Some Suit Advice Please

[earthur999]

I have large shoulders and a relatively small waist. The few suits I've worn in the past have always looked boxy and ill-fitted. I am working in the middle east now and suits can be made fairly cheaply. However, the tailors will do whatever you ask them to do, I just don't know what to tell them to fix this suit.

This suit was MTM, I believe. Measurements were taken before the suit was made, a fitting was done, and then the final product was delivered. The shirt is obviously not designed for someone with sloping shoulders, but I'm not too worried about the shirt, I have already ordered a shirt from one of the MTM onilne shirt makers. I'm just concerned with the suit at this time, and primarily just the jacket.

The jacket has a single vent, and now that I've seen it I should have told them to make it with side vents, but maybe that can be fixed on the next one.

My concerns with the jacket are:

The sleeves appear too long, I think I should have them shortened but just need verification.
The waist of the jacket is too big, the tailor says he can't fix this without the vent remaining open all the time
The sleeves dimple near the shoulders, not sure if this can be fixed or not.

Can these issues be fixed by a competent tailor, and is there a way to explain how to fix these issues to someone who doesn't already know?

Any and all advice would be appreciated
Thanks for your time

 

[ThomGault]

The sleevehead isn't right---the fabric looks crimped around your shoulder. There shouldn't be wrinkles when your arms are in a natural position. There are wrinkles at the side of your natural waist...Again, the fabric should drape smoothly.
I can't see in the pictures...Are the faux sleeve buttons on the BACK of the sleeve?
The body of the sleeves looks overly wrinkled, too. Are the jacket sleeves so snug that the shirt fabric's billows are not letting the sleeves drape well?
There's also something not right with the torso of the suit---see how it gapes open at the second button? It should hang straight down with no opening.
I don't have enough experience to advise what exactly you would tell a tailor, other than, "Make the wrinkles go away." But if they don't already understand that the suit shouldn't wrinkle as it does, I'm not sure they'd naturally understand how to fix it.

 

[ter1413]



The sleevehead isn't right---the fabric looks crimped around your shoulder. There shouldn't be wrinkles when your arms are in a natural position. There are wrinkles at the side of your natural waist...Again, the fabric should drape smoothly.
I can't see in the pictures...Are the faux sleeve buttons on the BACK of the sleeve?
The body of the sleeves looks overly wrinkled, too. Are the jacket sleeves so snug that the shirt fabric's billows are not letting the sleeves drape well?
There's also something not right with the torso of the suit---see how it gapes open at the second button? It should hang straight down with no opening.
I don't have enough experience to advise what exactly you would tell a tailor, other than, "Make the wrinkles go away." But if they don't already understand that the suit shouldn't wrinkle as it does, I'm not sure they'd naturally understand how to fix it.

To add.....never just go with 1 fitting especially at a new tailor. Have 3-4 if possible. You could have addressed many of these issues right there and then.

 

[thesilentist]

It looks like they took a template that fit your shoulders but didn't do much to address the drop you have in the waistline being smaller than the average for a jacket with that size shoulder.

Honestly, I've seen this on "athletic" build guys when I was selling OTR and you hit limits on how much you can take in the waist thru the side seams. What happens is that the fabric you really need to reduce is on the front panels of the jacket, not so much the back panels of the jacket. But that means essentially recutting the entire front of the jacket and that's limited by the pockets (or so my tailors explained to me).

Frankly, they should've remade the jacket. If it's MTM, the solution typically is pick a template a size down and increase the shoulder/back/chest, then reduce the waist/seat of the jacket. I don't know what kind of system they're using so who knows.

Other things is that the sleeves look like something out of a wizard's robe. They probably need to have more room at the bicep, but the hand opening should be tapered to probably the elbow. The jacket also seems pretty long, too. Hard to tell with the photos.

 

[earthur999]

Thesilentist-Thank you! Thats the type of information I am looking for. Typically I have a hard time finding clothes that are flattering and comfortable to wear because of my larger than normal shoulders and traps and it appears suits will be no exception. I am going back tomorrow to see if anything can be done to fix this suit and if not I am going to request another one be made with a more athletic cut.

Is there anything specific I can ask for besides what you have already said? They speak pretty decent english, but not perfect and this isn't exactly the fashion capital of the world. Are there any good resources on the web with pictures that display how a suit should fit in all of these areas? My searches so far only show thinner guys, and I would like a picture of a more athletic guy with a slim fitting suit.

 

[thesilentist]

I'm not a tailor/patternmaker/cutter so I'm not sure what to tell the tailor.

They need to make a pattern that's big enough for your shoulders, but tapers in at the waist/seat of the jacket. The button point should be lower so it doesn't pucker the lapels when you button it.

No clue on what photos you can show. Most "athletic" cut guys (i.e.: Pro athletes) who have a similar frame usually don't have what I'd consider suits that fit very well. They have challenging bodies and typically get OTR that from a fit perspective doesn't quite work.

One of the things I'd probably tell you to get your mind off of is the concept of a "slim" suit. You're in shape, but that doesn't mean a "slim" suit necessarily will work for your body. Your concern shouldn't be how tight the fabric adheres to your body, but instead how well the fabric drapes over your body.

Let me give you a common example: guys who have bigger thighs and calves from working out (running, cycling, etc) that want a "slim" pant. Well, that's a challenge if you want a clean line on the front and back of the trousers because the bulge at the thigh and calves has to be "cleared" as the fabric falls down the leg. And when you have outside the "normal" circumference of a typical person's muscle at those areas the fabric in a "slim" pant won't have any room for "tolerance" around that circumference. The "max" points of circumference are going to be your limiting factors in how "slim" a pant can go and taper. And if you cut too close, then you can't sit comfortably when your thigh and calves flex as you take a seat. You'll stress the seams, your pants will catch on your socks. I constantly have to repeat this to clients who want a "slim" pant but have this situation.

For the jacket, the chest should fit comfortably and look clean, but they also need to adjust for your sloped shoulders. If they don't do that, then you'll have excess fabric to the side of the armholes which you can see on the front of your jacket. I'd bet there's likely diagonal creasing across the back going from the base of the armhole toward the shoulder blades, too. The jacket length appears long, but that may be an illusion because of the button stance (or because of both, combined with the fact the waist is too wide).

So, I don't think the jacket can be saved by alterations. The question is if these guys didn't get it right the first time, and immediately didn't know what to do to address your wider shoulders/chest to narrow waist issue, then do you want to bother with them trying again? Or is it better taking this jacket to another shop/tailor and using it as an example of what you don't want and ask them if they know how to make a jacket that will actually fit you correctly?

 

[earthur999]

Thesilentist- I'm not real attached to the "slim fit" suit, I just want it to look like it actually fits me. And I wouldn't pay them to make me another one, but i'm hoping they will fix this one for free, or remake it.

So far from what I can gather, I need to tell them to somehow account for my sloping shoulders, do whatever it takes to make my shoulders not dimpled, and address the flaring of the jacket below the button, and to taper the sleeves to the elbow.

Is there anything else I should tell them?