Fit Guide
How a Suit Should Actually Fit
Most men wear a jacket one size too big and trousers an inch too long. Here is the short version of what a properly fitting suit does.
The collar. The jacket collar should sit against your shirt collar with no gap and no ripple. A gap here is the single most common fault, and it is almost always fixable.
The shoulder. The seam should end where your shoulder ends. This is the one measurement that is expensive to change, so buy for the shoulder and alter everything else.
The sleeve. Roughly half an inch of shirt cuff should show. If none shows, the sleeve is long — a fifteen-minute fix.
The waist. Buttoned, the jacket should close without strain and show a slight shape at the waist. A straight line from chest to hip reads as a bag.
The trouser. One clean break on the shoe. Anything more pools at the ankle and shortens the leg visually.
Buying Advice
Alter It or Replace It?
Not every garment is worth altering, and an honest tailor will tell you so before taking your money.
Worth altering: good cloth, sound construction, correct shoulders. If the shoulders fit and the fabric is decent, almost everything else can be adjusted.
Rarely worth it: fused (glued) jackets that have started to bubble, cloth that has gone thin at the seat or elbow, and garments where the shoulder is two sizes out.
The seam allowance question. Letting a garment out depends entirely on how much cloth the maker left inside the seams. Better garments leave more. That is why a well-made suit stays wearable through changes in size and a cheap one does not.
Bring it in. It takes two minutes to turn a garment inside out and tell you what is there.
Before You Visit
What to Bring to Your First Fitting
A fitting goes faster and comes out better when you bring the right things. It is a short list.
The shoes. Heel height changes hem length on trousers, skirts and gowns. Bring the actual pair you intend to wear.
The undergarments. For bridal and formal work this matters more than anything else. The silhouette changes completely, and so does the fit.
The occasion and the date. Tell us when you need it. Same-day is often possible, but only if we know at the start.
Any reference. If you have a garment that already fits the way you like, bring it. It is far easier to match a fit you can point at than one you describe.
Garment Care
Caring for a Tailored Garment
A good suit will last decades. Most are worn out in three years by avoidable habits.
Rest it. Never wear the same suit two days running. Wool needs a day to recover its shape and release moisture.
Hang it properly. A wide wooden hanger, not wire. Wire hangers put a permanent point in the shoulder that no amount of pressing removes.
Brush, do not dry-clean. Dry-cleaning strips the natural oils from wool and shortens its life. A stiff clothes brush after each wear does more good. Clean a suit two or three times a year, not monthly.
Fix small things early. A loose button or a starting seam is a five-minute repair today and a re-tailoring job in six months.
