Would greatly apprechiate feedback on the fit of my wedding suit

[dauster]

The suit is a Vendetta Premium Dark Navy Sharkskin from Oliver Wicks. The fit feels pretty okay as far as I can tell, but I'm open to any alteration suggestions. My biggest concern is the sleeves, I'm wondering if the length is a bit too long since you can't really see any cuff. The sleeves also seem a bit big for my arms, not sure if that's something a tailor can alter. Thank you for any feedback you can give.

I really don't want to be a downer but in my opinion this suit is an absolute disaster. Maybe it can be salvaged by doing some basic alterations and I can appreciate the other guys trying to be helpful (especially because it's your wedding suit) but especially since it's your wedding I find it hard to believe that you can't find a better RTW suit somewhere else. Not sure about your budget but if there is any way I would get the suit remade and find a better RTW alternative for your big day.

BTW a lot of people have trouble with MTM. I also just got a "fancy" MTM sports jacket back (Orazio Luciano) and after multiple changes and fittings it turned out to be an utter disaster as well. Sometimes you just have to learn and move on.

Congrats on your wedding.

 

[HPT704]

I really don't want to be a downer but in my opinion this suit is an absolute disaster. Maybe it can be salvaged by doing some basic alterations and I can appreciate the other guys trying to be helpful (especially because it's your wedding suit) but especially since it's your wedding I find it hard to believe that you can't find a better RTW suit somewhere else. Not sure about your budget but if there is any way I would get the suit remade and find a better RTW alternative for your big day.

Congrats on your wedding.

I appreciate your honesty, would there be anything specific I should tell them to correct in having them remake it?

 

[masernaut]

I really don't want to be a downer but in my opinion this suit is an absolute disaster. Maybe it can be salvaged by doing some basic alterations and I can appreciate the other guys trying to be helpful (especially because it's your wedding suit) but especially since it's your wedding I find it hard to believe that you can't find a better RTW suit somewhere else. Not sure about your budget but if there is any way I would get the suit remade and find a better RTW alternative for your big day.

BTW a lot of people have trouble with MTM. I also just got a "fancy" MTM sports jacket back (Orazio Luciano) and after multiple changes and fittings it turned out to be an utter disaster as well. Sometimes you just have to learn and move on.

Congrats on your wedding.

I agree, but let's try and make it work. Shortened sleeves and hemmed pants will go part of the way. But the jacket itself looks like it needs soft shoulders i.e. little no padding and slightly more room in the chest; the big issue is the sleeves. Wrinkling like that at the back of the arm should not exist in a properly stitched and fitted suit. The pants have zero shape and this is where a lot of alterations need to take place. It looks tight in the seat and thighs with zero tapering down.

OP, if you can, I would express severe disappointment with the suit and have it remade. Bargain with leaving truthful reviews online.

 

[HPT704]

The pants have zero shape and this is where a lot of alterations need to take place. It looks tight in the seat and thighs with zero tapering down.

What would be the best way to phrase this to a tailor to have it fixed correctly? What specific adjustments should I'd tell tell them to make?

Thank you very much for your input.

 

[dieworkwear]

If you redo this as MTM, I'd strongly advise against nit-picking small issues like adding centimeters to the chest, etc. The chance of you achieving something good by nitpicking is low. The chance that you forever start to see faults and not being able to fix them is high. The chance of you mucking up the silhouette and winding up with something even worse than the house cut is very high.

Given the timeline, I agree with @dauster that it's not such a bad idea to perhaps try on some RTW suits. Very generally speaking, I usually recommend:

1. Suitsupply and Spier & Mackay if someone is on a budget (say less than $1000 for a suit)
2. Brooks Brothers for a reliable conservative cut (there should be a store in your city, just stop by)
3. No Man Walks Alone's Sartoria Carrera and The Armoury's house line (try the Model 3 and one other cut to start) if you have a little more money to spend.

That said, I would be surprised if your current suit didn't look pretty great after the previously mentioned alterations. Take up the sleeves and trousers. Have a tailor clean up the back of the trousers. And button your coat to hide the lower rise. Wear a tie.

 

[HPT704]

So just to summarize (for myself) the issues that everyone seems agree on:

- Shorten the sleeves
- Take in the sleeves
- Take up the trousers
- Increase the rise

I'll be in touch with Oliver Wicks about a remake, but the timeline is a bit tight so hopefully alterations will be adequate.

One more tiny issue. The lapel buttonhole on jacket seems to only open halfway, and is half fused shut. Is it supposed to be this way, or am I supposed to open it all of the way?

I just want to thank everyone again for taking the time to give advice and input. And if all goes well I'm sure my fiance would thank you too!

 

[dieworkwear]

So just to summarize (for myself) the issues that everyone seems agree on:

- Shorten the sleeves
- Take in the sleeves
- Take up the trousers
- Increase the rise

I'll be in touch with Oliver Wicks about a remake, but the timeline is a bit tight so hopefully alterations will be adequate.

One more tiny issue. The lapel buttonhole on jacket seems to only open halfway, and is half fused shut. Is it supposed to be this way, or am I supposed to open it all of the way?

I just want to thank everyone again for taking the time to give advice and input. And if all goes well I'm sure my fiance would thank you too!

When I hear "take in the sleeves," I assume the person means "slim the sleeves." Personally, I don't think you need to slim the sleeves. Maybe consider this a two-step alteration. Shorten the sleeves first so that you show a bit of shirt cuff. Ask the tailor to see if he or she can clean up the back of the jacket. Then see how it looks from there before you make another alteration.

I also wouldn't go in and ask the tailor to take up the trousers. Basically, the back of your trousers don't hang very well. There's a bit of crumpling under the seat and rippling down the leg. You want trousers to hang cleanly, like this:

Front should also hang cleanly, like this:

I suspect this is because the back rise is too long. But I am not a tailor. I wouldn't go into a tailoring shop and tell them how to do the alteration. Instead, tell them what you want and let the person suggest how to fix it. In my experience, this is done by shortening the back rise and letting out the crotch seam to compensate. However, if the tailor sees some other solution, I would go with that. Let that person know what you want to achieve, get his or her opinion on whether that's possible or even desirable, and let them figure out the technical solution. If you go in and tell them what to do, you may wind up with a screwed up job because they're just following your instructions. The whole point of hiring a service professional is that you get their opinion.

Just make sure you're wearing the dress shoes you plan to wear with this suit, as that will affect how far they hem.

Regarding increasing rise, I've heard of people letting out the crotch seam in order to increase the rise, but I doubt you can get enough to fix how low your pants sit. But get the tailor's opinion. If you close the jacket, no one will notice.

I think there's such a thing as better or worse suits, but it's important to keep expectations in line. With a wedding around the corner, you have to come to some compromises. That may mean buttoning the coat at your ceremony, and unbuttoning if you want/ need to when dancing. With alterations, I think your suit is already going to be miles ahead of most people's anyway.

Regarding the buttonhole, that looks strange. It should open all the way. Show the tailor and see what they can do.

Note, you'll want to track down a reliable tailor. Not all alteration tailors are good. Take the time to call some high-end store and get their recommendations on where you can turn. If you go to someone who's not very good, they can muck up your suit.

Oh, and if you plan to wear a watch at your wedding, wear that watch with your dress shirt when you go to your tailor. Your watch will affect how the shirt sleeve cuff sits, which in turn will affect how the tailor should shorten the jacket sleeve.

Also, stand naturally when you're a the tailor's. They need to fit the suit to your natural posture.

 

[Waldo Jeffers]

Dude, I get the sense that you are looking for a list of fixes to ship it off to whoever made it to fix it remotely

as dieworkwear said, you need to go to a competent tailor and just let him/her guide you

you should also strongly consider just asking for a refund on this suit and getting something off the rack that is closer to your actual dimensions and then going to the tailor

You should have plenty of time to do this before the end of the month

 

[HPT704]

When I hear "take in the sleeves," I assume the person means "slim the sleeves." Personally, I don't think you need to slim the sleeves. Maybe consider this a two-step alteration. Shorten the sleeves first so that you show a bit of shirt cuff. Ask the tailor to see if he or she can clean up the back of the jacket. Then see how it looks from there before you make another alteration.

I also wouldn't go in and ask the tailor to take up the trousers. Basically, the back of your trousers don't hang very well. There's a bit of crumpling under the seat and rippling down the leg. You want trousers to hang cleanly, like this:

View attachment 1321465


Front should also hang cleanly, like this:

View attachment 1321466

I suspect this is because the back rise is too long. But I am not a tailor. I wouldn't go into a tailoring shop and tell them how to do the alteration. Instead, tell them what you want and let the person suggest how to fix it. In my experience, this is done by shortening the back rise and letting out the crotch seam to compensate. However, if the tailor sees some other solution, I would go with that. Let that person know what you want to achieve, get his or her opinion on whether that's possible or even desirable, and let them figure out the technical solution. If you go in and tell them what to do, you may wind up with a screwed up job because they're just following your instructions. The whole point of hiring a service professional is that you get their opinion.

Just make sure you're wearing the dress shoes you plan to wear with this suit, as that will affect how far they hem.

Regarding increasing rise, I've heard of people letting out the crotch seam in order to increase the rise, but I doubt you can get enough to fix how low your pants sit. But get the tailor's opinion. If you close the jacket, no one will notice.

I think there's such a thing as better or worse suits, but it's important to keep expectations in line. With a wedding around the corner, you have to come to some compromises. That may mean buttoning the coat at your ceremony, and unbuttoning if you want/ need to when dancing. With alterations, I think your suit is already going to be miles ahead of most people's anyway.

Regarding the buttonhole, that looks strange. It should open all the way. Show the tailor and see what they can do.

Note, you'll want to track down a reliable tailor. Not all alteration tailors are good. Take the time to call some high-end store and get their recommendations on where you can turn. If you go to someone who's not very good, they can muck up your suit.

Oh, and if you plan to wear a watch at your wedding, wear that watch with your dress shirt when you go to your tailor. Your watch will affect how the shirt sleeve cuff sits, which in turn will affect how the tailor should shorten the jacket sleeve.

Also, stand naturally when you're a the tailor's. They need to fit the suit to your natural posture.

Okay, the pictures are very helpful, I have a much clearer idea of the things you're referring to now.

Regarding recommendations from high-end stores, the only ones local to me are Jos. A Bank and Men's Warehouse. Would they have good referrals, or were you thinking more like Brooks Brothers?

 

[HPT704]

Dude, I get the sense that you are looking for a list of fixes to ship it off to whoever made it to fix it remotely

as dieworkwear said, you need to go to a competent tailor and just let him/her guide you

you should also strongly consider just asking for a refund on this suit and getting something off the rack that is closer to your actual dimensions and then going to the tailor

You should have plenty of time to do this before the end of the month

No, I wasn't going to send it back to the company, I was looking for a list of fixes for a tailor, or to give the company for a possible remake.

 

[Despos]

Taking a holistic view of this suit. You want a well fitting suit for your wedding. There will be many photos taken and during the wedding all the guests are looking at the back of your suit. The back view of the jacket and trouser have the most issues to correct.
Before anyone goes to MTM you should have an idea of what your fitting issues are so you can determine if the MTM service addresses those issues.
There is not enough cloth in your upper chest area, from the armhole up to the shoulder. This creates the bow of the lapels. The space between the lapels should form a V, instead of this shape ( ) . The front balance should be longer.
There is too much cloth across the back. Blades need to be reduced on both sides. Lengthening the front balance will lift the back and it won’t settle on your hips and cause the wrinkles there. This baggy wrinkled back is what everyone will be seeing during your wedding.
Don’t taper the leg any more than this. Your knees are closer together and your feet are wider apart. This is called knock knee. There is an adjustment for this which will make the trouser leg drape better.
The back is falling down and makes the baggy wrinkles below the seat. This should be adjusted.
A higher rise will look better and the trouser will stay up on your hips better. They won’t slide down as much. You might consider wearing braces with this suit.
Knowing these points you should ask the maker how they will address the issues. If their system doesn’t allow for the necessary adjustments move to another maker that does. Not all MTM companies have the capacity to make specific adjustments. The point of going MTM is to adapt the pattern to your physique so you get the most bang for you buck and a suit you enjoy wearing.

 

[dieworkwear]

Regarding recommendations from high-end stores, the only ones local to me are Jos. A Bank and Men's Warehouse. Would they have good referrals, or were you thinking more like Brooks Brothers?

I was thinking more Brooks Brothers or even a place that's more upmarket. The type of store that sells high-end tailored clothing, such as Isaia or something. If you can track down a store like that in your area, see if they recommend a local tailor to you. Otherwise, even someplace like Nordstroms.

@Despos has some good suggestions above. I find that, in the end, you can learn what you need online, but you still have to find a service professional in your area to do the actual work.

 

[Waldo Jeffers]

I know Styleforum is going to be aghast at this suggestion, but I think you would probably do better to get to your local Jos. Bank, try on a bunch of cheap suits that actually may fit and, if one does, have them alter it right there. I think this is much more likely to result in a suit that will actually fit than sending back a bunch of theoretical comments to the online MTM place

 

[dauster]

I know Styleforum is going to be aghast at this suggestion, but I think you would probably do better to get to your local Jos. Bank, try on a bunch of cheap suits that actually may fit and, if one does, have them alter it right there. I think this is much more likely to result in a suit that will actually fit than sending back a bunch of theoretical comments to the online MTM place

I agree if that's the only available store, but usually there is some kind of mall with at least a brooks brothers

 

[dieworkwear]

I know Styleforum is going to be aghast at this suggestion, but I think you would probably do better to get to your local Jos. Bank, try on a bunch of cheap suits that actually may fit and, if one does, have them alter it right there. I think this is much more likely to result in a suit that will actually fit than sending back a bunch of theoretical comments to the online MTM place

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