Is this jacket too small?

[phzanella]

Shoulder seam to shoulder seam 17.5 inches, Pit-to-Pit 21, Waist 20.

 

[xizenta]

From what's visible in the photo, no.

 

[phzanella]

From what's visible in the photo, no.

What do you think about the shoulder divot?

 

[xizenta]

What do you think about the shoulder divot?

Comes from the shoulders being too large for you.

 

[phzanella]

Comes from the shoulders being too large for you.

if that's the case, it doesn't happen on suits that are larger?

 

[xizenta]

if that's the case, it doesn't happen on suits that are larger?

Depends on the size of the chest. I think if the chest is smaller while the shoulders are large you see a divot like this. If the chest and shoulders are the appropriate size, no divot. If the chest and shoulders are both oversized, no divot.

 

[JohnMRobie]

if that's the case, it doesn't happen on suits that are larger?

Hard to say for sure but it also looks like the jacket may be lifting off your shoulders when you bend your arms exacerbating it.

 

[FlyingHorker]

Comes from the shoulders being too large for you.

Nope. Armhole shape is too small and that's what causes divots.

This myth persists over the years.

This one keeps coming up and most people are mistaken about the causes so here's a detailed look at what causes shoulder divots or dents.

First, the divots have nothing to do with the width of the shoulder- we often hear people making comments about a shoulder being too wide because it is denting but this is not the cause. Look at old photos of Tommy Nutter's work- you can't get much wider than that and they don't dent.

Second, the divots have nothing to do with the amount of shoulder padding; again, you can tons of it and not have dents, and you can have dents on an unpadded shoulder.

THIS is what causes the divots.

The armhole must be cut in the right shape for the body of the wearer. The sleeve is then cut in a very precise relationship to the armhole. In the figure below, the height of the armhole dictates the height of the sleeve cap and the width of the armhole dictates the width of the sleeve cap. We'll say that distance a-b must be equal to e-f and distance c-d must be equal to g-h (for the super geeks, this is not the actual formula but we'll say it is for simplicity).

If you put on a jacket whose armhole has not been cut wide enough for you, or that the chest pulls because it is too tight (or a host of other reasons the armhole may distort) the armhole will contract- it will get wider and shorter. The sleeve cap is now too long and narrow (a-b is shorter than e-f and c-d is wider than g-h) so it pulls from front to back, and the extra length collapses. THIS is what causes the divot.

The only way to try to remedy this is to remove the sleeve and shorten the cap (cut away excess length); this will, in some cases, be sufficient, but in many cases you also need some extra width to the sleeve cap, which you will not be able to gain since there is no outlet for it. This is neither easy nor cheap so your average dry-cleaner alterations tailor may not be able to do it.

The only way to know if a jacket is gong to do this is to try it on. If it dents, try a size up or try a different maker.

Highly extended shoulders have been a phenomenon for years with no divots. Ex: DDL in Phantom Thread

 

[Despos]

Comes from the shoulders being too large for you.

This is false.
Can be caused by irregular sleeve pitch or if the sleeve head is too tall for the armhole or from a tight back. If the jacket is small it pulls the armhole and distorts the armhole shape. If the jacket is too small the sleeve divot comes from horizontal tension in the sleeve cap..

These pictures don't show the jacket in a way to know if the jacket is too small.
The slight bowing of the lapels across the chest may be from the jacket being too small or from the arm movement. No way to be sure from what is seen here.