Trying on suits - help me pick a size

[ls1dreams]

Ok, I think I've narrowed down my size, but I'm not 100% sure. I'll leave my feedback after I hear from everyone else: SUIT 1: - This is a 38S - Front

3/4 view

Side (not sure what happened to the shoulder)

Back (bad pic I know)

-------------------------- SUIT 2: This is a 38R - try not to pay attention to the waist/pants area - I couldn't button the pants because they were too tight.

Another shot to show length:

I'm mostly concerned with the length of the jacket itself. (Sleeves I can always have tailored). Specific Questions: SUIT 1: Is the coat length ok or too short? What do you think of the shoulders? The sleeves probably have to be taken up a little? What do you think of the general cut? Does the waist need to be taken in? SUIT 2: Is the overall length too long or OK? Sleeves are obviously too long. I'm around 5'9 160, and thought it was odd that I was leaning towards the 38S. According to charts I've looked at online for fit it seems they usually recommend 38R-40R for someone my size.

 

[minervau]

The cut of those suits is not particularly flattering, I'd actually suggest putting on a 36R and seeing what it looks like. 5'8"/5'9" is really the cutoff when you could go either regular or short and it's more a personal preference thing, and how long your torso is. Based on the pics, it seems like either works for you -- the basic rule is the jacket should cover your butt and no more, and I think the R doesn't look too long based on that rule. The S is a little on the short side, actually, but that's somewhat fashion-forward.

EDIT: The reason I suggest 36R is that you don't look like you have the chest to fill out those suits at all (no offense intended), and the shoulders are way past where they should be. That could be b/c it's not a slim-cut 38 -- I'm sure some brands, like Ralph Lauren Black Label or Hugo Red, would have you in a 38, but not the particular one you're photographing.

 

[Mr. Sartorial]

I thought about it for a bit and I think you should go for the 38R. Minervau is correct about the preference. At your height, you're on the edge of both, but the shorter jacket of the 38S is causing more break in the rear centre vent because it is not sloping to your seat the way you want it to, so the 38R will be better fit.

The shoulders do look a little big on you, so you might be best off with a 36R, but you'd need a more relaxed cut, because in those bodies I can see the waist button pulling which will only be worse in a smaller suit. The effect is more noticeable on the 38R because it's button stance is lower, putting the waist button in a position where there is more strain.

Worst case, buy the one you want and get it looked at by a tailor in person, they can give a more comprehensive look from that vantage point than we can from here.

I hope those observations help! Good luck!

 

[ls1dreams]

Thanks for the feedback so far guys. I agree that I seem to be on the edge of an R/S. Maybe the R is a safer play. None of these suits were "slim-fit". Maybe I'd have better luck with a slim-fit 38R? I've struggled with almost all of my clothes lately because I'm in between a S and M, with rather narrow shoulders and chest. Here's a shot of a 36R I took while at the store. It didn't seem drastically different to me in the shoulders/chest, but the waist was snugger and harder to move around in than the 38's.

Can anyone recommend some fairly inexpensive brands that might have narrower shoulders / slimmer cuts?

 

[ghdtpdna]

even with 36 the shoulder looks huuuuge.
Is that zara? (the tag looks like it but not sure)
I thought zara run really small b/c my 44 blazers are pitifully small around the shoulder.

 

[NotoriousMarquis]

Originally Posted by ghdtpdna

even with 36 the shoulder looks huuuuge.
Is that zara? (the tag looks like it but not sure)
I thought zara run really small b/c my 44 blazers are pitifully small around the shoulder.

The tag is michael kors.

The other one is lauren,

the 38's are enormous. SHoulders look sloppy.

press urself against a wall and then if the pads hit the wall long before u do, then its toooo big. length should really just cover your butt. and by just, i mean JUST.

 

[burnsy]

in the last picture, the jacket looks a tad long (based off his left arm hanging)
and the shoulders do look a bit large as mentioned by one of the members

 

[vincerich]

I'd think about trying on a 36s. You're not even close to being large enough to fit the 38 in the chest/shoulder area. Seeing guys with sleeves that are too long off of the rack is always funny to me. Lengthening the sleeves is a cost that I automatically add on to suit cost.

 

[vincerich]

Originally Posted by ghdtpdna

even with 36 the shoulder looks huuuuge.
Is that zara? (the tag looks like it but not sure)
I thought zara run really small b/c my 44 blazers are pitifully small around the shoulder.

Are the shoulders really THAT bad?

 

[bowtielover]

The jacket is pretty close I would say your in between sizes which is hard to fit sometimes. You could almost go with a regular if you wanted to and have the sleeves shortened but I think the fit works on this one.

 

[amplifiedheat]

Originally Posted by NotoriousMarquis

length should really just cover your butt. and by just, i mean JUST.

You heard the first part once, and added the second part yourself. This is how groupthink spreads.

 

[GBR]

I don't have time to come to the shop with you but try them on in the shop and then buy one that fits properly , regardless of what is says on the label.

 

[GanglandDandy]

The 36R fits better. Shop around more and you might find a better fit though.

 

[slappy]

Id focus on the shoulders fitting first if I were you. That's step one for me.

 

[ls1dreams]

Sounds good - I'll look around for some slimmer cut fits and try both 38 and 36's. I definitely agree that shoulders are the biggest issue.

As far as the length - people here seem to be going back and forth.

Where exactly should the jacket land compared to my hand? I thought I read that it should fall near my knuckles, which seemed to match the 38S I tried on pretty well ( see the 2nd picture ).

Thanks for all the feedback so far.