How can a suit be tailored

You know what we mean. A jacket should fall clean off your shoulder, with just a slight amount of shoulder coming out beyond the armhole. How to fix it: If you notice shoulder sag or bite when trying on a jacket, it's best to try a different size or go the custom route. A tailor can fix it to some degree, but it's difficult to adjust and will probably be expensive.

Button stance has been a long-debated topic in the menswear scene. The higher the button stance, the shorter your torso will look when the jacket is done up. This is fine if you are on the shorter side and want to lengthen the appearance of your legs, but it can make you look off-balance otherwise. The top button on a two-button suit should hover between fingers above the belly button and will pull slightly when done up depending on the look the wearer is going for.

If it is too high and tight, it will "pop" or pull too aggressively. How to fix it: Sizing up or down or choosing a different style or brand is your best bet here. If nothing satisfies, try something custom. The chest of a suit or sport jacket should always follow the shape of the wearer's chest.

A gaping coat chest is not a good look and neither is chest break. A chest break usually happens when the jacket is too small, and chest gape usually happens when it's too big.

Either way, it results in a gap between the chest and the jacket. It can also have to do with where the shoulder is sitting in general. How to fix it: If either of these issues is evident when trying on ready-to-wear garments, try going up or down a size first.

If this doesn't fix it, you should consider custom options to correct the problem rather than trying to get it tailored. Shorter jackets are trendy, but don't take it too far. Generally, the bottom edge of a jacket should end between the two knuckles on your thumb. This rule can be pushed a little bit when wearing a casual sport coat because they tend to be a little shorter. How to fix it: Getting a jacket shortened or lengthened by a tailor is usually not possible.

Try sizing up or down first, and then discuss with your sales associate to see if tailoring or custom is the better route for you. It's not uncommon for the seat to be too tight or too saggy, depending on how athletic you are or the build of your bottom half. Slightly less pervasive than the problem of pooling trousers—but no less pernicious—is that of over-long sleeves. Your jacket sleeve should end a quarter-inch to a half-inch before your shirt sleeve does.

All the better to show a sliver of cuff. If your jacket sleeve is hitting your knuckles, it's way too long. This is an easy and cheap fix if the buttons on the cuffs aren't functional; your tailor will simply trim from the cuff up and then move them. If the cuffs feature working buttons, it's a bit more labor-intensive and pricey. The sleeve has to be taken up from the shoulder.

Still, better than the knuckle-grazing alternative. You might not be able to see it, but everyone around you will. The collar of your suit jacket, if not properly fitted to your neck, will sit away from your shirt collar, leaving a gap. This can happen for any number of reasons, and if it's not too severe, a tailor can usually fix it.

But anything more than a small gap can be a problem. Watch out when you're buying, and unless you've got a particularly skilled tailor that you trust completely, steer clear. Many suit jackets are made with a "democratic" cut, which is a nice way of saying they're designed to accommodate men of a certain girth around the midsection.

There's not much a tailor can do to alter a pant's rise, so if the rise isn't right, you need to try a suit from another designer. When you return to the store to pick up your suit, try it on again, stand in front of the 3-way mirror and look for final adjustments. It is exceedingly rare for me to accept a suit after its initial tailoring effort, especially if multiple adjustments were made. The suit should fit perfectly.

It should lay flat across your chest, should button comfortably without any indication of pull across your waist and should have no visible bulges or ripples in the fabric. The pants should fit comfortably in the waist, the seat should drape without any pull or droop, and the cuff should fall exactly where you intended. If there are any imperfections, alert the tailor and have the minor adjustments made to perfect the suit's fit.

Click here to discover more about our mission here at RMRS. Ready to earn more money and command respect with the right clothing? I feel like it would take me 10 years to learn all that knowledge and another 8 to develop the diagram.

Seriously awesome man. I have always strayed away from suit jackets and blazers in any type of casual wear because I see so many dudes try to pull it off and look like for lack of a better word douche bags.

So preferring to not enter that realm I have stayed away. I will say I think it looks awesome when done correctly. I feel like this is an advanced technique that I can build up to. Your email address will not be published.

Skip to primary navigation Skip to main content Skip to primary sidebar Skip to footer. More In This Series This guide is part of a series of articles about clothing alterations. There was an error submitting your subscription. Please try again. Email Address. Related Posts. Join the Club Never miss a post, plus grab this free guide instant download. No spam. Subscribe Now. Comments Jacket is a little outmoded, too much padding on shoulder, is this worth tailoring or should I just chuck it?

Thanks so much! My question is about the length of the jacket, not the sleeves. I am only doin this painstakingly to preserve that heritage sports jacket. Hi Joshua, it has been a long time you posted however I have an advice for you on this. When the tailor do the work and expand the shoulders, there are few things at risk that could ruin your jacket: — The lining in the middle back of your jacket will need to be opened and expanded.

Pants: Hem Pants, take in legs, take in waist. Jacket: Take in waist, shorten arm length, take in arms, shorten jacket.

I have to shop for cheaper suits knowing I have get a lot things altered and pay so much. Ian, What was the total cost of this suit with alterations?