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Fitting and tailoring a suit

C

CoorsLight

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I'm getting married, and for the ceremony I'm going to buy a suit and have it tailored.

What are the most important measurements to have fit properly, and which ones can be adjusted by the tailor? Torso length? Shoulders? Waist? I know the inseam and sleeve lengths are easily adjusted, but other than that I have no idea what to look for.

I'm finding that for the jackets I've tried on, the arms and shoulders are extremely tight, but the torso is long and big around the waist. Should I buy a bigger suit that fits my arms and shoulders, and have the tailor shorten the torso and tighten the waist? For the pants, the waists are too big, but the thighs are super tight. Should I buy bigger pants to fit my legs and have the tailor tighten the waist?

Thanks in advance for your advice.
 
I just bought two suits at The Men's Warehouse. I've bought most of my suits from there in the past. Every poorly fitting suit I've owned was purchased elsewhere. At MW, they have lifetime tailoring, so if you grow or shrink, bring it back and they'll tailor it for free (the first one you have to pay for, but after that, free). Properly fitting and selling men's suits is all they do and IMO, do it better that any other large luxury store. Also, they have a deal going, buy one suit, second is $100. Not a bad deal.
 
You only get married once (hopefully). So, spend the money and get a tailor made suit. Don't buy off the rack.

You sound like you have an athletic build. Nothing will fit you except for European cuts like Hugo Boss. Start there, if you decide to buy off the rack. Just make sure the chest fits well and the rest can be tailored to a point.

And Men's Warehouse is teh suck! I've thrown away a half dozen of their suits away (all of them) before I didn't know any better. And their tailoring is shit. As for the lifetime thig, they refused to honor it because I purchase at a different store. I even offered to pay for it.

The fit is everything in a suit. Spend a grand and do it right by having a suit made for you.
 
Interesting tidbit: The price of a very nicely tailored suit has been approximately equal to the price of an ounce of gold. This measure has varied quite little for several hundred years.
 
And everybody makes the mistake of buying suit too big. It just looks stoopid, especially athletes.

A good fitting/looking suit will be tight in the shoulders. You're not going to be doing calisthenics or the YMCA in it (this is a straight marriage, right?). No need to be able to lift your arms above your head.

Congrats on the nuptial.
 
CoorsLight said:
I'm getting married, and for the ceremony I'm going to buy a suit and have it tailored.
Click to expand...

Congratulations! Opting to wear a suit rather than a tuxedo has become a very popular alternative in groom formal wear in the past few years. And I tend to think that there is some wisdom in your choice to do so. For one, a well-fitting suit would be a much much more versatile addition to most guy's wardrobes as opposed to a tux. Two, not only will many of the available rental options be comparably priced to purchasing an entry level suit, but in general it is nearly impossible to attain a perfect fit with rental formal wear, which like others have suggested is exactly what you should be striving for.

CoorsLight said:
What are the most important measurements to have fit properly, and which ones can be adjusted by the tailor?
Click to expand...

As Dave suggested, that's 'their job' not yours. But in general, it is important to know a few key references when determining proper coat size. In US sizing, the chest measurement in inches refers to coat size. In regards to EU, you generally add 10. So, US 40 = EU 50.

CoorsLight said:
Torso length? Shoulders? Waist? I know the inseam and sleeve lengths are easily adjusted, but other than that I have no idea what to look for.
Click to expand...

The length of coat is determined by your height and can vary depending on body type, but generally speaking...

<5'7 = Short, or S

5'8-5'11 = Regular, or R

6'< Long, or L

A skilled tailor can make nearly any adjustment you can imagine to a suit, with the exception of the shoulders. While it is rare to make minor adjustments to the shoulders on a coat (such as adding padding), in general this is the very first component you should be fitting for, as there can be no adjustment to narrow or widen a shoulder with an off the rack suit. One tip to remember, in even the same size, different designers will fit differently so don't be afraid to try stuff on! From the way you described your body type, I'd say that "slim" or "modern" fits are going to be your best bet.

Ol' Gravy Leg said:
And Men's Warehouse is teh suck!
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As a side note, despite Corey's comment, The Men's Wearhouse does in fact guarantee their tailoring, with only the exception of garments that were not purchased from them. Their tailoring policy is fairly simple, they charge by the seam, so you only pay for what is needed. Once a seam has been touched, it is free to re-do for life, just in case you happen to fluctuate in weight or what not. And it just so happens that many of their tailors come from second, third, and fourth generation families who have made careers from mastering their skill with a needle and thread. So yeah, they're good.

One other suggestion I'd make is to check out this website:

www.indochino.com

They've been around for a few years, and offer a pretty unparalleled service. It's an online only custom formal wear shop that also guarantees their tailoring, plus their prices are very respectable considering their product.

Lastly, a couple of important things to keep in mind would be to figure out your price range, and stick to it. And in regards to time frame, I'd recommend giving yourself at least 2-4 weeks for tailoring just to be on the safe side.

Good luck!
 
Dude, R. Douglas. It's what I did for my wedding. Totally custom suit for $700-800. http://www.rdouglas.net/default/

I had a cast on my hand, so my only option was to get fitted for a custom suit, as I couldn't get my cast through a sleeve to try one on. Ryan drove out, took about 40 measurement, and had my suit to me a few weeks later. You pick out every detail about it, and he'll help you if you are not quite sure.

Oh, and it was beneficial for me as I have a mega awkward build... 6'3", 260lbs, strongfat, and freakishly long arms. Ha, he measured my thighs and they were 29" in circumferences (years of mountain biking). I've never once had off the shelf dress clothes fit well, even with extensive tailoring. The suit I got from R. Douglas fit great. The first time I've ever been comfortable in dress clothes.

Me and my wife

20120517-162825-6252-L.jpg
 
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Ol' Gravy Leg said:
You only get married once (hopefully). So, spend the money and get a tailor made suit. Don't buy off the rack.

You sound like you have an athletic build. Nothing will fit you except for European cuts like Hugo Boss. Start there, if you decide to buy off the rack. Just make sure the chest fits well and the rest can be tailored to a point.

And Men's Warehouse is teh suck! I've thrown away a half dozen of their suits away (all of them) before I didn't know any better. And their tailoring is shit. As for the lifetime thig, they refused to honor it because I purchase at a different store. I even offered to pay for it.

The fit is everything in a suit. Spend a grand and do it right by having a suit made for you.
Click to expand...

Hey Mister suit, POIDH. :teeth
 
I've had several Men's Warehouse suits, and I *thought* they were good. Until I just happened to see an off-the-rack suit in a department store I really liked. (I was getting married on a beach.) It was perfect in color and texture that I wasn't able to find at suit stores. It was VERY reasonably priced so I went ahead and bought it just to see what could be done with it. It was a slim fit suit so I bought a size smaller than I usually would.

I then took it to Manuel's Tailoring on Steven's Creek on a recommendation. The man is a fucking maestro with a suit. It took two iterations because I wanted it perfect, but I've gotten more compliments on that suit than any other suit I paid up to 5x more from Men's Warehouse.

Thus, my conclusion is that the suit is important, but the fit is even more important.

I'm taking all my suits from MW over to Manuel to have him 'fix' them.
 
I've gotten decent suits from men's warehouse, an awesome suit from Brooks Brothers, and some pretty great stuff from Macy's and Nordstroms.

Decide how much you want to spend, and shop around. Unless you can get a recommend for someone in particular ( like HellFyre's ) you won't know the quality of fit until the deal is done.
 
I can get a custom made suit from my Thai tailor for around $500.00 that looks and fits better than an off the rack suit. But the truth is if you just tailor an off-the-rack suit it will also look better than a designer suit that's not been tailored.

It's most about fit. Check out GQ or Esquire and find a style you like and have it made.
 
cycle61 said:
Damn, you're 260 in that picture!? That, sir, is a finely cut suit. :applause :leghump :thumbup
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Ha, yea, I was quite happy with it. Gotta find an excuse to wear it again.
 
Thank you all for your responses. :) This is great info.

Our budget is pretty darn tight. I'm hoping to get the suit purchased and tailored for less than $500, so I've been trying stuff on at Stein Mart (there aren't any in the Bay Area, but it's kinda like Marshalls, but nicer) and looking for online deals at LastCall.com and PerryEllis.com. There's a highly recommended local tailor, so I was planning on going with him.

I'm realizing now that my budget might be pretty unrealistic, and that it might just be less of a headache to have it all done at one store. That indochino.com site looks great, though. I'm going to explore that idea more...thanks, Go Sharks!
 
CoorsLight said:
Thank you all for your responses. :) This is great info.

Our budget is pretty darn tight. I'm hoping to get the suit purchased and tailored for less than $500, so I've been trying stuff on at Stein Mart (there aren't any in the Bay Area, but it's kinda like Marshalls, but nicer) and looking for online deals at LastCall.com and PerryEllis.com. There's a highly recommended local tailor, so I was planning on going with him.

I'm realizing now that my budget might be pretty unrealistic, and that it might just be less of a headache to have it all done at one store. That indochino.com site looks great, though. I'm going to explore that idea more...thanks, Go Sharks!
Click to expand...

When is the wedding?

My tailor is in town next month and can do a fully custom suit in that price range. I will forward you his contact info.
 
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