Athletic Cut Suits

[BespokeBrooklyn]

I have run into some trouble trying to find a new suit. I have a 42"-43" chest and a 35" waist, and a 36" sleeve. 42" suits are often too snug in the shoulders and upper arms. If I buy 44" suits, the shoulders and arms fit much better, but the torso is quite roomy and the pants are usually far too large in the waist. Within the world of pants, my thighs are large relative to my waist. I would love an athletic cut suit, but other than J. Crew's Crosby line (which is not available in extra long and is slightly too slim in the pants), I don't know of any brands that sell them. Could you guys suggest some?

Several sales people have recommended that I get a suit custom-made, but (1) that's more than I would prefer to spend, and (2) I don't know if they're just trying to up-sell me, and that, with a little more searching, I can find something off-the-rack that suits my needs.

 

[mensimageconsultant]

Have you tried having a size 44 suit tailored or bought a 42 or 43 in a roomy cut?

 

[thesilentist]

That's pretty much the textbook case to go custom. As you outlined, you're not going to be able to find something off the rack due to your drop and waist/thigh.

For clients similar to you that I've fit in the past, I typically fit for the shoulder/chest first, then adjust the drop accordingly. Depending on how the jacket sleeve and armhole fits, I may deepen the armhole, give more room in the biceps but taper the sleeve cuff. Trousers typically require raising the back rise and narrowing the waist while giving the thigh circumference more room and if the client wants a more narrow taper from around the knee downward. Calf muscles though often prevent from going too narrow.

While you can always potentially find something off the rack and have it altered, there's limits to what can be done. In my experience, guys with large drops in the chest also have very erect postures, too. And you can only take in the sides of the jacket so much before the quarters look really off. Typically, I also find that lower button stances help reduce chest puckering, too, but most OTR right now has higher button stances that increase bowing at the chest on most athletic builds.

Again, hard to say without seeing you in person, but some of this stuff you just can't do off the rack unless the OTR pattern is VERY specifically built for a frame like yours -- and that's pretty rare as most brands cut either roomy or slim. There's a lot of affordable options in MTM -- and of course you can look into bespoke.

At the end of the day, the question is how much do you value a suit that fits you the way you want it to and is tailored correctly for you? I'd suggest doing some research into MTM/custom places around you and seeing what can fit within your budget and expectations.

 

[BespokeBrooklyn]

Have you tried having a size 44 suit tailored or bought a 42 or 43 in a roomy cut?

 

[BespokeBrooklyn]

That's pretty much the textbook case to go custom. As you outlined, you're not going to be able to find something off the rack due to your drop and waist/thigh.

For clients similar to you that I've fit in the past, I typically fit for the shoulder/chest first, then adjust the drop accordingly. Depending on how the jacket sleeve and armhole fits, I may deepen the armhole, give more room in the biceps but taper the sleeve cuff. Trousers typically require raising the back rise and narrowing the waist while giving the thigh circumference more room and if the client wants a more narrow taper from around the knee downward. Calf muscles though often prevent from going too narrow.

While you can always potentially find something off the rack and have it altered, there's limits to what can be done. In my experience, guys with large drops in the chest also have very erect postures, too. And you can only take in the sides of the jacket so much before the quarters look really off. Typically, I also find that lower button stances help reduce chest puckering, too, but most OTR right now has higher button stances that increase bowing at the chest on most athletic builds.

Again, hard to say without seeing you in person, but some of this stuff you just can't do off the rack unless the OTR pattern is VERY specifically built for a frame like yours -- and that's pretty rare as most brands cut either roomy or slim. There's a lot of affordable options in MTM -- and of course you can look into bespoke.

At the end of the day, the question is how much do you value a suit that fits you the way you want it to and is tailored correctly for you? I'd suggest doing some research into MTM/custom places around you and seeing what can fit within your budget and expectations.