It is transformative to put on a great suit. Your shoulders are broader; your lines are longer and slimmer; your waist is trimmer. You look terrific; you feel terrific. That is, assuming that you got the right suit and had it tailored appropriately. There are very few things as good as a great suit, as any man who has spent an evening in a boxy rental knows. There are, at least, fewer things worse than bad things in the sartorial sense. Because even a modestly priced off-the-rack number with the right nips and tucks can look like a million bucks, we’re here to help with four essential rules for getting a perfectly tailored suit.
Ensure that the shoulders fit
Your suit jacket’s shoulders should feel like they are hugging your own. The jacket is too small if they are noticeably tight. And if the shoulder seams are sagging past your body’s natural line, as they do for all too many types of the workday, it’s too large. The shoulders are the one place that even specialist tailors in Singapore are reluctant to mess with: it’s difficult, costly, and your suit can be ruined. Almost everything else can be modified, but it’s time to return it to the rack if the shoulders are not spot on.
Watch for the Gap Collar
Maybe you can’t see it, but everybody around you will see it. Your suit jacket collar will sit away from your shirt collar, leaving a gap if it is not correctly fitted to your neck. For any number of reasons, this can happen, and if it’s not too severe, it can generally be fixed by a tailor. But anything more than a tiny gap can be an issue. Watch out when you’re buying, and stay clear unless you have an exceptionally skilled tailor whom you trust entirely.
Take Your Jacket in the Waist
Many suit jackets are made with a “democratic” cut, which is a pleasant way of saying that they are meant to fit men around the midsection with a certain girth. If you’re not one of these guys, it also means that until your tailor brings it in at the waist, your jacket will look boxy.
However, don’t get too aggressive about that. Bear in mind, and you still need to be able to move in. If the top button is closed, try to fit a closed fist between your jacket and shirt comfortably.
The Sleeves Slim and the Trousers Taper
Many guys have tuned into the idea that a better way to elongate a suit’s lines and build a tailored silhouette is to go narrower on the pants.
Take a page and taper your trousers from their book. One thing you may not have thought about is doing the same thing for the jacket’s sleeves. It’s a little more complex because the lining will have to be dealt with by your tailor, but it will make for a much more polished look in the long run. So, you know, it’s worthwhile.