The Tailors' Thread: Fit Feedback and Alteration Suggestions - Page 112

Tapering the sleeve is done on the out seam on the back part of the sleeve and requires remaking the vent of the sleeve so the price should be a bit more than shortening sleeves. The seam is taken in and the lining too. If you use a tailor doing his own work the price might be lower than a shop who pays employees and and needs a markup to stay in business. There is no set or right price, it will vary by tailor.

Hi I wore a rlbl suit for my wedding and in person I though it looked great. But upon seeing pictures, the back looked horrible!!
I have a BIG ass and I knew it might be a problem. It looked alright to me in person, but in pictures it really looks amplified!
I know I have an option of purchasing an single vent, but I still like double more. Is there a remedy for this problem? Can it be solved by a good tailor? How would he go about doing so?
Thanks!!

Hi guys I need some help and advice regarding the following jackets/suit. With all of them, to me, it seems like the jackets are making me look more stocky than I am. Am a wearing the wrong style for my body? Can any of the jackets/suit be fixed with tailoring? With all of the photos clock on them to get the fill size.

I'll start with just some pics of me in a fitted T and yoga pants so you can get an idea of my natural body shape. I have a low left shoulder, narrow waist and a big bum.



This is the first jacket, it is an MTM I had done by a local tailor. For what ever reason it makes my hips look huge. I also think the shoulders could be narrowed a bit and the sleeves shortened by about 1/4". The left lapel bows out from my chest which I think is because of the low shoulder. I think the shoulders in this are too square. I asked the tailor about removing some of the padding from them but he was very resistant saying that it would ruin the crispness of the fabric if he did so.



The second jacket is an OTR 3 roll 2 from Brooks Brothers. There is much less padding in the shoulder which helps with the squareness problem I was having in the previous jacket. The waist needs to be brought in and the sleeves shortened as well as the roll at the back of the neck being dealt with. Anything else?



The last one is a 3 button suit that I've had for years. It is it possible to turn it into a 3 roll 2? There's quite a bit of padding in the shoulders f this jacket as well. It even comes down the outside of my shoulder a bit. The jacket is also much too long, and needs the waist taking in and sleeves taking up. The pants I think need tapering as there seems to be a tonne of material in them and the openings are really wide.





This turned out to be quite a bit post. Thanks in advance for any help and advice you can provide.

then go ahead.

I have a question about shoulder/chest construction.

 

For future suits and coats I'm aiming for this kind of look:

 

(from voxsartoria)

 

As you can see, the shoulder is slightly extended and unpadded / lightly padded, and actually droops a little, with some drape in the chest too. I think my proportions would benefit a lot from this (narrow shoulders/wide lower waist).

 

This is what my last MTM suit looked like, and while it fits right, it kinda makes me look like an egg and accentuates my narrow shoulders:

 

 

Now, of course, Vox's suit above is bespoke stuff, but since I can't afford that, the question is... is something like that possible with MTM if I ask for no shoulder padding and have them add a bit to both chest and shoulder measurements? I guess such measurement changes would need to be applied to specific parts of the coat, and not just circumference, but is it feasible?

 

I could ask my tailor, but the reason I'm asking here is because he might just tell me it's not possible when in reality it could well be;  if I knew, I could just go somewhere else.

 

Thanks a lot.

Edited by RDiaz - 9/2/12 at 3:46pm

Your jacket doesn't look that far off and much of the difference is the nature of the two cloths used. Yours is cotton and drapes differently than wool. The thing with MTM is tweaking dimensions and measurements or proportions and padding doesn't change the silhouette because the silhouette is part of the DNA of the pattern and manufacturing. Using a MTM process lets you adjust widths and length measures, offers some posture adjustments but the fine tuning and effects you want are more built in to the system than variables you can control. If they don't exist in the model your clothes are cut from, they probably won't appear.
From the example you posted, a wider shoulder and different cloth may get you closer to what you want. You may try to widen the point to point measure.

Next commission will most likely be a decent weight flannel so the way it drapes should be like night and day. I was just hoping something could be done to achieve that slightly drooped shoulder look, and maybe that by extension will help with chest drape. Now that I think of it, I think I have an easy way to see if it would work; I have some cheap jackets that have become too big on me, I might just remove the shoulder padding and see if the wider point-to-point looks acceptable.

The progression is clear in the progress you have made. Bad news first.
The blackish suit, 3rd suit, forget it. The jacket isn't good for you and they butchered the trouser when they took in the waist. That's why the creases fall to the outside of your leg. You have too large of a chest to waist difference and they reduced everything on the back part of the trouser and not the front. Throws everything out of balance.

The brown BB doesn't fit as well as the MTM and you can see the difference on the side view. The BB hangs away/out from your body at the bottom of the front where the MTM hangs straight and closer to your body. The back on the BB will not look as clean as the MTM.

The MTM has the best balance (described above) but the style of shoulder and cut is not the perfect silhouette for you. That will be the limitation of you going MTM. The fronts have the boxy, production/ commercial fit and look. It is hard to get the chest and waist shape built into a factory made jacket. getting a better fit over your chest is all about the canvass but MTM will use precut canvass that doesn't conform to your build. Looks like the jacket waist was still to big when you received this and they altered it on the center back seam instead of taking in the sides. I think there are some tailors in your area who do there own work. That's your next step.

anyone??

How can anyone know anything from you have said and not seeing a picture?

Thanks for the reply Chris.

It's disappointing about the suit but not unexpected. It felt like a I was wearing a sack putting it on again. On the other hand it will allow me to get a suit made. I would like to do the best I can with the two jackets though. I'm thinking of taking them to a different tailor as the one I had make the MTM seems resistant to change the shoulders. I have a couple of follow up questions.

Is there a certain cut or silhouette I should be looking for that would make me appear slimmer?
Would this silhouette be possible to do as MTM or do I really need to look at doing bespoke?
In your opinion, is it possible to bring the shoulders in on the two jackets, or are the shoulders the one area that needs to be done right the first time?

Thanks again for the help.

It all depends on who you work with and what resources are available to them. The MTM fits your body better but has a more squarish look at the shoulder than the BB. That is default of the MTM model used. Some makers will offer a soft shoulder but you want a soft shoulder and ample shape in the chest and trim body. It's about having the correct mix of the different elements that make up the jacket working together for you, regardless if you go MTM or custom. Even having a tailor make it himself, you need to find a tailor who works in the method right for you, so even going custom isn't a guarantee. The problem is you know enough to know what you want and can discern what isn't right for you so you won't be happy until you get it right.,

General fit/shoulder check:

 

 

 

Sorry, I was leaning to get into frame in a timer self-shot.

 

 

 

Any suggestions/comments are welcome. Thank you.

Srben,
Looks ok, nothing to report

Thank you, Despos. It's much appreciated.