How to dress when getting measured/fitted?

xkmasada · Jul 16, 2007

I read in an old book about dressing for men that it's important to wear the best fitting suit and shirt you have when getting measured or fitted for a suit/shirt. For a variety of reasons, this would supposedly improve the fit of the shirts/suits you're getting made.

How important is this in reality? How do you dress when getting clothes measured or fitted?

I've recently spent lots of time in the gym, and my shirts and suits, which never fit really well in the past, fit even worse now. My shirts are a bit embarrasing, to tell you the truth: too billowy at the waist and chest. Is it OK to wear casual (well fitting chinos and a polo shirt) while getting business formal clothes made?

j · Jul 16, 2007

Wear a shirt with a collar that fits and sleeves that are the right length, so the fit of jackets at the collar and cuffs can be checked properly. Also wear the type of shoes you want to wear with whatever you're shopping for, so you/they can check the break and proportions. I don't think wearing an ill-fitting suit is going to help any, though.

Roikins · Jul 16, 2007

I've found that by wearing what you believe is your best fitting suit tells the tailor what your idea of style is -- you might pick a suit your own that has a more prominent silhouette or more waist suppression than another person would have chosen. Of course when getting measure for a shirt or a suit, I think the most important thing is to wear and bring what you plan on wearing with the clothing items -- a watch, wallet, shoes, etc. A tailor will take into account the size of your watch when making a shirt's cuff, the size of a wallet can affect the way a suit or pants look depending on where you carry it, and on and on. It's the little things that matter.

cpac · Jul 16, 2007

At a minimum I would wear a dress shirt, and would suggest the whole suit, even if it's not the best fitting. Why? Because it provides the basis for a conversation about how you want the suit and shirt to look. It's much easier to point and say "I want the gorge even higher than this one" than it is to describe a high gorge in words (especially when your tailor's definition might differ from you own). The same goes for innumerable other details.

If a picture's worth a thousand words, then physically having a suit on is even better.

satorstyle · Jul 16, 2007

Nice fitting dress shirt and definitely a pair shoes you will likely wear with it.

xkmasada · Jul 16, 2007

Originally Posted by j

Wear a shirt with a collar that fits and sleeves that are the right length, so the fit of jackets at the collar and cuffs can be checked properly. Also wear the type of shoes you want to wear with whatever you're shopping for, so you/they can check the break and proportions. I don't think wearing an ill-fitting suit is going to help any, though.

Excellent advice. The collar and the sleeve length are the only things that fit me with my existing shirts. Everything else is all wrong.

Originally Posted by cpac

At a minimum I would wear a dress shirt, and would suggest the whole suit, even if it's not the best fitting. Why? Because it provides the basis for a conversation about how you want the suit and shirt to look. It's much easier to point and say "I want the gorge even higher than this one" than it is to describe a high gorge in words (especially when your tailor's definition might differ from you own).

That's a good idea. Although it will be a bit embarrassing because I think my best fitting suit still fits horribly.

Thanks a bunch for the inputs!

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How to dress when getting measured/fitted?

xkmasada

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j

(stands for Jerk)

Roikins

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cpac

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satorstyle

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xkmasada

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