Best suit for broad shoulders, large drop?

Hi. This is my first post here, but I've read the forum for a while and have learned quite a bit. I'm in the market to purchase 2-3 suits: one for formal occasions, one for job interviews, and perhaps a "fashion" suit. I live in a town without very good options. A lot of the suits I've tried on recently don't fit well. I have fairly broad shoulders with a 38" chest, am 5'11", 160, with a 30" waist. I can't seem to find a 38R that fits well in the shoulders. I also don't want to go the route of separates. What are some brands that would fit me well? I do have a fairly good tailor that can make alterations, but I based upon what I've read here the suit should fit as well as possible at first and I have very few options in town. My budget is around $800 per suit.

If you are 5'1" you should be wearing 38S.

I assume that is a typo" you are 5'10"?

Originally Posted by JamesX

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If you are 5'1" you should be wearing 38S.

I assume that is a typo" you are 5'10"?

Sorry, 5'11".

Ralph Lauren Black Label is probably a decent starting point.

Zegna Milano. Tends to be drop seven but they make higher in jackets.

Of course you should try them on. You'll need a sale to hit the budget I guess. Either that or an outlet.

Yeah, buying online is probably my only option. I'm in Knoxville, TN. I could drive to Atlanta or Nashville to shop. What are the best places in those cities?

Have you checked with M.S. McClellan? I think they're on Kingston Pike. They used to have MTM suit packages. Don't really know about the quality, but they carry some higher-end stuff.

I have the same problem as you, except I am 36.5 inch chest, 40.5 inch shoulders, 29.5 inch natural waist. I've found 7-inch drop jackets RTW, but the chest I need for the shoulders to fit correctly (38, usually) is always too big.

I wish the industry would talk about shoulder-chest drop the way they do about chest-waist drop. I haven't found anyone who does, though. Anybody know of anyone?

So I'm focusing on MTM and cheaper bespoke now.

Why not go for separates - there is very little issue with them nowadays.

Originally Posted by GBR

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Why not go for separates - there is very little issue with them nowadays.

Separates wouldn't address the issue of not needing extensive alterations, at least for the jacket.

Originally Posted by boltzmann

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Yeah, buying online is probably my only option. I'm in Knoxville, TN. I could drive to Atlanta or Nashville to shop. What are the best places in those cities?

If you can get to Nashville in June - and wait 6-8 weeks for delivery of a suit - you should try mytailor.com.

Tennessee

Dates Location Phone
Jun 13, 14
Mon & Tue
*6/13 12noon-8pm & 6/14 10am-1pm Hilton Memphis
939 Ridge Lake Boulevard
Memphis TN 38120 6/13/2011 12:00:00 AM 6/14/2011 12:00:00 AM (901) 684-6664
(800) 466-7133
Jun 15, 16, 17, 18
Wed Thru Sat
*6/15 2pm-8pm & 6/18 10am-1pm Holiday Inn
2613 West End Ave
Nashville TN 37203 6/15/2011 12:00:00 AM 6/18/2011 12:00:00 AM (615) 327-4707
(800) 466-7133
To schedule appointments by email, click on the city; or call1-800-466-7133. If you are calling after office hours, please call the hotel directly and request Nick Chotrani's suite, only on the dates listed above.

Better to have someone build a suit for your physique rather than alter a RTW. Price would be right too, especially if you're buying at once, though again if you afford to wait I'd advise getting one suit and seeing whether it needs work before going again.

Originally Posted by Nicola

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Zegna Milano. Tends to be drop seven but they make higher in jackets.

Of course you should try them on. You'll need a sale to hit the budget I guess. Either that or an outlet.

This. I'm 42 jacket -- 5'9, 175lbs with a 31-32" waist. The Zegna (Roma in my case, as the Milano's high and narrow arm holes are problematic for my arms) fits me quite well with alterations. The RLBL, as some have mentioned above, doesn't fit my shoulders at all.

There's some dude named Dr. Churchwell in Nashville. If you managed to track down his contact info, he would have a wealth of information for you. (provided he's cool enough to supply it.)

Originally Posted by pvrhye

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There's some dude named Dr. Churchwell in Nashville. If you managed to track down his contact info, he would have a wealth of information for you. (provided he's cool enough to supply it.)

Yes. He has been regularly featured in Will's blog.
But, as I recall, he wears Leonard Logsdail bespoke
from New York.

I have the same problem and spend almost as much on alterations as on the suit. I'm 5'10 - 195lbs - 44R suit with a 34" waist.