Please critique my tweed jacket

better and worse, twofer

Oh please.. Show me the right way. It would be easier to explain to the tailor with some "proper-fit" pics.

Originally Posted by Maccimus

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What do you think of this? Better or worse?

Too high/square. Keep the slope, but just go a quarter inch or so further. Enough so the sleeve falls easily and avoids the "divot"*. Caveat, I like my shoulders a little rounder, not a sharp angle. * there may some other technical tailoring method that solves the divot issue, besides just making the shoulder a bit wider.

Originally Posted by Maccimus

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Oh please.. Show me the right way. It would be easier to explain to the tailor with some "proper-fit" pics.

Originally Posted by Maccimus

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A Shanghai tailor shop named "Humsuit". Eighty years ago it was called Handsome Suit. Well-known among local landers but most of their reputation were gained before 1949. No hand-sewn button holes, quite sad about that.

Originally Posted by Parker

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Too high/square. Keep the slope, but just go a quarter inch or so further. Enough so the sleeve falls easily and avoids the "divot"*. Caveat, I like my shoulders a little rounder, not a sharp angle. * there may some other technical tailoring method that solves the divot issue, besides just making the shoulder a bit wider.
These people have been making clothes for almost a century, if you have to teach them you should choose someone else. This forum is full of pictures of clothes, pick the look you want and present it to them, tell them what you want to be different from this jacket. You will progress from this jacket by explaining what you prefer and tweaking. The divots are from the sleeve cap being too high for the armhole. When they extend the shoulder they should shorten the sleeve at the top, I am sure they know what to do. Try 3 1/2" for lapel width, 3 3/4 if you want a Neapolitan look. What is your chest size? This jacket isn't too far off.

Thank you for all of your comments, especially Manton and Despos.

Parker: I made that picture for fun...

It looks good to me. The sleeves may be a tad too long, but that's a personal preference. The sides of the chest are also a little puffy..

Originally Posted by GBR

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It's fine as a tweed jacket - the slightly shapeless style works well. I don't like the ticket pocket wthout a flap though.

Rather my thoughts as well. Looks incongruous.

Not to take away from the OP, but this looks really good. Love the colour, and the lapels:

Originally Posted by Despos

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These people have been making clothes for almost a century, if you have to teach them you should choose someone else.
This forum is full of pictures of clothes, pick the look you want and present it to them, tell them what you want to be different from this jacket. You will progress from this jacket by explaining what you prefer and tweaking.
The divots are from the sleeve cap being too high for the armhole. When they extend the shoulder they should shorten the sleeve at the top, I am sure they know what to do. Try 3 1/2" for lapel width, 3 3/4 if you want a Neapolitan look. What is your chest size?
This jacket isn't too far off.
Interesting that you should mention that. I recently wore a HK custom jacket to a fitting for a different tailor and he pointed out some problems with the fit of the jacket shoulder that I had also noticed. He suggested that they were due a deficiency in the construction of the jacket. In the maker's attempt to make a lightly padded shoulder, he left the shoulder without sufficient structure to lie flat across my shoulder line. His explanation made sense to me although I'm no expert on jacket construction.

I later visited the maker of the jacket and pointed out the same problem with the shoulder. He explained that it was due to an increase in the size of my deltoid and tricep (normally not a bad thing) and demonstrated the effect on the shoulder by compressing those areas and showing that the shoulder line was fine. His explanation seemed to make sense to me, too, although it was a little disconcerting that such a small change in shoulder size should have such a dramatic effect on the jacket's shoulder. Both of these guys have been making suits for a long time, so it seems that absent an expert knowledge of suit construction, you are at the mercy of your tailor's expertise on the finer points of fit.

Originally Posted by dah328

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Interesting that you should mention that. I recently wore a HK custom jacket to a fitting for a different tailor and he pointed out some problems with the fit of the jacket shoulder that I had also noticed. He suggested that they were due a deficiency in the construction of the jacket. In the maker's attempt to make a lightly padded shoulder, he left the shoulder without sufficient structure to lie flat across my shoulder line. His explanation made sense to me although I'm no expert on jacket construction.

I later visited the maker of the jacket and pointed out the same problem with the shoulder. He explained that it was due to an increase in the size of my deltoid and tricep (normally not a bad thing) and demonstrated the effect on the shoulder by compressing those areas and showing that the shoulder line was fine. His explanation seemed to make sense to me, too, although it was a little disconcerting that such a small change in shoulder size should have such a dramatic effect on the jacket's shoulder. Both of these guys have been making suits for a long time, so it seems that absent an expert knowledge of suit construction, you are at the mercy of your tailor's expertise on the finer points of fit.

Having a tailor tell you it's not his fault and everything is 'fine' is indeed disconcerting. I too recently got measured for a custom suit by a HK tailor, of equal or greater repute to WW Chan, and was appalled when this individual said the armholes on an MTM I was showing him for comparison were 'high enough already' and the armhole on my custom suit would look similar. I just didn't know how to respond, I've seen dozens of pics of savile row armsyces that go all the way into the natural armpit... I guess I should have brought pictures. Anyway, I know what you mean when you describe that dismissive attitude. The Western tailors on these forums always tell us we shouldn't have to teach or instruct our tailors... I guess they don't realize how much less the tailoring knowledge is in Asia.

Originally Posted by Svenn

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I too recently got measured for a custom suit by a HK tailor, of equal or greater repute to WW Chan...
Good Grief! Tell us who it was!

Absolute heat rock imo.

Originally Posted by RSS

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Good Grief! Tell us who it was!

lol I assume that's tongue in cheek since if I remember correctly you're a regular Savile Row patron. Well after my above experience, I now understand the disregard you guys show for the HK tailors, I used to think you were all too picky, but not being able to construct a tight armscye is a fairly egregious fault... though I'll hold off on my defamation of this individual until the fittings are done in a couple weeks, who knows maybe there will be a miracle and it'll all turn out fine

Your excused for the t-shirt, the jakcet is nice. It's not something I would wear but the fit is right on the money.

Originally Posted by Svenn

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lol I assume that's tongue in cheek since if I remember correctly you're a regular Savile Row patron. Well after my above experience, I now understand the disregard you guys show for the HK tailors, I used to think you were all too picky, but not being able to construct a tight armscye is a fairly egregious fault... though I'll hold off on my defamation of this individual until the fittings are done in a couple weeks, who knows maybe there will be a miracle and it'll all turn out fine

I have used HK tailors. I'll send you a PM.