Suit questions from new member

[Granddaddy]

Greetings all.

I'm having to buy new suits.

Me: Thanks pandemic
Pandemic: I didn't make you eat all of those doughnuts

Anyhow, I'm not a svelte guy these days:

5'11"
260 lbs.
Size 52 (US) in a typical "American style/cut" suit coat
42/30 slacks are where I am now
I carry most of the extra pounds in my middle - from the belt to the collar. Thus the (I believe) larger than average drop from the jacket size to the pants waist size.

And given that I'm hoping not to be at this size forever, I've been shopping pre-owned.

AND I am by no means an expert on style, etc.

So...a few questions:

1) I've read (take your pick) that ... heavy...or short...or skinny or _____. guys should not wear double breasted suit coats. Given what I have tried to describe about about my body type and size, do you have thoughts on DB for me?

2) I've come across what might be a nice find on a pre-owned Belvest suit. It's a 62EU/52US.

Here is the eBay listing in case you want to see it for size or style impressions.

Mens BELVEST for HARRODS Two Piece Suit Double Breasted Blazer Trousers Wool | eBay


3) Aside from the body type (overweight) question for a DB suit, this jacket has what I think you would call 4/2 buttons, and I've seen others espouse 6 buttons as preferable. Thoughts?

4) Some suits are so basic that you can wear them more frequently when with the same group of people (solid gray, solid navy, gray pinstripe, etc.) Is a suit like this one that needs to make only an occasional appearance - due to the pattern and the double breasted style? (I'll be with the same group of people twice a week in meetings when wearing suits.

I know that is a lot of questions, and I appreciate any advice and opinions. Thanks for your help.

Granddaddy Rob

 

[comrade]

Based on a glance of the suit, I would say that it will not flatter you.
The style and pattern will probably make you look heavier.

 

[prof.contingency]

There's no reason why you can't wear a DB.

The bigger is the cut, if, as you say, there is some extra weight gain (I can relate). There might not be an ideal here, but maybe the heuristic here is probably just to go for a more classic cut rather than modern cut, followed by doing what you can in alterations.

 

[Daniel Hakimi]

5'11"
260 lbs.

These are not clothing measurements. Don't worry about this stuff. The relevant stuff is...

Size 52 (US) in a typical "American style/cut" suit coat
42/30 slacks are where I am now
I carry most of the extra pounds in my middle - from the belt to the collar. Thus the (I believe) larger than average drop from the jacket size to the pants waist size.

There we go. Most stores in the US are carrying slim fits these days, so to get something good, you'd either need to thrift or go mtm. Some regular stores might serve you, but most common stores and big and tall stores make crappy suits anyway, so don't worry about those.

By the way "american style" or "american cut" suits are sack suits, which you probably haven't seen in store anywhere. Most suits in stores are cut for mass market, not any regional style -- those regional styles are *usually* most relevant to how a bespoke suit is cut.

And given that I'm hoping not to be at this size forever, I've been shopping pre-owned.

That's smart.

1) I've read (take your pick) that ... heavy...or short...or skinny or _____. guys should not wear double breasted suit coats. Given what I have tried to describe about about my body type and size, do you have thoughts on DB for me?

This is voodoo. A properly cut DB is equally flattering to essentially every body type compared to a properly cut SB. Nobody judges your width based on the number of rows of buttons on your frame, and I've seen big guys and short guys rock DBs exceptionally well. Ignore these people.

2) I've come across what might be a nice find on a pre-owned Belvest suit. It's a 62EU/52US.

Here is the eBay listing in case you want to see it for size or style impressions.

Mens BELVEST for HARRODS Two Piece Suit Double Breasted Blazer Trousers Wool | eBay

Eh. First of all, it's 24 inches pit to pit, I think that's smaller than a normal 52us should be (24x2 = roughly 48 inches around the chest, although it might be a little more for reasons I won't bore you with), but it's labelled that way for a reason, so IDK.

And I definitely wouldn't wear it with a bow tie personally.

3) Aside from the body type (overweight) question for a DB suit, this jacket has what I think you would call 4/2 buttons, and I've seen others espouse 6 buttons as preferable. Thoughts?

Yeah, the jacket here was a 4x2... 6x2 isn't necessarily better, it's just more standard. 4x1 and 6x1 jackets exist too, but it's harder to make them look good, you generally need to go bespoke.

4) Some suits are so basic that you can wear them more frequently when with the same group of people (solid gray, solid navy, gray pinstripe, etc.) Is a suit like this one that needs to make only an occasional appearance - due to the pattern and the double breasted style? (I'll be with the same group of people twice a week in meetings when wearing suits.

Yeah, this is too memorable to have as your only suit worn twice a week.

If you can't find anything thrifting, you *could* put in like ~$500 or even less into an entry-level MTM suit (I like Black Lapel for these purposes). Just solid navy, simple, tell them to go for a classic cut and not slim... and that can be your one basic suit, and then you can have more fun looking for thrift store deals without that pressure, and get DBs or checked suits or whatever else you want without worrying that it's going to be too memorable.