How can I get this suit shape?

[runners n jeans]

@BrownCow: I was thinking that might be a possibility. Of course the sleeves will definitely have to be trimmed. But I haven't tried on any short crop Regular suit jackets yet.


@Jessy: I actually don't--I only know my chest and waist measurements! I'll add that to the list of things to get done

[jessy_diamond]

Create yourself a profile on a MTM suiting website. Usually they have videos to help you with the measurements. Once you have entered your measurements on your profile, you'll have access to them easily if needed.


When shopping for a suit online, I always ask at least for shoulder width, sleeve length and overall length. It gives me a better idea than just the chest size alone.

[Chareth]

rnj, I went back and read some of your old posts to see if I could understand why you think all your jackets are not oversized, and I think I realized what's going on.


Stop doing the hug test, and if you're going to insist on doing it, certainly don't do it buttoned. Seriously, just don't do it.


Everything probably feels too tight simply because you're not used to wearing a properly fitted suit, and on top of that it doesn't look like OTR shoulders really work well with your body in the first place.


Your blazer is definitely the one with the best fit on you, but ignoring the sleeve issues, there appears to be at least 1/2" of room in the upper arm where your delts should be filling it in. Perhaps it's just an artifact of the way that the fabric is draping down your arm, but it doesn't appear that way to me.


How does the blazer look across the back? Is it as loose as the Bar III?


One more possibility: Kent Wang MTM.

[runners n jeans]

@Chareth: So where I've read "Do the hug test" from various sites regarding testing the fit of a jacket is wrong? Even Dappered suggests it here: http://dappered.com/2011/05/what-to-ask-your-tailor-to-do/


Or is my methodology wrong because I have the jacket buttoned? Or with today's more fitted suits, does the hug test no longer apply? Just trying to understand if I've been misinformed.


I will agree that as I've been moving to slimmer pants, shirts, and now jackets, my first reaction has been, "No way, that's too tight." With pants, I'm getting used to them, but with shirts & jackets, I'm still in the dark as to where it should pull, how much it should pull, etc.


Here are three pictures of the back of the blazer, the first before alteration and the second and third taken two different times after alteration:









I'll look up Kent Want MTM. I'll probably benefit from a place where I can actually get measured versus sending in my measurements, e.g. Indochino.


And just for comparison: this was a 36S Banana Republic Tailored Fit Cotton Blazer which I actually returned some time ago because I thought it was too tight. Upon looking at the shoulders, I actually think this probably fit pretty well, but what do I know:




Thanks again for the feedback, Chareth.

[greg_s]

A lot of factors can influence the hug test. It is a good starting point when trying to understand fit. I think it was not working for your because the suits you were wearing fit in the chest but not the shoulders. Thus, when hugging, the chest and back pulls right and you think it fits yet the shoulders are still too big. That BR looks like it fits pretty well from that one picture. Keeping in mind that you had a sweater on under it.

[Chareth]

rnj, that BR jacket is *exactly* the fit you want, especially if you're looking for a modern, slim look. You can probably see by way of comparison why I'm saying even your blazer is a bit big.


Don't be intimidated into thinking your jacket is too small. If you can fit in it, and move in it, and it looks great, that's all that matters. No need to perform gymnastics in it.


Unfortunately, you seem to be more of a true 34S or 35S, since you're wearing a sweater with the BR jacket. That's a tough size to find.

[Cannon]

Anyone else thinking, "Dat House!"?


I really like the last picture above. I am not huge on colors, so the grayscale outfit is pretty neat to me.

[runners n jeans]

34S, huh? Dang, Jimmy Au might just have to become my best friend...


That BR blazer is up to $225 from $198 when it first came out, and they're out of 36Ses (no surprise there). Wish I kept it now! I never bothered taking any "proper" profile pictures because I was too lazy to get the camera out but now I'm wishing I did just for comparison.

[runners n jeans]

I just checked out Kent Wang's website. That looks like it's worth a try, but snap, he raised the price from $550 to $750 in just the last couple of weeks!


http://www.styleforum.net/t/151480/k...5#post_5415959

http://www.kentwang.com/about/suits/


And there's a 6-week turnaround time for just the RTW suit . Oh well, I may still give this a go. Sucks to know that I could have saved $200 not too long ago though!

[Chareth]

Also, don't get wrapped up in arbitrary sizes like "34" or "36". Just consider that a starting point since all brands/fits have different sizes.


As I said earlier, I'm generally a 38, but I could go as low as 37 or as high as 40 across different brands/fits. It all just depends.

[jessy_diamond]

And I'm probably a 34S, but I tried a cheap 36S plaid blazer tonight and it fitted a bit better (with the shoulders measured at 16.75") than my H&M 34S linen blazer (shoulders at 17").

[nicholascrawford]

Chareth - You're a wellspring of solid advice.