wedding day.

Sometimes it's the little details that bring everything together, and we rather love this one!

Not quite our usual black and gold, but certainly a welcome change of colour in the workshop.

09/10/2026

𝗧𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸 𝗴𝗼𝗼𝗱𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗶𝘁'𝘀 𝗻𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗹𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗸𝗲𝗻𝗱! 😅🧵

It's been another busy week at TTHQ, but even on a Friday afternoon there's still time to learn something new!

Here we have Jo showing our newest tailor, Enola, the correct positioning and technique for making beckets on a jacket, once the medal ribbons have been positioned. Ellie is also on hand with a few tips on how to hold and manage the threads, so you don't end up with one enormous knot instead!

One of the lovely things about having a workshop full of experienced tailors is that the learning never really stops. Between the team we have over 𝟭𝟰𝟬 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗹𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲, and there's always someone who knows a different technique, has a solution to a tricky problem or can pass on a little bit of knowledge they've picked up over the years.

No matter how long you've been tailoring, there's always something to learn from the person sitting next to you.

And with that, I think we're all just about ready for the weekend!

Have a lovely Friday evening everyone!

08/10/2026

Look Closer… it's all in the details. 🧵

Three jackets striped up by the team at TTHQ today, and three lovely examples of something we take great care over.

Look closely at where the gold lace meets at the sleeve seams. Each stripe has been carefully positioned so that the stripes match perfectly at the seam.

It's the sort of thing that can easily go unnoticed, but it's something our tailors take real pride in getting right.

A small detail perhaps, but one that makes all the difference to the finished uniform.

Times may change. Standards must remain.

07/10/2026

Things we never thought we’d be embroidering at Tin Trousers… a boxing salmon. 🥊🐟

One of the more unusual pieces to come off the embroidery machine recently, and this one is now on its way out to a ship.
We get asked to make some wonderfully random things alongside the stripes, badges and uniforms - but we’re fairly certain a salmon wearing boxing gloves is a first!

Definitely deserved a photo before it left TTHQ.

06/10/2026

Something a little different on the workbench this week 🚀

A Space Command goldwork badge, supplied and fitted above the Warrant Officer badge on a No.1 uniform.

We see an awful lot of different badges and insignia come through the workshop, but this isn't one we get to work with every day!

Definitely one worth a photo before it left us.

05/10/2026

How long can it really take to sew a few stripes of gold lace onto a sleeve?

Quite a long time, as it happens, because striping up a Royal Navy officer's uniform involves considerably more than simply removing one rank and sewing another in its place.

The fit is checked first, then the sleeves are opened, the old lace and stitching carefully removed, the sleeves prepared and interfaced, and the new rank measured and sewn into place by hand. Everything then has to be rebuilt and pressed before the uniform is cleaned, checked and ready to go back to its owner.

There are hours of skilled tailoring involved in each jacket, even though most of that work should be completely invisible when it's finished.

This week's Workshop Wisdom explains the whole process, why we replace all of the existing gold lace on promotion and some of the other things that may need updating with a new rank or appointment.

Read the full article here: https://www.tintrousers.com/workshop-wisdom/promoted-what-needs-to-be-changed-on-a-royal-navy-officers-uniform

Getting promoted is always good news, but then comes the job of getting your uniforms ready for your new rank. Striping up can look as simple as adding another piece of gold lace to a sleeve, but there is considerably more involved if it is going to be done properly, particularly if the uniform has

04/10/2026

Where can you find Tin Trousers this week? 📍

We’re out and about again this week, as well as keeping everything moving at TTHQ.

🇬🇧 Tuesday: London
We’ll be at Huckletree, 1 Horse Guards Avenue, London from 1100–1300.

If you’re London-based and need help with your uniform, alterations, striping up, medals, or simply want to come and talk to us about what you need, this is your chance to catch us in the capital.

⚓ Wednesday morning: HMS Nelson
We’ll be at the Wardroom from 0730–1145.

⚓ Wednesday lunchtime: HMS Collingwood
Find us at the Wardroom from 1215–1300.

🧵 Monday to Friday: TTHQ
The workshop at Charles House, Gosport Marina is open as usual from 0900–1700.

So whether you come to us in Gosport, catch us on base, see us in London or send your uniform to us, you don’t have to be local to use Tin Trousers.

Wherever we see you this week, come and say hello!

03/10/2026

There's a new face at TTHQ… 🐾

Meet Winston, a baby English Bulldog and, apparently, Erin's new best friend.

Winston won't be joining us every day, but he will be making the occasional appearance at TTHQ, where his responsibilities currently include distracting Erin, investigating absolutely everything and being available for cuddles.

His tailoring skills remain untested.
We're not entirely sure how much work is going to get done when he's here, though. 😂

Welcome to Team TT, Winston. 💛

02/10/2026

Thank goodness it’s Friday! 😅

It has been one of those weeks at TTHQ...

The rails are full, the workshop has barely stopped, and an incredible amount of work has made its way through the hands of the team this week.

Striping up, alterations, medals, embroidery, fittings, second-hand kit, bespoke work... and quite a few “can you possibly do this for me?” jobs thrown in for good measure!

So tonight’s post is simply a huge thank you to the TT team for another manic week, and to all of our customers for continuing to keep us quite this busy.

We’re switching the machines off, shutting the workshop door and calling it a week.

Have a lovely weekend everyone. We’ll be back at it on Monday!

01/10/2026

It’s always a privilege to be trusted with medals that belonged to a much-loved family member.

It’s rarer that we get to see them not only in their original, untouched form, but with the story of the man behind them too. And this one was quite a story.

These medals came to us still with their original box, alongside a newspaper cutting telling the remarkable story of the man who earned them.

The family asked us not to clean the medals and to retain the original ribbons, preserving them as they were rather than making them look new. Our job was simply to mount them properly, while keeping as much of their history intact as possible.

Jobs like this are about so much more than medals. They’re pieces of someone’s history, and we never forget that when they’re entrusted to us.

Thank you for trusting us with them.

Times may change. Standards must remain.