Help Selecting a Suit for my Wedding (fit advice)

[iotan]

UPDATE:
Perhaps an alternate way to approach this is: can anyone recommend a good tailor in Atlanta? One who would both give proper guidance on whether a suit is an appropriate candidate for me (i.e., able to be tailored to fit me properly) and then can do a good job actually doing the alterations. I searched the forum and have not immediately seen any good suggestions (I am already familiar with the two options I have seen mentioned a few times). Thank you for any suggestions!

ORIGINAL:
Esteemed gentlemen of SF,

My wedding is coming up shortly, and I am still trying to finalize my suit selection. I have narrowed it down to two options. I am hoping to get some advice from the forum regarding best fit and alteration requirements. Both will need alterations to some extent. Regardless, I am less concerned about the extent of alterations that are required.

I am most interested in which one has the “best fit potential”. In my mind this would be the one that fits best in the areas that cannot be altered well or can only be minimally adjusted (across the shoulders, jacket length, etc.). Additionally, I would appreciate any feedback on what alternations are required to get the best fit for each suit.

With that said, below are the two options I am currently considering (I apologize for the crappy iPhone pictures and also suspect that some of the angles may be sub-optimal).

Suit #1

Suit #2

I realize one great piece of advice is to listen to a trusted tailor. I will listen to the tailor, but I do not currently have one whose eye I completely trust, and there is also more value in receiving a greater amount of input, especially from a group such as this.

Thank you for any feedback and advice you can provide!

 

[ThomGault]

Do you have any other options? To my eye, neither of those suits are particularly flattering on you.

 

[iotan]

Do you have any other options? To my eye, neither of those suits are particularly flattering on you.

Thank you for the response. I have a couple other options I have been considering but from a color perspective prefer these two. I can try to post pics of the others in the morning.

Are there specific features/reasons why you do not find them flattering on me or is it a general overall impression?

 

[ThomGault]

Suit 1: high gorge, wide lapels, tight at button, unsightly side roll of lapel at button, gaping space at lower button, skinny trousers.

Suit 2: high gorge, ticket pocket (normally fine, but weird for wedding), and again, problems near the jacket waist (top button area doesn't drape well and the material below the buttons balloons out and makes you look far chunkier than you are.)

 

[Murlsquirl]

It's just the cut that isn't very flattering to me. That said, number 2 fits better. Might be a tad long, but a better fit overall.

 

[iotan]

Thank you for the honest feedback. Below is a third option.

Suit #3

 

[ThomGault]

I'm not a tailor, so I can't necessarily give you technical answers, but do you see how, in every profile view, the buttoned button is indented from the rest of the jacket? And the garment immediately above and below that button quickly blossoms outward? I presume that the buttoned area is too tight for your body, which would also help explain why the bottom button never aligns with its button hole in the frontal pictures, as that material needs to splay out to accommodate the tightness of the top button.

 

[The Millennial Gentleman]

I'm not a tailor, so I can't necessarily give you technical answers, but do you see how, in every profile view, the buttoned button is indented from the rest of the jacket? And the garment immediately above and below that button quickly blossoms outward? I presume that the buttoned area is too tight for your body, which would also help explain why the bottom button never aligns with its button hole in the frontal pictures, as that material needs to splay out to accommodate the tightness of the top button.

I suspect the jacket had a bad press or is not pressed at all.

In all three options, I see the shoulder as being slightly too wide. Have you tried sizing down one?

Option 1 is a definite no...unless the jacket comes in peak lapel. The trousers are still too skinny.

Option 2 is just not flattering in the ways mentioned above.

Option 3 is one of the better ones. It is more modern, right trouser leg fit. and good lapel wideness. The only problem is that it looks a little cheap in the jacket (rolls/wrinkles on lapel).

For tailoring the third one, it would need the jacket to come in on the sides (I am assuming you are trim/athletic), the jacket sleeves to come up and the trousers to be hemmed. Investigate a semi-break not a full break.

Quick general question...how formal is your wedding? Are we talking about dressed up barn or private country club?

EDIT: Just realized you are not wearing a tuxedo to your own wedding...might I ask why?

 

[iotan]

I'm not a tailor, so I can't necessarily give you technical answers, but do you see how, in every profile view, the buttoned button is indented from the rest of the jacket? And the garment immediately above and below that button quickly blossoms outward? I presume that the buttoned area is too tight for your body, which would also help explain why the bottom button never aligns with its button hole in the frontal pictures, as that material needs to splay out to accommodate the tightness of the top button.

Yes, I see the same issue (more so in the pictures than when looking directly at it) and agree with your logic on what would cause it. However, I will say that all of them (and especially #2) feel pretty loose in the jacket waist area. I actually feel like for #2 at least I would need to increase the waist suppression some to get a proper trim fit. However, perhaps (and probably most likely) that is a figment of my imagination based off of my preference for slim casual clothes. Alternately, perhaps none are right for my body (although I feel I have a relatively average shape which should not be too tough to properly).

I am planning to swing by the tailor later today or tomorrow to get his input but definitely appreciate the additional perspective and commentary.

 

[iotan]

I suspect the jacket had a bad press or is not pressed at all.

In all three options, I see the shoulder as being slightly too wide. Have you tried sizing down one?

Option 1 is a definite no...unless the jacket comes in peak lapel. The trousers are still too skinny.

Option 2 is just not flattering in the ways mentioned above.

Option 3 is one of the better ones. It is more modern, right trouser leg fit. and good lapel wideness. The only problem is that it looks a little cheap in the jacket (rolls/wrinkles on lapel).

For tailoring the third one, it would need the jacket to come in on the sides (I am assuming you are trim/athletic), the jacket sleeves to come up and the trousers to be hemmed. Investigate a semi-break not a full break.

Quick general question...how formal is your wedding? Are we talking about dressed up barn or private country club?

EDIT: Just realized you are not wearing a tuxedo to your own wedding...might I ask why?

Thanks for the feedback! Note that none of the suits have been tailored or pressed yet. I am just trying to determine which (if any) are good candidates for getting a strong, optimized fit once tailored.

We are having a day-time wedding, outdoors, at a vineyard in the south. We are planning it to be a relatively casual affair.

 

[The Millennial Gentleman]

Awesome! In that case, a suit works fine (sans ticket pocket). I would say keep it to a notch lapel like you have been.

I would seriously consider sizing down one in the jacket and seeing how that looks. Looking at the shoulder seams, they are off of your shoulders. That is something a tailor cannot easily fix. Also, when you hem the trousers, remember that the vineyard might be dirt or grass (idk lol) and the trouser might like to be a little shorter.

 

[iotan]

Thanks for the feedback and suggestions! I think there was some pinching and pulling around the shoulders in the next size down, but I will double-check (as well as, I guess, keep looking for options that are a better fit to start).

 

[The Millennial Gentleman]

Most welcome. Remember that different brands have way different cuts/fits. So what might fit you in one, is a bag in another or visea-versa. Keep us posted!

 

[iotan]

Perhaps an alternate way to approach this is: can anyone recommend a good tailor in Atlanta? One who would both give proper guidance on whether a suit is an appropriate candidate for me (i.e., able to be tailored to fit me properly) and then can do a good job actually doing the alterations. I searched the forum and have not immediately seen any good suggestions (I am already familiar with the two options I have seen mentioned a few times). Thank you for any suggestions!

 

[Wayward]

If the waist is too tight, it would create an X wrinkle around the buttoning point. Instead, it looks like the chest is too small. Basically, the chestpiece is pushed outward, so that when you button it up, it is being pulled back toward your body and cannot lie flat. It could also be due to a prominent back.

That's what I suspect anyway, as I developed that problem after going up a couple inches in chest measurements. If it is the case, you should see an unnatural bowing/buckling in the lapel, instead of a smooth, continuous curvature flowing to the button.

The flaring of the skirt is more a matter of the cut and front/back balance, and won't be affected unless it's unreasonably tight, which does not appear to be the case.

But I'm not a tailor, merely someone who reads SF far too often...