To achieve the ideal fit, we’ll discuss and demonstrate how a suit should fit in this article. No matter your age or body shape, all guys should follow these fit principles. Our younger clients say, “I don’t want to look like some old stuffy guy in a suit,” and many of my older clients say, “I don’t want to look like an older guy trying to look young and hip in a suit.” They are always reassured that I would never make them look younger or older than they actually are.
Here’s our dirty little secret: Regardless of their age or body type, we always fit their suits perfectly. Everybody looks excellent in a well-fitting suit. How many times did they complain after we had them measured for a suit, do you think you can guess? 0 times.
Everything listed below is examined and adjusted to make sure my clients look dapper in suits.
What size should a suit jacket be?
Length
The length of your suit jacket will determine how “balanced” your upper and lower bodies are. If the jacket length is off, the entire suit will seem strange. If you are under 5’9″, the jacket should end around the mid-crotch. If you are any taller than that, mid to lower.
In the “mid-to-lower crotch” region, the jacket on the model below fits perfectly. We can only let out a small amount of fabric because there isn’t any fabric there, therefore we can only shorten your jacket by up to an inch without ruining its proportions. When purchasing a suit, even one that is currently off the rack, you normally want this component to be flawless.
Shoulders
The point where your shoulders begin to curve down toward your arm is where you want the jacket’s shoulder seams to terminate. There shouldn’t be any divots or crow’s feet anywhere in the shoulders. There should be no divots, rumpling, or pulling in the shoulders, and they should rest completely flat. The seam should still stop in the same location if you have more rounded shoulders; you would simply need to add a little additional padding to your shoulders to make them look less rounded. If the shoulders are too large or too narrow, we will have a difficult time adjusting them, and if we could, it would be quite expensive.
Sleeves
The sleeves of your jacket should be about 14″ above the top of your hand when your wrist is bent so that your palms are facing the ground. Many people advise that it should hit the top of your hand, but that is nonsense since then none of your shirt sleeves will be visible, as in the illustration below. This length permits the sleeve of your shirt to show through by 14″. The length of your sleeves can be easily fixed by us. If the sleeves are shorter than 1.5 inches, don’t keep the jacket because we most likely won’t be able to let out the sleeves.
Body
The jacket should softly enclose your middle but not feel confining or tight when the top button is fastened (never the bottom button). The button shouldn’t be being pulled by the jacket, resulting in the unsightly “X”. It’s too tight if there is an X. You can (and should!) have the sides of the jacket taken in by a tailor if it is loose around your waist/abdomen. We may easily and frequently remedy this. Remember: It’s preferable to have a jacket that is just a little bit too big in the body for fitting purposes than too small.
Collar
The collar ought to rest against the collar of your shirt, which ought to rest at the base of your neck. These should all barely contact, with no large gaps in between. A gap indicates that it is too slack. It’s either excessively tight or the jacket’s posture is incorrect if there is bunching right beneath the rear of the collar.
Armholes
Although they should be high, they shouldn’t be piercing your armpit. The illustration below shows where your jacket’s arm holes should be placed. Notice how it doesn’t go through his underarm? However, they shouldn’t be so enormous that you have a few extra inches between your armpit and the bottom of the hole. They should be big enough to be invisible. During typical action, the arms should be able to move somewhat independently of the jacket’s body—but not too much.
In relation to suits and motion, many men who are new to donning them typically gripe that they should have more range of motion while donning a suit. Please understand that a suit is not sportswear, therefore you should not assume that you can perform all of your daily activities while donning one. It’s simply not designed for that use.
Button stance
The top button, or second from the bottom button on the jacket, should always sit just over your belly button. My general rule is never, ever below and never, ever more than an inch above. Otherwise, your body’s proportions would be incorrect, and the costume will make you look really strange.
What size should pants fit?
Waist and seat
Suit pants should not require a belt to stay up; they should fit snugly around your waist. They ought to land just above the upper hip bone, if not a little higher. Suit pants are not worn at the same waist as jeans because jeans are typically made to sit lower. Saggy dress pants should never be worn.
Yiddish for “butt tokhis”, the seat should not be too loose or too tight; it should just barely hug your butt tokhis. Your jeans are far too tight if you feel like you’re going to split them. They are way too loose if there is a lot of additional cloth around the butt. If everything else on the jeans fits, get it fixed by a tailor even though it won’t be quick or cheap.
Legs
On either side of your thigh, you should be able to pinch a little more than an inch of fabric. You’re wearing too-tight pants if it’s less. If the gap is wider, ask us to taper the legs slightly so that they get smaller as they approach the ankle. Every body type and size will look fantastic wearing this.
Hem & cuff
Always opt to have a small break left when having your suit pants hemmed. No break at the hem is a time and place item, not typically for everyday wear, but it appears more polished and sharp than a full break. All parties benefit from a brief break.
Having the pants hemmed so that they are a little longer at the rear is a tactic I use with all of my clients. Socket visibility will be reduced while walking, and it will lay more comfortably on the top and rear of your shoe when you are standing stationary.
There are very few occasions—nearly never, in my opinion—when you would cuff your suit pants. No of their body type, I’ve never cuffed suit pants for a single client since it’s not essential.
At Ash Tailor Samui, we are able to advise You how a great suit should be. Don’t hesitate to ask us, while You are in our shop!
