RTW Suits & the 2 lines in the front

[Rylsa]

Hey SF,

I realize that a lot of suits that I have purchased come with two vertical lines in the front of the jacket at the chest area. I was wondering if this was normal? I apologize for being ignorant for I really don't know what they are there for. They are on my sartorio suit and saint andrews suit as well, so I think they should be like that for all RTWs. I am not sure if I am the only one, but I really hate those lines, especially when they create a bulge on one side of the suit on the front. Let me attach a picture of my sartorio suit for example:




It looks like it is not sewn properly on one side, and it makes the suit crease or fold a bit on one side. Not very obvious, but enough to bother me to create a thread. Can anyone kindly tell me what this is for and how I can remove it? My tailor said he did not know how to make it go away. For 2 suits that I own, the line on the side of the pocket is flat, but the line on the other side has this small fold like above, as though it wasn't done properly. Is this normal?

Thank you!

 

[Seamless]

Those are jacket pleats. Very common. Normally they won't be 100% identical. I think it looks fine.

 

[Rylsa]

It really does affect the look of the jacket, let me show you another picture. Really would like to know how to make it flat.

 

[Despos]

Those are darts. They are used to create shape in the chest and to reduce the fronts at the waist. The canvass also has these shapes to follow the shape of your chest and waist.

At the top end of the dart fullness is created by the dart. To make it look smoother it only needs to be pressed but do not try to press it flat. If you press it flat you are working against the purpose it is meant for. The chest area should be pressed in a curved shape to follow the rounded shape of your chest.

You can get jackets made without front darts but they are hard to find outside of traditional styled clothing or custom made.

 

[Seamless]



Those are darts. They are used to create shape in the chest and to reduce the fronts at the waist. The canvass also has these shapes to follow the shape of your chest and waist.

At the top end of the dart fullness is created by the dart. To make it look smoother it only needs to be pressed but do not try to press it flat. If you press it flat you are working against the purpose it is meant for. The chest area should be pressed in a curved shape to follow the rounded shape of your chest.

You can get jackets made without front darts but they are hard to find outside of traditional styled clothing or custom made.

Totally what I meant. I should have went more into detail. I think the jacket looks just fine. You're looking to hard at something. Remember that nothing will ever be 100% perfect no matter what we do.

 

[Rylsa]

Thanks Despo and seamless. I think it is just the perfectionist nature of suits in particular (or maybe me) - that's why people care to pay more for small details such as handwork. E.g. If I paid £2000 for a top RTW suit I would be expecting it to be perfect. If only I could find someone in London who could do this...

 

[Seamless]



Thanks Despo and seamless. I think it is just the perfectionist nature of suits in particular (or maybe me) - that's why people care to pay more for small details such as handwork. E.g. If I paid £2000 for a top RTW suit I would be expecting it to be perfect. If only I could find someone in London who could do this...

Saville Row? I'd start there.

 

[cptjeff]



Thanks Despo and seamless. I think it is just the perfectionist nature of suits in particular (or maybe me) - that's why people care to pay more for small details such as handwork. E.g. If I paid £2000 for a top RTW suit I would be expecting it to be perfect. If only I could find someone in London who could do this...

Front darts are a normal part of suit construction. It's not an imperfection, you just don't like the appearance. Which is fine, but don't act like you're getting an inferior product. Suits without darts are available, but they're the exception, not the rule, and you do lose shape in the front by omitting the darts. Which is why most dartless fronts are found on things like sack suits. But hey, if you don't want front darts, talk to a bespoke tailor.

I looked, and I have 4 dartless jackets. Every single one is vintage from a New England Trad maker. And 3 of them are sack cuts.