Best way to SHRINK oversize clothing?

[Jennasis]

So I finally got all the team apparel from TEAM USA for World Games and tried everything on last night. Suffice to say, not everything fits (at least nothing is too small). ALL of the clothes were ordered in Men's sizes...yes even the stuff intended for the ladies. So I ordered X-LG pants and LG tops (which is correct in ladies sizes). Now I have several polos that I am swimming in! So I was thinking if I washed the shirts that are too big in hot water and dried them on high heat, might that shrink them back into a more lady-friendly size?

Rather than risk ruinin the whole lot of it, I am doing a test right now on one shirt. Hopefully it will work. Any other suggestions would be great! Two shirts are 100%polyester (that microfiber/meshy kind of waffle weave, and two are cotton polos. All of the care instructions say to wash in cold and tumble dry on low.

 

[agnes!]

The polyester shirts will not shrink. If you are truly swimming in them, you might want to see if an experienced tailor/seamstress can take then in. Someone who has a selvage-type sewing machine would probably be best. I would think that slippery polyester can be a real pain to sew if you only have a regular sewing machine.

The cotton clothing probably will shrink, but you also might run the risk of losing the crispness of the color if you wash in hot and dry at high heat.

agnes!

 

[Jennasis]

All the shirts are white.

So the poly won't budge? Dang. The sleeves are so big that it looks like I have bat wings! Plus they certainly did not take a woman's chest into account when the shirts were made or selected by team USA. They drape over my ample bosom and make me look utterly ridiculous. Or is it udderly?

 

[Christine]

They won't shrink. I would try taking them in on a sewing machine. I'm not the best seamstress but I do a fine job on my DD's polos. She has to wear a certain polo shirt to school (unisex sizing also) and even the smallest ones are WAY to boxy on her. So I turn them inside out and stitch up the sides the best I can.

However, if these are way too big, it might not look good.

 

[Jennasis]

Hmmm...turn 'em inside out you say? I think maybe I can blow the dust off of our sewing maching. Or perhaps the MIL can help. She's pretty handy with the Singer.

 

[mackymaddyconnorsmom]

Can you exchange them for a smaller size?