We buy suits to show ourselves off to our best advantage in our work, social or casual lives. Unless the suit we buy fits, we have wasted our money. Unfortunately many are bought without consideration of proper fit, so, in collaboration with Marks & Spencer, I've put together a guide to buying a well-fitting suit.
A suit that fits well looks and feels good - suit Autograph at M&S £199 |
To achieve the perfect fit you will need to buy a bespoke or made to measure suit. However, by following these guidelines you can buy a well-fitting off-the-peg product.
The one I wear here costs £199 from Marks & Spencer's Autograph range. Made from soft and beautifully textured pure wool cloth, it's a bit of a bargain. I wouldn't claim the fit to be perfect, it's marginally large across the shoulders and the sleeves are a touch long and full, but the suit is off the peg unaltered and could be mistaken for a more expensive product.
Buying the well fitting suit:
1. Know your chest, waist and leg length. The advantage of buying in store is that there will (generally) be staff who can advise and measure you. Select your suit on the basis of these measurements. When trying on the suit, stand in a relaxed and natural way.
2. Try on the jacket. It should fit comfortably and snugly across the shoulders; check the arm and body lengths (see below). The shoulder seam should be at the point where your shoulder drops to the upper arm, if the seam hangs beyond the shoulder tip, the shoulders are too large and the jacket will look out of proportion, even appearing to swamp the wearer.
Button the jacket using the middle button of three, or top button of two; never use the bottom button. It should button easily, without being too tight, or so loose that the front flaps around.
The jacket should fit snugly across shoulders and chest, the top of the sleeve at the fall of the shoulder |
This jacket length is traditional, but is more elegant than the cropped modern style. It's nicely waisted in shape. The arm length here is acceptable, if very slightly long (see below) |
Ideally sleeve length allows a small amount of shirt cuff to show |
3. Try on the trousers which should fit neatly around waist and backside. Too tight is unsightly and uncomfortable, too loose and there is an excess of cloth flapping around. For a traditionally cut suit, the trousers would break (fold slightly) above the shoe. A more modern, slimmer cut, trouser would have minimal break, reaching the very top of the shoe and no further. The trousers I wear here take a middle course, cut slightly shorter than traditional, but without being as short as an extremely modern style.
A good leg length. Too long and the whole suit will look ill-fitting |
4. You will be very lucky if an off-the-peg suit fits you perfectly. If the suit supplier cannot alter it for you, most high streets have alterations tailors who will adjust leg and sleeve length and waist sizes. Other alterations can be done, to chest, shoulders etc, but are generally more major, expensive and less worthwhile. It's best to try another suit if too many significant alterations are needed.
5. Wearing the suit. Stay relaxed. Imagine you're wearing jeans and jumper. If you think 'formal' you will look stiff and unnatural. The more you wear a suit, the more you will relax into it and you will look better as a result.
If you're not confident selecting ties and shirts, use a plain white or pale blue shirt, a knitted silk or polka dot tie in a contrasting colour and a pocket square that complements the tie, without matching it. As you get more adventurous, try other combinations. In general the best look will always involve minimal pattern and colour.
If you're not confident selecting ties and shirts, use a plain white or pale blue shirt, a knitted silk or polka dot tie in a contrasting colour and a pocket square that complements the tie, without matching it. As you get more adventurous, try other combinations. In general the best look will always involve minimal pattern and colour.
To browse the Marks & Spencer range of suits click here. The ties, shirts, shoes and pocket squares shown are also from M&S.
Relax in your suit, going tieless is fine for smart casual |
This feature was prepared in collaboration with Marks & Spencer.
I still haven't managed to relax when wearing a suit, i'll try your trick of pretending i'm wearing jeans. A great piece!
ReplyDeleteBuckets & Spades
M&S often does jackets in Small, Regular and Long lengths, which can help with the fit.
ReplyDeleteThe Euro sizes also can reflect this: 50 is a regular 40", 25 is a 40" short and I think 102 is 40" long. I find the Euro sizes are more reliable than the UK sizes. One company's 40" can be a lot tighter than another company's 40".
I always find M&S suits and jackets to be a bit big in the shoulders.
ReplyDeleteMany thanks for the comments.
ReplyDeleteLaurence, I've seen some soft-shouldered jackets coming out of M&S for AW15. Your experience matches mine and I often find off the peg jackets too large across the shoulder - not that i have narrow shoulders - often because of the padding. Some of their newer styles seem less large over the shoulder.
GF
David,
ReplyDeleteA very informative and helpful piece thank you. But what is all that nonsense of two button holes on the same lapel about? It is that silly idea of trying to incorporate fashion rubbish into classic styles that puts off anyone who wants to maintain traditional elegance that has served us so well for so long.
Best regards,
Snapper
Hi GF
ReplyDeleteI think sleeve length on a jacket is most important otherwise you're left looking like the NatWest trainee in the 80's/90's TV commercial!
I have just been fortunate enough to pick up an M&S Best of British wool and linen mix blue double breasted suit at 57% less than the original price - very pleased. Top fit too particularly on the sleeve length. With the range of sizes provided by M&S and a few alterations if necessary, you can't really go wrong provided the basic shape works.
I think retailers who only sell suits with a 6 inch drop from jacket to trouser waist size are excluding large numbers of erm older gents given that size drop is generally long gone - speaking for myself of course.