Getting the Right Fit for Men's Suits
Posted: Monday, January 17, 2005
by Leroy
Mens Fashion Tips | Guide on Mens Clothing
What constitutes a good mens suits fit? There are some crucial elements to take note of that are applicable for both off-rack suit and tailor-made ones.
Most importantly, know these pointers when trying on your suit so that you know what needs to be altered if necessary. But details like shoulders and lapels can never be altered after finishing.
Shoulders
The shoulders of a mens suit are very important. It is where the suit is going to hang and drape from.
First focus should be on the shoulder padding used. The preferred style should be one with soft sloping shoulders to give an overall relax, comfortable, and yet a smart look.
If you have a very sloping shoulder then it would make sense to have heavier padding to level up the shoulders.
Ensure the width at the shoulders provide enough room so that the fabric flows smoothly from the shoulder to the sleeves.
If made too narrow, the middle deltoids are likely to bulge out at the area between the shoulders and start of the sleeves. If too wide, it can shrink the overall frame of the man.
Of importance to note in mens suits fit around shoulders is taking the shoulder's relativity against the size of the head, waistline, and neck width.
For example: when framed on a average head but shoulders are cut too narrow then there is a tendency to make the head look big in relation to the overall suiting or cut too widely then the head might look small.
The drape from the shoulder should always remain smooth. We should not see puckering of fabric along the front shoulder blade area or at the back scapula area.
The fabric around the shoulder back and front has to be wrapped flat with fullness without signs of strain or looseness.
Armholes and Sleeves
Armholes need enough space for easy slipping of the arms into it and moving it freely.
You can try the armholes wearing a flat knit sweater beneath. It should be able to fit your arms comfortably.
As mentioned earlier, high armholes provides a good drape. When trying on your mens suits, make big hand movements and you will notice high armholes will not lift your whole jacket up.
Another important aspect would be the armhole portion at your armpit should not be tight and irritate your armpit.
There should be ample space to feel comfortable where swinging your arms will not feel rupture between the armpit and the fabric.
The sleeves has to end around your mid wrist bone where the wrist breaks with the hand. It will reveal about ½ inch of your dress shirt cuffs. Often than not, we see men in suits with sleeves too long extending beyond the wrist area.
A general criteria in mens suits fit assessment is to always do it with both arms by the sides and review where the sleeves end.
Gorge
This is the portion where the collar and lapels meet extending down to the first button.
Shifts in fashion trends have influenced the highs and lows of the gorge. High gorge would mean the first button is placed higher up the suit and vice versa.
Having it too high would closely mimic the 1950s Beatles era while too low resembles the 1980s trend.
In order to avoid your suit getting out of fashion over time, it would be recommended to stay classic in design and not get too deep into one particular fashion trend unless you can afford it, of course.
I would greatly recommend having the gorge placed on a reasonable level so that the fit is symmetrical to the overall body frame.
Collars and Lapels
Collars should always hug around the back of your neck. There must not be any puckering or strain as it means that the fit is not right.
Your collar should reveal ¼ inch of your dress shirt within. Otherwise, when you sit down the suit will shift upward and envelope the collar of your dress shirt.
As mentioned before, width of the lapels is played around very often during different fashion trends in various decades.
Generally there are two choices of lapels: high notch or low notch. Whichever the choice, a good mens suits fit for lapels is to have it lie flat against your chest without puckering or buckling. Otherwise, they are signal that your suit jacket is too tight.
In classic styles, lapels should have the end tip about halfway between the suit’s top sleeve and collar.
For proper mens suits fit, make sure that the size of the lapels is symmetrically to your body frame and shoulders.
Waist
Fasten the waist button and then place both arms by your sides. If you see any buckling or pulls at the button holes or buttons seemingly popping out, then your mens suits fit is too tight around your waist.
There are some jackets tapered at the waist, and still we should not see such negative effect after fastening the waist button. Always remember that the silhouette and drape of the suit should be smooth and flat.
Suit pants
An important mens suits fit to note for in suit pants is the waist area.
It should always rest on your waist and not the hips. Resting on your hips would mean that the waist is too big for you or the pant’s rise has to be adjusted higher.
Make sure the pant’s rise provides a good fit at the crotch of the pants but giving enough room for comfort.
Drape of the pants over your lower body should always be smooth (no bulge or horizontal creasing especially under the waist area and thigh area).
The pants should float over your legs. It must not flare like hip-hop pants or hug your legs skin tight.
The natural flow of your suit pants should break at the cuffs with ease. If your pants does not have cuffs, then make sure they are hemmed.
Try walking around in your suit pants and make sure that not too much of your socks are being revealed. Pants with suitable length would only show your socks subtly.
In addition, the length of your pants will cover about a quarter the top part of your shoes, anything more than that would be considered too long.
A proper mens suits fit will not be complete without the best finishing and ending off with your suit pants.
An extremely helpful article. Just checking if the suit I have bought passed these tests. I 'm afraid I've bought a too tight one. I was drawn by the slim cut which fit me perfectly as far as the art between the chest and the waist is concerned. However, it does feel closely fitted at he chest and perhaps around the armpits. How can I test this ? Do all of these tests also apply to slim-fit suits and should they be done with the jacket buttoned? Thanks!
I did not note any comments in the article about the benefit of wearing looser fitting trousers with braces.
i think that looser fitting trousers are more suitable for the man with fuller figure and larger waist. I am finding it so difficult to get off the peg suits with adequate trouser width and wearing trousers that just about fit round the waist is no longer on. looser fitting trousers high waisted obviously worn with the right pair of braces are much more comfortable. attention has to be paid to the trouser length which needs to be half to one inch longer if the trousers are high waisted. This is obviously a matter of personal style. I think plain fronted trousers are more in style at the moment. Jackets should never be to tight round the armpits and the sleeves should allow for just the right amount of cuff never too short. I also think a handkerchief in the brest pocket is a nice accessory.
The hem of the suit coat jacket should be at the middle point...dividing you almost in half. This does not always hold true with men that either have a short torso or a long torso. Men that are full around the groin area should stick with pleated pants...flat front pants are made for people that are skinny or fit. They are NOT flattering on heavy men. Knowing the cut of the suit also helps. Athletic cut suits do not fit people that are not athletic. Hopes this helpsnot true. they say for men with larger waists to buy flat front and avoid pleated because pleated only serves to make them look even larger.I heard the opposite. Flat front eccentuates the waist, pleats hide it. Which makes sense to me.
This is a good article, but I have always had big problems at the time to find a suit that fits me, specially in the USA since my measurements are extremely irregular. I am 6 ft tall, but with very narrow bones, small waist (28-29) and broad shoulders, on top of that my arms are very long. It is a dilemma for me to get a new suit, the same with sports jackets. I do not have the average American body. Any advise?The best way to fix your problem is to buy separates. Most American suits have a 5-6" 'drop (difference between chest size and waist). For an 'athletic cut' suit, the drop can be as large as 8", depending on the manufacturer. In your case, that would translate to a 37" chest. If your chest is larger than that, separates would fix the dilemma. For example, if you have a 41" chest and 29" waist, a 41 long jacket would accommodate your arms, while a 29" pant would handle your waist.
good length for a suit jacket is long enough that it reaches your hands that you can perfectly cuff the bottom with your hand. No longer no shorter. If you were to bend your fingers up they should wrap around the hem of the jacket without it bending. Hope that makes sense.-Camrin, Manager Bridal Shop.p.s. If I were a guy looking for a good fitting suit I would first get my measurements from a bridal shop/ Tux shop to find the right jacket size. Nothing is worse than seeing a guy in a jacket that doesnt fit! I always find most guys dont take a good look at the back, across your shoulders it should fit snugly with a small amount of room for ease of movement. I see way too many guys in jackets that are probably a size too big!
I just bought a suit. When I brought it home and tried it on after having it altered, the sleeves were sticking out almost 2 inches!! The suit is as long as it is supposed to be though. Can the sleeves be too long? can shirt sleeves be altered?
it would be pretty tough to alter them, i'd just go buy a few new button down shirts in the correct fit. Most guys are around 33 to 35 inch sleeves. Check the tag in your shirt and make sure you get something shorter than whatever you have now. But in case you'd really rather get them altered it can be done, 2 inches may be too much its hard to say without looking at it. Worst case scenario the tailor says no and you get new shirts right?
A very educational article. Unfortunately, it does not address the area between the shoulder blades at the area of the trapezius muscle. Should this area be absent of any puckering? I have an athletic build, and find that most suits will pucker there. If I am to spend over $1000 on a suit, I feel it should drape perfectly. Am I being unreasonable?
Great article, but you might want to correct your reference to the "1950s Beatles Era". The Beatles hit the scene in the 1960s. The 1950s suits were vastly different from the 1960s, especially the early to mid-50s.
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