The Tailors' Thread: Fit Feedback and Alteration Suggestions

[Despos]

Would be easier to respond if we see a picture of you wearing the jacket.
ultimately it will depend on you finding a tailor to properly alter the suit and his opinion of what is possible.
The suit is made to a certain size so there will be compromises when altering it

 

[ppk]

The Department of Agriculture put out a booklet on how to buy a suit including how to assess fit. It's pretty interesting and still seems applicable today. It looks like it's from the early part of the last century 1920s or 1930s. @dieworkwear referred to it in one his articles.

 

[stylecounsel1]

...You could pin up the hem and see what you think before deciding.

Sorry to butt in on another question..
My earlier post was also about shortening. I was hoping for some feedback on whether the pinned version looks OK and if it would be short enough for me without ruining proportions?

Also, is there something I can do about the shoulder divot?
Shorten comparison photo:

8 hosted at ImgBB

Image 8 hosted in ImgBB

ibb.co

Divot:

2-5 hosted at ImgBB

Image 2-5 hosted in ImgBB

ibb.co

Any opinions would be a great help in judging whether to give up on the suit or get it fixed.. Many thanks

Original post with full photos:

The Tailors' Thread: Fit Feedback and Alteration Suggestions

Any know of a tailor in NYC that can replace the yellowed pockets/lining on these pants? Is is worth the cost? Idk how much something like this would run me.

www.styleforum.net

 

[Matty2Ts]

Deleted

 

[antonioluisp]

Hello all, would love to get some expert feedback on this new MTM suit.

I think it may be a little long and not sure if button stance may be a little low.

It also seems to have a slight lapel pop or gap, especially over my right side, where suit doesnt quite lay flat against collar. I often have this problem with suits, I think because I have a prominent chest and erect posture. Though this one is very slight.

Any suggestions for alterations either to get it tailored or in a remade jacket would be greatly appreciated!

Thank you!

 

[othertravel]

Question for the experts here. Based on the picture below, is possible to tell whether the lining for this suit jacket was sewn by hand?

 

[JohnMRobie]

Question for the experts here. Based on the picture below, is possible to tell whether the lining for this suit jacket was sewn by hand?

Your picture isn’t working

 

[mikealvaa]

I just got back two suits from Brooks Brothers and have a question about the shoulders. These ripples on each jacket are driving me crazy and I can’t understand why it’s doing that and if it’s fixable. The charcoal one is more prominent than the grey glen plaid jacket. I’ll post more photos of the suit later but I was wondering if anyone could explain this (don’t mind the shirt).

 

[othertravel]

I just got back two suits from Brooks Brothers and have a question about the shoulders. These ripped on each jacket are driving me crazy and I can’t understand why it’s doing that and if it’s fixable. The charcoal one is more prominent than the grey glen plaid jacket. I’ll post more photos of the suit later but I was wondering if anyone could explain this (don’t mind the shirt).

It looks like you have high/square shoulders. I get the same issue. It can be ameliorated with a good tailor.

 

[mikealvaa]

It looks like you have high/square shoulders. I get the same issue. It can be ameliorated with a good tailor.

Would this be considered an advanced/expensive job? I know most tailors avoid shoulders. I’m going to see if anyone in the NYC Tailors forum can recommend someone

 

[Despos]

I just got back two suits from Brooks Brothers and have a question about the shoulders. These ripples on each jacket are driving me crazy and I can’t understand why it’s doing that and if it’s fixable. The charcoal one is more prominent than the grey glen plaid jacket. I’ll post more photos of the suit later but I was wondering if anyone could explain this (don’t mind the shirt).

Did you have these jackets altered? What was done?
Difficult to diagnose what the issue might be from these pictures.
Have to determine if it’s the way the shoulder is cut, construction or how the jacket fits.
Common issue is not enough back width across the shoulder area and this constricts the area and causes the shoulder to twist. This creates the convex appearance.
Could be caused by the collar, it looks short/tight. If it is short, the lapel will roll past the button when the jacket is unbuttoned.
Could be one of these factors or a combination of them.

 

[Jsm87]

Hello everyone! This is my first post after reading the forum for a few months. I was looking for a structured English like traditional coat, after I've seen so many good looking ones here and I want your feedback on one of them. Is it wearable/can it be made wearable or should I skip it? I currently don't own any coat that fits me good.

The coat is size 52 EU, half canvas, shoulder padding, 100% wool 110s and the lapel width is 8 cm / 3.14 inches. For the reference, I have a somewhat athletic build, my chest measures 107 cm / 42.1 inches and waist 79 cm / 31.1 inches so the natural drop is 28 cm / 11 inches.

• The sleeves may be 1-1.5 cm / 0.5 inches too long, not obvious because the shirt sleeves fall too low on the arm
• The back was cleaner on the first fitting, don't know why. Maybe the the padding is a bit too much for my shoulders and the upper back may be a little tight, but there are also vertical creases, so I don't know what's happening. Also, the waist suppression is way more pronounced from the back than from the front, which is not that useful
• How do you think the shoulders fit? Also, does this type of shoulders fit my body type?
• The first button lands just above my navel, at the narrowest part of my waist
• The sleeve pitch may not be right but I can't figure what else is wrong with the sleeves because they don't look very clean, may the lining be too heavy for the coat fabric?
• I wanted it to be a little longer, as I find that it drapes better and also looks more English. What do you think?
• From the front, that curved waist is still not really visible, it makes me slightly fatter and I find that it may need a little more shape. Is it possible without creating other issues? Can the armhole be too low and it hides the waist? I think my natural drop allows for that curved look. But if it's not possible, I'm fine with the current look.
• Do you think the hip/set and skirt area is too big/flared?

I appreciate any feedback as I want to learn what should I look for in my search for a coat and thanks for your time!

Spoiler: Coat

Spoiler: Desired waist suppression

 

[antonioluisp]

Hello all, would love to get some expert feedback on this new MTM suit.

I think it may be a little long and not sure if button stance may be a little low.

It also seems to have a slight lapel pop or gap, especially over my right side, where suit doesnt quite lay flat against collar. I often have this problem with suits, I think because I have a prominent chest and erect posture. Though this one is very slight.

Any suggestions for alterations either to get it tailored or in a remade jacket would be greatly appreciated!

Thank you!

Any thoughts?

 

[Despos]

Any thoughts?

Looks a bit long. The back needs the most work.
Your stance is different in side pictures. More erect in one than the other.
Picture of the back shows the jacket hung up on shoulder blades but the side view doesn’t show much of an issue with your shoulder blades.
Complicated fix. Open the back along both side seams all the way thru the armhole. Shorten the back about 1 1/4”.
Shorten the front 1/2” at the vent and taper to nothing at the front where it begins to curve. Reduce the blade of the back but not the sidebody. Sew the side seams. Work the back of the armhole short to fit your blades better. Needs iron work along the center back and the armhole.
Can‘t tell how to adjust the shoulder line but the shoulder is not cut properly for your shoulders. Limited here because of no outlet on the shoulder but you could completely remove the back and recut it since you are shortening the back so much.
Doing this adjusts the balance and shortens the jacket at the same time.
Button position isn’t too bad.
As hard to find someone who knows how to do this as it is to do.

Forgive me for a long detailed post like this but my replies are what I would do if I was correcting the fit. Don’t know another way to respond. Hopefully something useful might sneak into my response.
Main take away is to be aware of your fitting issues and use that info when picking a maker. Discuss it and ask how they will correct or address the issue. If their eyes glaze over or they don’t understand, you know more than they do!

 

[AJ450]

Hello everyone, long time unregistered lurker from the Middle East here; have had a great time learning off styleforum, Derek's blog, various other writers, and plenty of experimenting with tailoring.

I would like to ask for some of the more veteran members' advice here if possible regarding my jacket and its fit: what are the necessary alterations needed to make sure I get the best fit possible here? I am referring primarily to getting the fundamentals right, rather than anything specific to me.

I am blessed to have access to very cheap tailoring in my country, but also cursed with the fact that I need to give specific instructions to my tailor, otherwise what I get is not always to my liking (e.g. armholes too low, chest too tight, boxy or overly tight, etc).

All of my recent sport coats are modeled after this one fit-wise: an unusual Fox City in Burnt Sienna (FC6) that I have been very happy with wearing with denim primarily.

The only observation I have that I am 100% sure of is that the sleeves are too long: my cuff never shows while standing. Doing 'Hug' test, I find I have enough room to 'hug' forward without feeling tight for the most part - maybe asking for future ones to be slightly bigger may work, but I am afraid of ending up 'boxy'. I also suspect at times that the front may benefit from being bigger as to not put much tension on the buttoning point, but again I am not sure. I also noticed that my tailor generally likes to extend the shoulders a little bit, which I don't think is an issue for me.

Is there anything someone with more experience would advise, or is there anything that needs to be fundamentally altered here?

Spoiler: Photos