Question about suit jacket

[Sweedle]

Hello, gang.

This is my first post/question; hopefully it's in the right place.

I recently bought a new suit and as far as I can tell (and according to the guy in the store who fitted me and the tailor currently shortening the sleeves) the jacket fits perfectly.

However, one thing I'm unsure about is: When I wear the jacket open (i.e. buttons undone) the front kind of hangs loose outwards, rather than parting sideways - if that makes any sense. I know this image is a female and what happens with my jacket isn't as severe as this, but this pretty much illustrates what I mean: http://suitsyourbelly.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/You-Go-Girl-Grey-Side.jpg

I assume it's either caused or exacerbated by the fact that I am quite broad (48" chest) so there's a lot of material there. (I should probably clarify: My stomach isn't pushing it out; it just seems to be how the weight/fabric falls naturally)

I've never seen any mention of this sort of thing in any suit fitting/style article so I guess my question is... are there any thoughts on or rules against this? Will it suggest to the eye that the suit is too large/loose or will people just ignore it?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Ich_Dien]

Shoulders could be off - pulling the quarters back.

 

[Veremund]

More importantly, your jacket is not supposed to be open when you’re standing. It’s supposed to be buttoned.

 

[Sweedle]

More importantly, your jacket is not supposed to be open when you’re standing. It’s supposed to be buttoned.

There's a good chance I'll wear it buttoned, but in more casual settings I was hoping to wear it unbuttoned - at least some of the time. I also won't be wearing a tie and I'll be wearing less formal shoes so I'm hoping the overall aesthetic will be obviously (smart) casual, rather than giving the impression that I have tried to do everything right to be formal but forgot to button the jacket (or wear the right shoes or a tie).

I also have long hair (past the shoulders) so there's a limit to how "formal" I can look anyway.

 

[Andy57]

I also won't be wearing a tie and I'll be wearing less formal shoes so I'm hoping the overall aesthetic will be obviously (smart) casual, rather than giving the impression that I have tried to do everything right to be formal but forgot to button the jacket (or wear the right shoes or a tie).

I might as well ask: if you don't intend to wear a tie (I don't know what you have in mind by "less formal" shoes), why bother to wear a suit? The tieless suit look can be done well, but it is not easy. For one thing, if your shirt collar does not stand up you not will not project a smart casual aesthetic, but will merely look scruffy instead. Most shirts will fail you in this effort.

 

[GBR]

More importantly, your jacket is not supposed to be open when you’re standing. It’s supposed to be buttoned.

Somewhat old fashioned view and more likely to be observed in the breach.

 

[breakaway01]

pictures would really help here (front/side/back). Front pictures both buttoned and unbuttoned.

If the jacket fits properly, the fronts should hang straight down regardless of whether it is buttoned or not. If the fronts are swinging open in the way that you describe, I am guessing that there is a problem with the front/back balance of the jacket. The fronts may be too short -- note that this is not a comment about the overall length of the jacket. If there isn't enough length in the top of the jacket fronts, it won't be able to drape properly over your chest and upper abdomen, and so it will swing open when the jacket is unbuttoned. However, just a guess -- pictures would help.

 

[Sweedle]

I might as well ask: if you don't intend to wear a tie (I don't know what you have in mind by "less formal" shoes), why bother to wear a suit? The tieless suit look can be done well, but it is not easy. For one thing, if your shirt collar does not stand up you not will not project a smart casual aesthetic, but will merely look scruffy instead. Most shirts will fail you in this effort.

The shirts have collar stays - if that's what you mean? And the shoes are double monk straps. I mostly just like the way suits look and feel on me, but I also think the contrast between the colours of the jacket and shirt creates some visual interest.

 

[Veremund]

I also won't be wearing a tie and I'll be wearing less formal shoes so I'm hoping the overall aesthetic will be obviously (smart) casual, rather than giving the impression that I have tried to do everything right to be formal but forgot to button the jacket.

It's not a question of formality. Suits, and therefore the wearer, look better when buttoned while standing. Now about your hair...

 

[Sweedle]

Now about your hair...

Are you about to suggest I get it cut off?

 

[Veremund]

Are you about to suggest I get it cut off?

Moi?

 

[Andy57]

The shirts have collar stays - if that's what you mean? And the shoes are double monk straps. I mostly just like the way suits look and feel on me, but I also think the contrast between the colours of the jacket and shirt creates some visual interest.

Collar stays do not help the collar stand up when you don't wear a tie. They simply prevent the collar from curling up when you do wear a tie. Most regular shirt collars will collapse when worn tieless under a jacket. Here's a picture of George Clooney illustrating what I mean:

Now here's another picture of George illustrating what you want the collar to look like:

And even there, one side is starting to collapse. To avoid this problem, you need to either wear a button-down collar or a one-piece collar that is specifically designed to roll properly when worn under a jacket. If you can't do that, then wear a tie.

 

[Thin White Duke]

These are good examples Andy.
Pulling off the tie-less suit is not easy, and Clooney has been known to acquit himself reasonably well in this regard as your second picture shows, but I really dislike the way the collar on a tie-less dress shirt collapses in on itself when worn open as the first pic aptly demonstrates.

I find it difficult to get comfortable with an open neck shirt especially in a biz-caz setting, which has brought me after years of not liking them to finally acquire a few button downs for such occasions.