Suit Yourself with the Eye of a Tailor
A Smart Shopper Can Find the Right Suit Off the Rack
It’s much better to get the fit of the coat, especially in the shoulders. It’s the No. 1 rule.
— Tom Jackson, special order tailoring manager for Brooks Brothers
Coco Chanel once said, “Fashion is architecture: it is a matter of proportions.”
Men searching for a suit that fits perfectly should trust Chanel's words. That man wants a suit that conforms flawlessly to his frame and should not need a bespoke to get that fit. Members of the men’s tailoring scene say a man can get a good-fitting suit off the rack by knowing the basic rules of suit proportion.
Jacket First
When it comes to suits, the jacket comes first. Tom Jackson is a special order tailoring manager for Brooks Brothers, a nearly 200-year old United States ready-to-wear clothier. He said a common mistake most men make when trying on a suit is focusing on how the trousers fit rather than the jacket.
“I see it happen, especially with the younger guys who are buying their first suit," Jackson said. "They come in, grab a suit off the rack and buy it for the fit of the pants. It’s much better to get the fit of the coat, especially in the shoulders. It’s the No. 1 rule. Get a shoulder that fits…and get the trousers altered.”
Jackson said the shoulders should lie flat, with no buckles or wrinkles. You should not be able to see biceps through a sleeve. That's another problem he sees with a lot of younger gentlemen in shape, who, once again, are many times shopping according to pant size.
David Rubenstein, president of Rubensteins, in New Orleans, agrees that the fit must begin with the jacket.
“The most important thing is how (the jacket) fits across the shoulders,” said Rubenstein, whose family has been in the menswear business more than 85 years. “The coat’s shoulders cannot be altered. The width should be comfortable; not too tight, not too baggy. It either fits or it doesn’t.”
Fitting Rules
Once you find a coat that is comfy in the shoulders, there are other details to examine. Study the collar, the cuffs and how the jacket lies when buttoned. The coat, Jackson said, should be able to button with no visible pull or bunching. The length of the coat should cover the buttocks, allowing just the bottom curve to show.
For men who are muscular in the chest, a good guideline is to get a jacket roomy enough so the lapel is “not standing way out” from the rest of the torso, Rubenstein said. If the coat is not large enough, that man may need to find a different style of suit.
For example, if a man has a tall and slender frame, a three-button coat can create heft and the look of a broader chest.
“Conversely, a man who is hefty looks much better in a two-button coat," Jackson said. "It suggests (a look) of a smaller waist by emphasizing the shoulder line.”
Asked to recommend one coat style suitable for many male body types, Jackson suggested a two-button jacket. A three-button coat will make a man appear larger than he is, Jackson said.
The jacket’s collar should feel firm on the neckline and leave about a half inch of shirt collar peeking up. Rubenstein said you should be able to draw a straight line from the bottom of the earlobe to the collar. Noticing the fit of the collar is also a good benchmark of how the shoulders fit.
The jacket’s sleeves should be tailored to leave about a half inch of shirt cuff visible, said Jackson.
For the trousers, the rise -- the distance between the crotch and the waistband -- should feel “comfortable and not pulling,” Jackson said.
“You don’t want the side pockets to gap,” he said. “You want the rise high enough to be comfortable and still loose but not too high to be uncomfortable.”
The Right Choice
The multitude of options for men's suits is staggering. A man has to pick between double-breasted, pleats or no pleats (these days, the trend is no pleats), textiles such as wool and cotton, and broad ranges of color. The good news is upscale men’s clothing retailers such as Brooks Brothers, Rubensteins and Saks have in-house tailors as well as wardrobe consultants who will answer customers’ questions and provide guidance to finding the perfect fit.
Although much is made of expensive made-to-measure suits, Jackson and Rubenstein said in the vast majority of cases, custom is unnecessary to find a good fit.
“Ninety percent of people who come into the store buy off the rack and get it tailored, and it fits just fine,” Jackson said.
Rubenstein described two types of men for which off the rack is not the right alternative. One is the man who is just an unusual fit: he is really tall or has an extremely muscular physique “like a football player,” he said.
“The other guy is the one who is into what I call ‘the art of dressing.’ This guy wants a special lining, he wants the sleeves to button, he wants special fabrics, specific buttons…this man is suited for a custom tailoring,” said Rubenstein.
For those men, Brooks Brothers has implemented a custom, made-to-measure program, in which men can select from six different fabrics and receive basic tailoring all for $1,000.
Men should walk into a store prepared to tell the retailer about the good and bad of his previous suit. Rubenstein said these details can help ensure this next buy is an even better fit.
“Tell them the problems you’ve had with fit in the past, such as, 'The chest was too tight,’ or, ‘The coat doesn’t stay on the collar,’ and, ‘This is a brand I’ve bought in the past and these are the problems I’ve had with it,’ ” Rubenstein said. “The salesmen should know and be visibly informed about the differences between brands and cuts of suits.”
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