02 Jun How Should A Suit Fit?
We’ve asked a number of our clients and have gotten different opinions. The truth is, we understand that you put your trust in us to make sure you get it right. With that being said, it’s only proper that we tell you how to judge if we get it right, and help you share with your friends if they get it right when they do not seek our help.
There are proper guidelines to follow; we don’t just make this stuff up. The hard part for us is that we’re a custom clothing company. Every client is a different shape and size. Our clients come in all sizes – tall, short, fat, skinny, muscular, short arms, long legs, etc. We have to make sure we follow the proper guidelines for every client and make sure that you all are properly fitted and looking your best! It’s both a gift and curse. We consider it more of a gift though!
Let’s get down to business. When making sure a suit fits properly, there are 5 Keys to a Flawless Fit:
- The Shoulders
- The Collar
- The Midsection
- Sleeve Length & Width
- Pants Length & Width
The Shoulder
You know you have the proper fitted shoulder when the padding in the shoulder is aligned/matches yours. You want a clean smooth straight line from the collar to the sleeve with the jacket dropping sharply when it meets the sleeve.
Do not get caught buying a jacket from a department store and not understanding proper fit. We see too many guys try to take the shortcut and get a discount from a department store and fall victim to the shoulders being too wide. More times than not, the shoulders from a department store are going to be too wide. Simply because they are made to fit a wide range of individuals and it is easier to have shoulders decreased than increased. If you know what we’re talking about, you’re not alone.
Going with a made-to-measure suit, you will avoid that debacle and save on tailoring expenses.
The Collar
Your collarbone is key! Your shirt and lapel should come together at your collarbone.
This often gets overlooked. However, the shoulder divot and collar gap is common fit problem. If you do not get this right or try to take it in too much, you get a pulling across the top of the jacket, which leads to the lapel flaring outwards. That gap is not a good look. Ignore anyone that says, it’s because they have a bigger chest. Be sure to recommend they get that checked out.
The Midsection
There should always be a V-shape! Those of us that feel like we’re box shaped, can use a tailor’s help to achieve a slight V-shape.
Your goal is to have the right amount of waist suppression that tapers without pinching too much. You don’t want the jacket to flare out at the hips. But it should still accentuate your V-shape.
For ‘Boxes’ you can probably draw a straight line from your shoulders to your waist. For the athletes in the group, your taper may be extreme. The trick is to create V-shape for ‘Boxes’ and decrease the amount of taper for Athletes to avoid the feminine hour-glass look. We have the secret combination to alleviate the thought of needing to get this right.
Sleeve Length & Width
Where’s your shirt sleeve? If you cannot see your shirt sleeve when you’re wearing your jacket, it’s too long. If you can see the entire cuff of your shirt, you’ve gone too far. A good rule of thumb – jacket sleeve stops at the palm of your hand and exposes about a ¼ inch of your shirt cuff.
If you can’t identify the size of your arms when wearing a jacket, chances are it’s too wide. You want your jacket to accentuate your arms and provide support to your shirt sleeve. In today’s world, if you hold your arms at 45 degrees, you shouldn’t have a tremendous gap between shirt cuff and jacket sleeve.
Pants Length & Width
It’s been engrained in us since kids, don’t be the guy caught wearing high waters. However, if no one can see your socks when you’re walking, you should shorten your pants. We can talk socks later if you aren’t ready at this moment.
Please keep in mind, jeans and suits pants follow slightly different guidelines depending on your style. When it comes to suits, the worst sight is seeing a bulge/collection of fabric around the ankle. Let’s be real, long baggy pants died about 15 years ago. Don’t let long baggy pants kill your style
We’re Here To Help
Need advice on your current suit fit, let a Stitchings.co Style Consultant help. Send us an email with a pic to hello@stitchings.co and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible.
We know the advice in this article may be daunting to some in the beginning. But if you master these quintessential style guidelines we promise you that you’ll receive the compliments and confidence that you deserve. Not mention, you’ll be well ahead of the average guy that ask the question, “How should a suit fit?”