• Hi, I am the owner and main administrator of Styleforum. If you find the forum useful and fun, please help support it by buying through the posted links on the forum. Our main, very popular sales thread, where the latest and best sales are listed, are posted HERE

    Purchases made through some of our links earns a commission for the forum and allows us to do the work of maintaining and improving it. Finally, thanks for being a part of this community. We realize that there are many choices today on the internet, and we have all of you to thank for making Styleforum the foremost destination for discussions of menswear.
  • This site contains affiliate links for which Styleforum may be compensated.
  • UNIFORM LA CHILLICOTHE WORK JACKET Drop, going on right now.

    Uniform LA's Chillicothe Work Jacket is an elevated take on the classic Detroit Work Jacket. Made of ultra-premium 14-ounce Japanese canvas, it has been meticulously washed and hand distressed to replicate vintage workwear that’s been worn for years, and available in three colors.

    This just dropped today. If you missed out on the preorder, there are some sizes left, but they won't be around for long. Check out the remaining stock here

    Good luck!.

  • STYLE. COMMUNITY. GREAT CLOTHING.

    Bored of counting likes on social networks? At Styleforum, you’ll find rousing discussions that go beyond strings of emojis.

    Click Here to join Styleforum's thousands of style enthusiasts today!

    Styleforum is supported in part by commission earning affiliate links sitewide. Please support us by using them. You may learn more here.

Alteration tips for DB tuxedo

KFBR392

New Member
Joined
Jul 28, 2023
Messages
2
Reaction score
1
Longtime lurker, first time poster who needs at long last a tuxedo. This is a 38R from Spier & Mackay. I realize that's not everyone's first stop for formal attire but the price was right given this is my first and I'm not confident it will get worn much. (Shirt is Proper Cloth which I will have remade slightly smaller and with shorter sleeves.)

Previously I was a 36R but shoulders have always been tight and having put on about 15 lbs. since my last suit, I've opted for a 38R. I think this was the right call but it's a little big and I'm hoping for alteration advice or if it's better to return it and try something else.

It feels like there's a lot of fabric, for lack of a better phrase. I've never worn a DB suit before and the suits I have are more modern/slim (Theory, Lanvin, and Paul Smith) so it's hard for me to tell what can be chalked up to "classic fit" vs. "too big."

tuxfront2.png




I know I'll need to get the sleeves shortened but is there anything else you'd recommend? Shoulders feel good but there is some wrinkling on the back, and it feels a little tight around my gut. Trousers seem okay. I'm on the fence about tweaking the rise and welcome your thoughts there as well. They are unhemmed and I was reluctant to put pins in them so apologies if that makes fit assessment more difficult.

Lighting was not great so I have boosted brightness and reduced contrast to make the fabric more visible but I assure you it is black.

Any thoughts, suggestions, complaints are welcome. My preference is to keep it and make it work but if that will require such extensive alteration that it gets closer to a MTM price, then why bother? (I'm not sure what the next step up would be... maybe Enzo Custom?)

Thanks for your help and time.
 
Last edited:

TheShetlandSweater

Senior Member
Joined
Aug 20, 2020
Messages
936
Reaction score
1,108
Hard to tell from these pics. (It can also be hard to judge when things are so wrinkly and not draping properly.) As far as I can tell, though, the jacket doesn't look too big or anything. The sleeves are obviously too long. The waist on the trousers also looks too tight. In general, you are supposed to have a little room.
 

Featured Sponsor

How important is full vs half canvas to you for heavier sport jackets?

  • Definitely full canvas only

    Votes: 97 38.0%
  • Half canvas is fine

    Votes: 92 36.1%
  • Really don't care

    Votes: 29 11.4%
  • Depends on fabric

    Votes: 42 16.5%
  • Depends on price

    Votes: 38 14.9%

Forum statistics

Threads
507,140
Messages
10,594,156
Members
224,368
Latest member
illuminatiage372
Top