Jacket too tight?

[BigRed-18]

Hi,

I've lurked on style forum for quite a long time. Just a got a new suit off the rack and had the pants hemmed and jacket sleeves shortened.

The tailor didn't seem to think the jacket needed to be let out. It doesn't feel uncomfortable, and the button doesn't seem to be pulling, but one of my friends said it looks tight. I think maybe my posture is just a bit stiff in the picture?

Any thoughts?

 

[ThomGault]

I don't know why you're standing like that....But yes, it looks too tight in the stomach, probably too much waist supression, coupled with high button stance. Jackets shouldn't button at the chest, but instead closer to your waist. Looks like it doesn't even shut properly; one shouldn't see your stomach when the jacket is buttoned.

 

[thesilentist]

Ditto. You could probably let out the chest enough to make it less tight. Can't do anything about the button stance though.

FWIW, the trousers seem a bit wider than you'd might want given how trim the jacket is. Tough to tell from that camera angle and stance.

 

[BigRed-18]

Thanks for the replies.

So where exactly is the button stance supposed to be?

The top button isn't really at my chest, it's more like the top of my stomach, and the bottom button is just a shade above my belt buckle.

Is button stance a design issue, or is it off because I don't fit the jacket and the stance is off accordingly?

Finally, is the fit so bad that it isn't wearable without having it let out? I'm not looking for perfect, but good enough that the average person who wears suits wouldn't think it looks weird...

Thanks!

 

[voltnaire]

Agreed with everything that was said.

The buttoning point should, for most people, be at the natural waist where your body is the slimmest, or (recent trend) a couple of inches higher, which is acceptable depending on your body proportions.

I am also having a little trouble judging the length of your jacket (which, if too short, could also account for the button stance issue). This may be due to the angle of the image, which isn't quite ideal for judging these things.

Your tailor might have said that because the new "in" thing to do is to wear your jackets too tight. Most SF doods disagree. Technically, following the rules of proper fit, that "X" shaped creasing you're getting means it's too tight.

Could you post another picture with so we can see you at a more flat angle? If you can't, my impression is that the button stance is too high.

 

[voltnaire]

Realized I forgot to comment on wearability.

Depends on the situation, but for a lot of the people on SF, the answer would be no.

For the "average" person, I bet they'd notice that something was a little off with your suit without being able to put their finger on it. The tightness is definitely not egregious enough to move it from the "acceptable" to "unacceptable" category for the average human (keep in mind I'm quite young though).

The button stance just might be, pending more images.

If you HAVE to wear a suit tomorrow or something, then I guess you have no choice.

If you have time though, get another suit/return this one. If you're on a meager budget like me, a suit is a huge investment so I might as well be wearing it well if I'm going to be spending a chunk of cash on it.

 

[BigRed-18]

 

[BigRed-18]

Posted a couple of more pictures, and a couple of pictures in different jackets. I can see what you mean with the button stance. The brown plaid jacket covers the tie up at the bottom of the jacket, seems to close better. The light blue one has an even higher button stance than the first jacket.

 

[ialwayslose]

How tall are you? This might be why the button stance looks off in all of your garments.

Are you buying S, R, or L length?

Are you shortening the sleeves because you tend to have disproportionately shorter arms? (gut feeling answer).

I'm just trying to get a sense of what kinds of off the rack suits may "suit" you best. If you're paying good money, no reason why OTR suits shouldn't look better, especially with the help of a tailor.

I think the blue jacket may look a bit better if it had an extra inch or so of length, as this would drag the bottom portions of the coat down and inward, preventing them from "ballooning" (exaggeration) outward

 

[BigRed-18]

I'm 5'6" and 198 lbs. If it's a traditional cut I tend to go for a 42R, or if a slim cut 44R. Would a 42S or 44S lower the button stance on me? It would seem like that would make it worse? I'm also afraid if I go up a size to like a 46 that is going to be too big in the shoulders.

The sleeves are always too long. If a buy a 42 it is usually not as bad, and sometimes I don't shorten them. But on a 44 they are god awful long. Like almost to my thumbnail long.

I'm guessing that means my arms are unusually short lol.

 

[ialwayslose]

Personally I don't know from experience whether people at your height tend to be better off with R or S suits. The suits you have don't tend to be too long for you in any way, so I don't think that buying S would be necessary. I personally am caught between an R and an L and so I usually just go by the measurements provided or the fit if I am in a store.

I actually don't think the fit on any of these is terrible (definitely don't recommend going to 44R but you never know). Maybe try tying a tighter tie knot or wearing a slightly thinner tie to increase the proportion of "white space" on your chest and see how that works.

You may be onto something with the shoulders though on second glance, since it looks like the way the first jacket sits around your back, it is "riding high" causng the front to drape more narrowly. I'm not sure however, just thinking of theories.

And regarding slim fit, I do not feel it is always a great solution off the rack. Sure it might be a little less baggy in the chest/abdomen, but that is never the portion of a suit that is difficult to fix, and if you are getting the suit tailored regardless, then who cares.

 

[ThomGault]

At 5'6", you should definitely be wearing a Short jacket. A counterpoint is that a S might push the button stance even higher, but then I question the design of these jackets in general. Are they all the same brand?