New suits - jackets too short?

[richyrich]

I took the pictures by the back door as it gives the most light. I had to rest the phone on the glass pane so I am limited in my angles.

Is it too tight and short to wear to work though? Does it look ridiculous or just not great. I dont need to be the most dapper guy at work, just want to look well presented generally.

 

[jrd617]

^ No one here is going to endorse mediocrity. I guess it looks "OK" if you were working in hipster/creative/edgy/artist office, but if you are working in a staid, white collar office, you might become known as "that guy with the tight skinny suit." I would notice and so would the older, more experienced people in the office.

 

[richyrich]

Sheet. All I can do is hope that we work in different kind of places.

 

[Quesjac]

As @jrd617 said, no one here is going to endorse mediocrity, but on the other hand it's unlikely that your office is full of armchair tailors. The faults with your suits' fit are there, but I am confident in any medium-size office you won't stand out.

Look back through the forum for people asking if their "skinny suit" can be tailored tighter if you want to see what ridiculous looks like.

 

[Michael81]

Can I ask how much you pay for this? And are you based in Dublin/Ireland? I have a fellow in Dublin who said he can do it for 130 but he will need to see it on me first. I suspect that if the jacket is too tight then he wont be able to do it as it reduces the armhole size? May be an option if I had a 40R but not with the 39R I am being delivered. I still think 38 is my size as there are the very beginnings of divots with the 38S Lazio I have. The Napoli is a bit wider around chest and waist though so hopefully will be okay.

Shortening the sleeves from the shoulder usually costs €80, but I typically spend €130-150 on alterations in total per suit. I'm afraid I can't help you as far as Ireland is concerned. I'm based in Finland.

Tailors don't reduce the size of the armhole itself - they taper the sleeves and take in the sides of the chest.

To give you an indication of what is possible, my jackets go from this:



To this:

 

[jrd617]

I think shortening sleeves from the shoulder is stupid... unless you absolutely must. It's expensive and risky (no guarantee it will look great).

Like if you have an absolute one-on-a-kind piece you want to make fit. But if you're looking for a basic blue or grey suit, better to go ahead and find one that has unfinished sleeves.

 

[Michael81]

I agree that it is a delicate operation and easy to screw up. Fortunately my tailor is very good.

 

[richyrich]

As @jrd617 said, no one here is going to endorse mediocrity, but on the other hand it's unlikely that your office is full of armchair tailors. The faults with your suits' fit are there, but I am confident in any medium-size office you won't stand out.

Look back through the forum for people asking if their "skinny suit" can be tailored tighter if you want to see what ridiculous looks like.

Thanks Quesjac. I am a bit freaked though. I didnt really notice it until pointed out by jrd but I feel like I am wearing some sort of attempt at a muscle suit. Too tight that it shows all my movements. I think I am gonna have to go pick up a cheap suit in town in the meanwhile. Something that's larger and probably looks like crap but is more classic. I feel like this suit is wasted. The pants could be good to wear with a sweater though but I dunno about the jacket.

Shortening the sleeves from the shoulder usually costs €80, but I typically spend €130-150 on alterations in total per suit. I'm afraid I can't help you as far as Ireland is concerned. I'm based in Finland.

Tailors don't reduce the size of the armhole itself - they taper the sleeves and take in the sides of the chest.

To give you an indication of what is possible, my jackets go from this:



To this:

Thanks for this. Seeing as they are taking in the chest, will that reduce my chest space in the jacket even. If so, I will need a 40 for sure. The pants with SS are just so big though, in every way. So are the jackets aswell.

I think shortening sleeves from the shoulder is stupid... unless you absolutely must. It's expensive and risky (no guarantee it will look great).

Like if you have an absolute one-on-a-kind piece you want to make fit. But if you're looking for a basic blue or grey suit, better to go ahead and find one that has unfinished sleeves.

Will take it into consideration, thanks.

 

[Quesjac]

I am freaking out here though now.

Seriously, don't:

1. it's only clothes
2. honestly, unless you are working in the kind of place where the majority of guys don't by OTR, you're going to look entirely normal. This forum is full of enthusiasts, and that's great, but get into tailoring if you like it, not to discover things to worry about.
3. I'd not buy something cheap now, just accept that you have bought a fair bit of experience and your next choice will be better. I and I think most people here went through an evolution of mistakes, both in terms of learning what works and deciding what we like, and that's fine.

 

[Michael81]

I mean, shortening from the shoulder is something I do because I have to. Thanks to SuSu's ridiculous functioning button-holes and my T-rex arms, it's the only way I can get my sleeves to the correct length. If you can get away with shortening from the sleeve, do so without hesitation.

As Quesjac said, don't freak out. All you need do is make sure the jacket shoulders fit correctly and it is an appropriate length. Your tailor will do the rest.

 

[richyrich]

Seriously, don't:

1. it's only clothes
2. honestly, unless you are working in the kind of place where the majority of guys don't by OTR, you're going to look entirely normal. This forum is full of enthusiasts, and that's great, but get into tailoring if you like it, not to discover things to worry about.
3. I'd not buy something cheap now, just accept that you have bought a fair bit of experience and your next choice will be better. I and I think most people here went through an evolution of mistakes, both in terms of learning what works and deciding what we like, and that's fine.

Thanks Quesjac. I know its only clothes but I dont wanna be wearing some monkey suit haha. Tbf, I have learned a good bit but it is so easy to f up its frustrating. I have an old, cheap suit thats prob 4 years old that we got for my brothers wedding. Only worn half a dozen times Its fairly crap looking but it is the right size. Think it might be a better idea to dress in a potato sack for the first day to scope things out rather than a monkey suit.

I mean, shortening from the shoulder is something I do because I have to. Thanks to SuSu's ridiculous functioning button-holes and my T-rex arms, it's the only way I can get my sleeves to the correct length. If you can get away with shortening from the sleeve, do so without hesitation.

As Quesjac said, don't freak out. All you need do is make sure the jacket shoulders fit correctly and it is an appropriate length. Your tailor will do the rest.

So you take it past the buttons? I might get the 38r shortened half an inch from the cuff instead. Wont show any cuff but will be at an acceptable (for me) level. That is if the rest of it fits. I am unsure if the back of this will be too tight aswell.

I think i am a SS 38 shoulder and arms, and a 40 in the jacket length, chest and waist. Its awkward.

 

[Michael81]

Dude, we all have our sartorial crosses to bear. I am positively swimming in the jacket I posted. Getting it to fit correctly is a going to be a huge pain **********. But that is just how it goes.

Yes, that is the only reason to shorten from the shoulder. It wouldn't be necessary at all if SuSu didn't have those idiotic functioning button-holes. In any case, while people here like to show cuff (because it is undoubtedly elegant) most people out there in the real world do not. If you don't feel like it is necessary, don't do it.

The other stuff is not a huge deal and can be dealt with, so don't worry about it.

 

[jrd617]



Dude, we all have our sartorial crosses to bear. I am positively swimming in the jacket I posted. Getting it to fit correctly is a going to be a huge pain **********. But that is just how it goes. 

While it's true that having the shoulders fit is most important, it is best to get as many parameters fitting as closely as possible. Chest, waist length etc. There is some tolerance for those parameters, but it's not as simple as saying "buy this suit jacket with the well fitting shoulders, and disregard all other measurements since a tailor can just take everything else in."

If you do that, then you may end up with a jacket that isn't balanced.

You certainly won't get good results with your average dry cleaning joint tailor. Only a true bespoke tailor who also does alterations can help you there. And there aren't many hybrid bespoke tailors/alterationists around. Sam Wazin in NYC and Tad at J Press in Boston are examples. http://www.styleforum.net/t/397978/sam-wazin-custom-tailor-nyc/0_50

Not sure who the European (Irish and Finnish) equivalents would be

Besides, when you end up doing all those alterations, a $450 to $600 Susu suit may well end up turning into a $800 to $1000+ Susu suit. Worth it? Not in my opinion..

 

[richyrich]

I guess everyone does. Just wanted to look smart for first day. Ya the button thing really pissed me off when I learned it too. It is a huge hinderance.

I guess I will just have to go to the tailor with the new one and see what he thinks.

Seriously, don't:

1. it's only clothes
2. honestly, unless you are working in the kind of place where the majority of guys don't by OTR, you're going to look entirely normal. This forum is full of enthusiasts, and that's great, but get into tailoring if you like it, not to discover things to worry about.
3. I'd not buy something cheap now, just accept that you have bought a fair bit of experience and your next choice will be better. I and I think most people here went through an evolution of mistakes, both in terms of learning what works and deciding what we like, and that's fine.

Forgot to say, that sentence is so true but I worry because I like it.

 

[jrd617]

Which leads me to reiterate my point from above: buy a vinyl measuring tape for $3.50 from your pharmacy's shoe care aisle. Measure your jackets and we will advise on how much a tailor can realistically take in, and also how much more room you might need in certain places @richyrich

https://www.askandyaboutclothes.com/clothing/style-tips/how-to-measure-a-jacket/

http://www.cvs.com/shop/household-g...nger-vinyl-tape-measure-60-inch-prodid-323105