In fashion & textiles, take in means: To make a garment or part of it narrower or tighter by sewing the seams further in, for example at the waist or side seams.
In Turkish: daraltmak, içeri almak
How it is used
Used in fittings, alterations and fit comments. The opposite is let out, which makes a garment wider using the seam allowance. You take in a dress at the waist, take in the side seams or take a jacket in at the back.
Example sentences
Can you take in the waist by 2 cm? The skirt keeps slipping down.
The side seams were taken in, but now the jacket pulls across the back.
Common collocations
take in the waist
take in the side seams
take in and let out
take in at the back
Related terms
alterationA change made to a finished garment so that it fits a particular person better, such as shortening sleeves or taking in the waist.
seam allowanceThe extra fabric between the stitching line and the cut edge of a pattern piece, which makes it possible to sew and finish the seam.
fittingA session in which a garment or sample is tried on a person or form to check and correct its fit before it is finished or produced.
waistbandThe band of fabric sewn around the top of trousers, a skirt or shorts, which holds the garment at the waist.
