Welcome back to the gentleman's Gazette. Today, we have a two-part video series for you about
how a suit should fit. In the first video, we discuss all the basics and in the second
one we go to more advanced things so you look your best and you know what to look for in
a proper suit and when to leave it behind. You could hear it all over the place, fit
matters the most and while I wholeheartedly agree, the problem is, it’s rarely outlined
what that thoroughly means so you can follow a script book and say this is a good fit,
this is a bad fit. For that reason we decided to create the ultimate suit fit guide so it'll
be very easy for you to buy a suit and judge whether it fits you or it doesn't and ultimately,
it will make you feel comfortable and look your best.
The big question is why should you care about fit?
First of all, a well-fitting suit is almost as comfortable as wearing a sweater and sweatpants.
Second of all, it makes you really stand out from the crowd and people will look at you
and think you're really dapper but they can't pinpoint that it's a fit of your suit.
So of course, you want to ask why does a properly fitting suit make me look better?
The answer is actually quite simple; a suit hides everything that's asymmetrical about
your body and has all the flaws, at the same time highlighting features such as your shoulders
and your chest, giving you a natural v-shape that's very flattering and attractive. So
if you feel more comfortable, it has an impact on the way you look, the way you stand, and
the way you walk. Everything says I'm more confident and that little extra notch will
help you to land that job or get that respect that you deserve.
So what's the big problem? When I'm on the street, I see 99% of the men
wearing suits that fit not so well or terribly ill and even sometimes when people tell me
“oh I found a suit that fits like a glove”, chances are their standards are not high enough
so they just are satisfied with something that is not really a proper fit.
So before we go into the details, what exactly is a suit?
A suit means it is a matching garment of jacket and pants made of the same cloth. You can
add a vest, you don't have to, if you do it's called a three-piece suit; if not, it's called
a two-piece suit. It's double-breasted or single-breasted, doesn't matter. The term
suit comes from the French “suivre” which means to follow. That means the jackets follows
the trousers or the pants follow the jacket. So the pictures you can see here are suits;
matching pants and jacket. What you can see here, is a combination, for example with a
blazer or a sport coat or a tweed jacket . So first, let's start with the fit of the
jacket. The first thing you can look at when you buy
a suit or have a suit made is the collar of the suit. It should fit snugly against your
neck without being overly tight and it should never stand away or gap. If you have a round
shoulder the way I do, chances that your jackets gap more easily are much higher than if you
have a straight posture. Because of that, you always have to go to the alterations tailor
or talk to your made to measure provider or tailor and make sure you get a proper fit.
The problem is when you stand, most jackets look good, the issue starts when you start
moving when you lift your arms and you still want that jacket collar to sit tight against
your shirt collar. So your natural movements, sit down, move your arms, drink something
from bottle, maybe eat, and if it stays in the back and it stays by your shirt tips,
you know you've got a well-fitting collar. Even if you have an ill-fitting collar, the
good news is it can be fixed by an alterations tailor so just pay attention to that. It's
not an easy fix but it can be done. Next up is the shoulder.
Ideally, you want the shoulder seam on top to be just slightly extended from the bone
on your shoulder. Unlike a dress shirt which ends exactly at the bone, you want it to be
slightly hanging over to give you a broader look and enable a range of movement because
when you have multiple layers of fabric, the outer layer always has to be a little longer
to be comfortable, you want the top part at your shoulder to be smooth and not puddling.
If you encounter a jacket that has puddles, it's too big, you should leave it behind because
changing it is almost impossible. You also have a poorly fitting shoulder if you see
huge dents right underneath the top of the padding and your actual arm. It makes you
look more like a football player and you should always leave those suits behind.
On the other hand, if your shoulder is too tight, you'll have a hard time moving forward
and moving your arms naturally because it constricts you in the back. If you're unsure,
you can always measure your shoulder width from bone to bone and at about half an inch
or a centimeter to get the right shoulder width that you should have in a suit.
Next up are armholes. Most armholes in suits are too big because
suits are industrially made and they want to have a one size that fits it all, the problem
is if you have huge arm holes, it may seem like it's more comfortable but it actually
isn't because as soon as you move, your entire jacket moves with you and constricts you.
On the other hand, if you have a tight armhole that ends just below your armpit, you can
easily move and comfortably wave for a cab and look dapper all day without feeling constricted.
If you have an armhole that is too small, you'll see wrinkles on the sleeve head and
it also constricts you when you reach forward because you reach a point here that just makes
it impossible to reach forward. If you go bespoke or made me to measure, you can sometimes
ask to give you a little more space in the front the arm hole, in the back, and have
it very tight on your armpit; that way you get the range of movement, you get a nice
look, the fabric drapes well and it almost feels like a sweater.
CHEST When it comes to a good fit of the chest it's
always easy to see because some chests are fuller and they have more fabric that drapes
well and for that it's called Drape. On the other hand, you can have a very lean trim
cut chest that is sometimes more popular with slim fit suits but it will never have that
same amount of drape. The advantage of folds is that it makes your chest look bigger and
it gives you that V shape that's very attractive to the opposite sex.
In the 1930s, you had drape cut that was very extreme. I think the suit I'm wearing here
right now is a little more constricted but you can still see I have excess fabric and
it provides a nice silhouette of my body. When your chest width is too tight and you
move around, you can see your lapel break a little bit simply because there’s not
enough room, also you likely see vertical pleats in the front and in the back.
Ideally, you should always measure your chest at the widest point. In Europe, a size 50
means you double it by 2 which means it's a hundred centimeters. If you measure 100
centimeters, you probably have a size 50, should be right for you. If you're in the
US and you're a size 42 regular for example, it means the chest should be 42 regular.
Now that being said, manufacturers have different ideas of how a suit should fit and sometimes
I found old English suits in a size 42 which were way too baggy on me versus other suits
are 44 and they're way too tight. So don't just rely on the actual number but
measure the jacket, measure your chest, and ideally try it on.
Next up are vents. Today, most jackets have side vents, they
are the most flattering. Ideally, you want high long vents that end exactly where your
jacket pocket ends. The last hundred years, center vents have been in and out of fashion
but originally, they were meant for horseback riding so unless you wear a jacket on the
back of a horse, skip it. In the 20s and 30s, you would often see ventless
jackets and it's still popular for evening wear becauseit gives you the ultimate clean
line however, if you sit a lot or if you sometimes put your hands in your pocket, side vents
are much more flattering. Personally, I have a big bump and because of that, it's very
easy for vents to gap but you should avoid that. If you have a big bum, you should pay
particular attention to keeping your vents closed and I know that because I have one.
If you go ventless and it's too tight, you can actually feel it it's constricting you
and chances are, you will see some wrinkles above your bum.
The next critical aspect of a jacket fit is the length.
It's very important to get it right in the first place because even though you can physically
change the length of the jacket, it will always look off if you do so. The proportions will
simply not work and the location of your pockets will seem off as well as the buttoning point
and therefore if you encounter something that is too short or too long simply leave it behind.
So what exactly is too short or too long? Most tailors will have jackets that are slightly
longer in the front than they are in the back because it's provides a flattering silhouette.
Sometimes they also do it very flat and that's something you usually only find at bespoke
because even made-to-measure can't adjust the patterns to that. Also, if you have a
round back for example the way I do, you need to have extra length in the back to get the
right proportion. Traditionally, the proper jacket length always meant that at least your
bum was covered. In recent years, especially with younger men,
jacket lengths have become a lot shorter and sometimes you can find older gentleman complaining
about that and they say it looks like you got a jacket from your younger brother.
The proper way to look at jacket length is into a optical relation to your entire height
and to your pants. So ideally, if you stand and you look at the profile from the side
the length from the back of your neck to the bottom of your jacket should be exactly the
same length as from the bottom of your jacket to the bottom of your pants. Obviously, you
need someone to help you with that because you can't measure it yourself but if you get
those proportions exactly one-to-one, you will always look very well dressed and damper
and timeless. The problem with going with the jacket is
too long means that your torso appears longer and your legs shorter which makes it look
goofy. Same thing the other way around, if you have very long legs and a short torso,
it just seems off. The great thing about a tailored suit is that it can hide certain
flaws. Personally, I have a long torso and short legs but using the suit and using those
one-to-one proportions, I can look exactly the same as someone who has long legs and
a short torso or someone who has regular long legs and a regular long torso.
Next up let's talk about the sleeve. A sleeve should always hang very nicely without
any wrinkles. If you see all the wrinkles chances are the sleeve pitch is wrong which
means the way and the angle the sleeve was set in, that can be fixed by a tailor but
they have to be quite skilled. Of course, the sleeve length is often a subject of long
discussions, and there are all kinds of opinions and if you want to learn more about them please
check out our sleeve length video where I explain everything you need to know about
sleeve length of a jacket. One thing that's often not talked about when
it comes to sleeves is the upper sleeve. If you want to have a great movement and a comfortable
jacket, you need some extra fabric on the top of your sleeve simply to reach forward,
otherwise, if it's too tight, it may look great when your arms hang down but as soon
as you move, you’re constricted in that area. It's a fault I see a lot in ready-to-wear
jackets to this day, especially now that slim fit suits are trendy. Going made-to-measure
or bespoke has a great advantage that you can specify those things and a small armhole
in combination with a wider upper sleeve will provide you a much more comfortable jacket
that looks the part. The outfit I'm wearing today is a three-piece
suit tailored of a Harrisons of Edinburgh fabric. it's a fine hounds tooth in a dark
brown with an off-white. because this is a more casual suit, I opted for a more casual
cut inspired by the 1930s suits from Clark Gable, it happened one night. I have three
patch pockets with nice pleats that open up in front. it's a single breasted suits but
pals are not too wide not like in the thirties, more contemporary. It’s a a three roll suit
which means you only button the middle button. The waistcoat is single breasted without a
lapel and I leave the bottom button unbuttoned because that's a tradition and you can learn
more about that in our guide here. the pants have a fishtail back they're tailored for
suspenders specifically so there are no belt loops. they have inward-facing pleats because
I have big thighs and that gives me extra room. I opted it for a light turquoise lining
because it adds a dash of color especially since I wear jacket unbuttoned with my best
the pants have nice cuffs but the real special thing about the suit is the back it's a so-called
action back which has shooting pleats that makes it very easy for me to move my arms
around because it gives me extra room and it has more decorative elements and side vents
which is unusual because additionally they only had no vents. the suit was custom made
for me by a tailor according to my pattern specifications and so it's really the style
that I want it. it has a Milanese buttonhole which you can see has a raised silk thread
and it's a very neat little detail that just shows someone thought about. it I paired with
a plain white dress shirt, it has a very closed collar and such it's perfect to be worn with
a collar pin which I'm doing here with a gold one from Fort Belvedere. pairs well with my
orange silk knit tie from Fort Belvedere and my gold Monkey Fist cufflinks likewise from
Fort Belvedere. the ring is citrine and gold which goes well with the warm tones of my
outfit which are perfect for fall winter. the socks I'm wearing pick up the brown colors
as well as the blue of the wool silk pocket square Fort Belvedere and the socks of Fort
Belvedere as well the shoes are Chukka style boots with a leather sole duty or welted they're
made out of a brown suede that goes well with the ensemble I like the last about it which
is round but not pointy at the same time it's not the usual round you'd encounter. now that
you know all the basics of how a suit should fit make sure to watch the second part because
without it it would be incomplete.