Suit Fit Critique/Help Please

Hi guys, I've been away for a while dealing with a health issue, I lost 20 pounds in the process. I'm having some difficulty finding a suit that fits well on me now, this is the closest I found. I want to get your opinion on anything that looks really off and what I should do tailoring wise. I now weigh 178, and am 6'2 with shoes on. This suit is a 40L with flat front pants, it's not a trim fit nor a regular cut, something in between. It might not show in the pictures, but there is about 3.5 inches of space between the front button and my tie when I pull the suit forward, I'm not sure if that is normal.

Many thanks in advance for your time and guidance.

From the first pic it looks like there's a tag still hiding behind the lapel, so I assume you can still return this. I would return it simply due to pattern, I'm not a fan of the micro pinstripe (especially on a tall person), and something about this entire suit screams 'cheap' and fused.

The fit isn't terrible but there are pitch problems with the sleeves and possibly shoulder fit.

I'm really not liking the high lapel notches either.

Shoes are the worst part though, so I'd start there to be honest, especially if these are the shoes you'd wear with a suit. Get some staple shoes and return the suit to get a staple solid in navy or charcoal if you don't already have those. Allen Edmonds clearance dress shoes are a good start in the $140-$200 range.

Sleeves could be a tad shorter to show shirt cuff, and the pants should be cuffed imo, regardless of them being flat front. Since you're taller, you don't need to worry about appearing short at all.

furo, thank you for your reply. I appreciate your input regarding the suit and will take them into consideration. Yes, the tags are still on, and the suit was cheap at $225, I'm on a tight budget so I needed it to be inexpensive. I tried a bunch of stores, Syms, Off Fifth, Filene's, Nordstrom Rack, Macy's, Lord & Taylor, and Century 21 and this was the best I found. I had a charcoal 40R that I returned because the regular was too short at the backside.

As for the shoes, I bought some AE shoes in the past, I forgot which model, but I have wide feet in the front with Morton's neuroma in both feet, so I usually end up picking the least painful shoes to wear. I had to return those AE shoes because the wide was too wide all over, I just need wide in the front. Do you or anyone else know of shoes that are wide in the front, AE or another staple brand? Thanks again.

Originally Posted by eb23air

Click to expand...

furo, thank you for your reply. I appreciate your input regarding the suit and will take them into consideration. Yes, the tags are still on, and the suit was cheap at $225, I'm on a tight budget so I needed it to be inexpensive. I tried a bunch of stores, Syms, Off Fifth, Filene's, Nordstrom Rack, Macy's, Lord & Taylor, and Century 21 and this was the best I found. I had a charcoal 40R that I returned because the regular was too short at the backside.

As for the shoes, I bought some AE shoes in the past, I forgot which model, but I have wide feet in the front with Morton's neuroma in both feet, so I usually end up picking the least painful shoes to wear. I had to return those AE shoes because the wide was too wide all over, I just need wide in the front. Do you or anyone else know of shoes that are wide in the front, AE or another staple brand? Thanks again.

some (or most) alden's have big toe boxes - though they dont mix well with "small budget"

It has a lot of shoulder padding, I don't like it.

Originally Posted by eb23air

Click to expand...

furo, thank you for your reply. I appreciate your input regarding the suit and will take them into consideration. Yes, the tags are still on, and the suit was cheap at $225, I'm on a tight budget so I needed it to be inexpensive. I tried a bunch of stores, Syms, Off Fifth, Filene's, Nordstrom Rack, Macy's, Lord & Taylor, and Century 21 and this was the best I found. I had a charcoal 40R that I returned because the regular was too short at the backside.

As for the shoes, I bought some AE shoes in the past, I forgot which model, but I have wide feet in the front with Morton's neuroma in both feet, so I usually end up picking the least painful shoes to wear. I had to return those AE shoes because the wide was too wide all over, I just need wide in the front. Do you or anyone else know of shoes that are wide in the front, AE or another staple brand? Thanks again.

If your suit budget is $225, then that might be an issue. When you say the charcoal 40R was too short, where did the coat end in relation to the rear?

As for the shoes, get a pair of Allen Edmonds in a regular width and have a cobbler stretch the width of the toe box for you, it won't cost much. The shoes gotta go. If you keep this suit, at least upgrade the shoes.

I wish the lapels were a little wider, the gorge a little lower, the buttoning point a tad lower, the pants cuffed instead of hemmed, the sleeve pitch adjusted, and the waist given a bit of definition. But your question is whether anything is "really off," and I think, apart from the shoes (which stuck out at me), the answer is no.

Originally Posted by furo

Click to expand...

If your suit budget is $225, then that might be an issue. When you say the charcoal 40R was too short, where did the coat end in relation to the rear?

As for the shoes, get a pair of Allen Edmonds in a regular width and have a cobbler stretch the width of the toe box for you, it won't cost much. The shoes gotta go. If you keep this suit, at least upgrade the shoes.

The small budget is an issue, I mean I'll be able to buy better suits once I finally get my first job...I graduated from law school in May 2008, so yeah it's been pretty bad.

furo, great idea with getting the regular AE shoes and stretching them out, I will definitely do that, I really appreciate the idea and suggestion.

Here are some pictures of the 40R with APC New Standard jeans. Same Calvin Klein suit and cut (same price), but this charcoal is made in China as opposed to the micro stripe that is made in Canada. This charcoal seemed too short and fit bigger, I could have been wrong. Here are the pictures of the charcoal 40R.

Originally Posted by Falstaff

Click to expand...

I wish the lapels were a little wider, the gorge a little lower, the buttoning point a tad lower, the pants cuffed instead of hemmed, the sleeve pitch adjusted, and the waist given a bit of definition. But your question is whether anything is "really off," and I think, apart from the shoes (which stuck out at me), the answer is no.

Falstaff, thank you very much for that. I appreciate your input, someday I would make those alterations, but for now as long as it's not really off, I'm happy. Thanks.

You need the long.

Based on the second set of pics I'd say that's more of a grey than a charcoal, but the suit is slightly better than the first simply due to the solid cloth rather than a micro pinstripe.

The jacket might be a hair bit short for a conservative look, but with that ultra high lapel notch, you're not going to have a conservative look with either suit, so I'd go with the grey 40r if these two are your only options within budget. The sleeve length on the second suit is much better.

As a fellow law student, I recommend you ditch the pinstripe. It might be off putting to some law firms. Traditionally, only the big bosses got to wear the pinstripe.

Plain navy or charcoal is probably the most versatile and best bet interview suit.

The 2nd suit looks too short. But most people probably won't even notice. As for the chest and waist being too big, its a standard alteration I do to every single suit I own. Very costly. I think I should just get fatter and be done with it. But I demand a perfect fit.

I may be the dissenting opinion, but perhaps you should just get a JAB Executive suit in navy. Be sure to get it at least 50% off the asking price. I think I got mine for 33% of the asking price. $100. (mine is black and never wear it of course).

Originally Posted by phxlawstudent

Click to expand...

It has a lot of shoulder padding, I don't like it.

I don't know that suit ur looking at but this dose not seem to be that padded at all. I think it is a fine fit, a bit boxy in the m idsection but at this point becomes a matter of preference.

Originally Posted by bowtielover

Click to expand...

I don't know that suit ur looking at but this dose not seem to be that padded at all. I think it is a fine fit, a bit boxy in the m idsection but at this point becomes a matter of preference.

Last pic, first suit. Purely a matter of preference, but I hate how the cheaper suits have a lot of padding there. For some, maybe most, it works, but on others it doesn't. Again, personal preference.

Originally Posted by furo

Click to expand...

The jacket might be a hair bit short for a conservative look, but with that ultra high lapel notch, you're not going to have a conservative look with either suit, so I'd go with the grey 40r if these two are your only options within budget. The sleeve length on the second suit is much better.

Originally Posted by phxlawstudent

Click to expand...

As a fellow law student, I recommend you ditch the pinstripe. It might be off putting to some law firms. Traditionally, only the big bosses got to wear the pinstripe.

Plain navy or charcoal is probably the most versatile and best bet interview suit.

I may be the dissenting opinion, but perhaps you should just get a JAB Executive suit in navy. Be sure to get it at least 50% off the asking price. I think I got mine for 33% of the asking price. $100. (mine is black and never wear it of course).

Thanks guys. I still haven't decided what to do, but I appreciate the comments. furo, I see what you're saying, how noticeable is the high lapel notch to the regular person, I mean do people in a professional environment take note of these things? phxlawstudent, I will check out JOA soon and see what they have, I know what you're saying about the pinstripes, the thing is it's not too noticeable in person, but if I find a solid navy or charcoal I will go for it.