shoulder pads to help with sloped shoulders

[HanSoo417]

I have sloped shoulders but can't really afford to get all my clothes custom made. BR was having a big christmas sale (40% off) and my parents wanted to buy me an overcoat. It's fits better than any other off the rack overcoat I tried on and it was one of the few stores that had extra small.

Anyways, I'm gonna go have the sleeves shortened a bit and I was thinking that getting shoulder pads might help the fit a little bit (it fits pretty well regardless, but always trying to get a little closer to perfect). I just wanted to get some thoughts on this. Will I ruin the outline of the overcoat? Is it going to look obvious and out of place?

Please hold the opinions on where I got it and don't suggest ridiculously overpriced clothing. I already know that if I had all the money in the world I could get a perfectly fitting overcoat with 10x better material and construction....lol

 

[SJTrance]

Well, why don't you get the coat since you already know it fits well and just mock up some shoulder pads. Take pics before and after and see what happens. Of course, the correct thing to do is to figure out why your shoulder are sloped. I'm a physical therapist and I help people with their posture every day. You might want to get yourself to a competent PT to see what can be done about your posture. Imagine how awesome it would be to just have nice shoulders and wear what you want.

 

[HanSoo417]

Originally Posted by SJTrance

Well, why don't you get the coat since you already know it fits well and just mock up some shoulder pads. Take pics before and after and see what happens. Of course, the correct thing to do is to figure out why your shoulder are sloped. I'm a physical therapist and I help people with their posture every day. You might want to get yourself to a competent PT to see what can be done about your posture. Imagine how awesome it would be to just have nice shoulders and wear what you want.

whoa, I had no idea that was something you could "fix" I just thought it was a bone structure thing. Like some people have long arms or a short waist, etc etc. I might have to look into that.

 

[HanSoo417]

no other thoughts?

 

[Jay687]

You can't fix your bone structure, but you can definitely get better posture, which is better than being slouched. And there is always weight lifting which, if you build up your shoulders sufficiently, can help lessen the slope.

 

[amplifiedheat]

Adding shoulder pads is pretty simple and effective for just what you suggest. I had it done on an overly-sloped jacket, and the result was not a square, built-up looking jacket, but a solid, natural-looking jacket.

Pads can be found at any fabric store, and put in by any competent alterationist.

 

[Despos]

Will you be wearing the overcoat over a jacket with shoulder pads? The jacket will take up some of the space between the coat shoulders and yours. If you don't wear it over a jacket you can add the pad but it will make the armhole higher and smaller. Easy enough to slip a pad under your shoulder with the topcoat on to see what is best.

 

[bigchris1313]

Originally Posted by Jay687

And there is always weight lifting which, if you build up your shoulders sufficiently, can help lessen the slope.

Yes and no. It will build your shoulders (deltoids), but also your trapezius muscles, resulting in... sloped shoulders! This applies to athletes and non-athletes alike. See:

or

 

[HanSoo417]

I think it might be partly due to bad posture and partly because I do lift weights and although I'm not nearly as huge, I my shoulder line is probably closer to the first picture than the second.

 

[patrickBOOTH]

There is a lot of talk of shoulder pads and how they correct sloping shoulders and whatnot. I think it comes down to what you want to look like in a suit. Sloped shoulders aren't unnatural at all. If you had shoulders that protruded perpendicularly from your neck you would look like the monster from Frankenstein. People who walk with their arms back and shoulders up look like they are stiff and standing at attention. I think the real sign of bad posture is the arch of your upper back. Just don't hunch.

 

[amplifiedheat]

Originally Posted by patrickBOOTH

I think it comes down to what you want to look like in a suit. Sloped shoulders aren't unnatural at all. If you had shoulders that protruded perpendicularly from your neck you would look like the monster from Frankenstein.

It always goes to hyperbole, this place. Sloped shoulders are natural, yes. And they look weird when covered with fabric. There's no sense in strict naturalism, unless you want to advocate Spandex.

 

[patrickBOOTH]

Originally Posted by amplifiedheat

It always goes to hyperbole, this place. Sloped shoulders are natural, yes. And they look weird when covered with fabric. There's no sense in strict naturalism, unless you want to advocate Spandex.

Not spandex, just raglan sleeves!