10 Signs Your Suit Doesn’t Fit Right
You can always find an online guide highlighting the dos and don’ts of suit etiquette. However, most online guides frequently overlook essential details regarding the value of fit and what constitutes a poor fit. In this blog, we have identified some of the details to look for when determining whether a suit fits you correctly because it's one of the things we find most unsure about. We also provide you with the finest solution to the problem.
Memorise them, save this page, or do whatever it takes to ensure you never again wear a poorly fitting suit because these timeless guidelines won't change as suit trends change.
Here are the top 10 signs that your suit is not fitting right:
1. Your jacket shoulders sag or pinch
The shoulder should be the first thing you check when trying on a blazer or suit jacket. Shoulder sag and pinch indicate that your suit jacket doesn’t fit right. While both are terrible, the shoulder sag is the worse of the two.
A pinch mark, also known as a divot on the arm toward the rear of the sleeve head, appears when the shoulders/armholes of a suit jacket are too tight. Alternatively, they sag when the shoulders are too broad, giving off the appearance of a Chicago banker from the 1990s. A garment should hang cleanly from your shoulder and only slightly protrude past the armhole.
Quick fix: When trying on a jacket, if you observe shoulder sag or pinch, it's best to try a different size or get it altered to fit before you buy. A tailor can partially fix this, but it will likely cost a lot of money and work to modify.
2. The front button sits too high and/or pops out
In the world of menswear, the button-stance argument has lasted for a very long time. Many ready-to-wear jackets today have a mid-to-high button stance, particularly from modern Italian clothing makers.
When worn correctly, a higher button stance can be very trendy and casual, but when it's too tight, the effect is awful, particularly if the wearer has a little belly. When the jacket is fastened, your torso will appear shorter the higher the button posture. When fastened, the top button on a two-button garment should sit one to three fingers above the belly button (depending on the look the wearer is going for). A ‘pop’ or overly forceful pulling will occur if it sits too high and tight.
Quick fix: Your best option is to size up or down, or pick a different style or brand. Try a different suit if nothing else works.
3. There’s a gaping on the jacket’s chest
A suit jacket’s chest should always fit the wearer's chest form like a glove. Both a gaping coat breast and a chest break look unattractive. A chest break typically occurs when the jacket is too small, and a chest gape typically occurs when it is too large. It causes a gap between the torso and the jacket in either case.
Quick fix: When trying on ready-to-wear clothing, if either of these problems stands out, consider going up or down a size first. If this doesn't resolve the issue, consider getting your suit custom-made.
4. The jacket is too long or too short
Although shorter suit jackets can be fashionable, don't go overboard. Your suit jacket should cover about 80 per cent of your butt and groin. Typically, the lowest part of your jacket should fall between your thumb's two knuckles. This rule can be slightly bent when wearing a casual jacket because they usually come in shorter lengths.
Quick fix: A tailor cannot typically extend or shorten a jacket. Therefore, before you buy, try going up or down a size, and then talk with your salesperson about whether any alteration is possible.