Orgetorix
Call Me a Cab
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I've been going through some of the proofs for photos from my wedding, and I couldn't resist the opportunity to do a little post illustrating a few matters of fit and cut that might be helpful to the folks here at the FL. I hope to illustrate the difference that buying and having a tailor alter your suits can make. When I first started learning and reading about men's style, it was difficult for me to understand some of the terms and visualize the difference that various alterations can make. Hopefully, this will help explain some of those elements, and illustrate how proper fit and proportion enhance one's appearance.
Below are two pictures: on the right is my wife and myself, and on the left one of the bridesmaids with one of my groomsmen, David. While the ladies are considerably lovelier than us guys, it's the gents' clothes that we're concerned with here. These photos were taken under the exact same conditions, which make them ideal for comparing. Now, in one sense we are wearing practically identical outfits, but in other respects--and upon closer inspection--they could hardly be more different. David is wearing a rented morning coat and trousers, obtained from the local Men's Wearhouse. If what's said about ready-to-wear suits --that they are designed to fit as many people as possible, and so fit nobody well--is true, it is doubly so for rental clothes. I, on the other hand, am wearing morning dress that I bought on Ebay and took to my local tailor for alterations.
The most obvious difference here is the fit of the coats around the waist. While David's is straight, boxy, and shapeless, making his middle look larger, mine is shaped through the coat's waist with an hourglass effect (what tailors refer to as waist suppression) that makes my midsection look slimmer and my chest larger. The unsuppressed, boxy look is unflattering in any jacket, but it's particularly bad with a morning coat because the tapered sweep of the coat's lower quarters and tail makes it look vaguely like a giant wedge, which further fails to flatter.
Second, look at the button stance of the jacket. Mine is a few inches higher, allowing for both a longer sweep of the cut-away quarters and a longer leg line, both of which make me look taller and therefore slimmer.
Next, look at the sleeves. Not only is David not showing any linen at the cuff, instead of tapering the sleeves stay full and baggy all the way down. This allows the excess material to bag out at the sides, unfortunately enhancing the overall oblong look of the whole jacket. The length and bagginess of the sleeves also make his hands appear sort of lost. My sleeves, on the other hand, taper with my arm from wider at the shoulder and bicep to smaller at the wrist. This helps my arm and hand appear more defined physically and finished sartorially.
Finally, observe the shoulders. David's jacket shoulders are more built up and squarish, and the end of the shoulder padding extends beyond the end of his actual shoulders. The built-up shoulders look more artificial, and they make David's neck look shorter as well. The width of the shoulders make his head look too small. The shoulders of my jacket are less padded, more sloped and natural looking, and not extended so far beyond my actual shoulders. They are well-proportioned with my face and body, making my head look neither tiny nor huge, and adding to an overall sense of fitness and sharpness.
Now, to close, I must add one huge disclaimer: I have done this solely for the purpose of illustrating these matters, and not at all in order to brag about myself or censure David. I would have been as happy to do this if the roles had been reversed and he had been wearing the well-fitted jacket. David is normally quite a stylish dresser, and indeed he gets a good deal of the credit for getting me interested in clothing and style a few years ago. He unfortunately was just at the mercy of a rented garment's ill fit--and that, perhaps is the moral of this story: if you can avoid it, never, never rent (or, for that matter, borrow) a suit or tuxedo. Learn what a good fit looks and feels like, buy quality clothes that fit you well, and have them altered by a competent tailor. You will feel like a million bucks, and it will be worth the expense.
Photos copyright 2006 John Gill Photography.
Below are two pictures: on the right is my wife and myself, and on the left one of the bridesmaids with one of my groomsmen, David. While the ladies are considerably lovelier than us guys, it's the gents' clothes that we're concerned with here. These photos were taken under the exact same conditions, which make them ideal for comparing. Now, in one sense we are wearing practically identical outfits, but in other respects--and upon closer inspection--they could hardly be more different. David is wearing a rented morning coat and trousers, obtained from the local Men's Wearhouse. If what's said about ready-to-wear suits --that they are designed to fit as many people as possible, and so fit nobody well--is true, it is doubly so for rental clothes. I, on the other hand, am wearing morning dress that I bought on Ebay and took to my local tailor for alterations.
The most obvious difference here is the fit of the coats around the waist. While David's is straight, boxy, and shapeless, making his middle look larger, mine is shaped through the coat's waist with an hourglass effect (what tailors refer to as waist suppression) that makes my midsection look slimmer and my chest larger. The unsuppressed, boxy look is unflattering in any jacket, but it's particularly bad with a morning coat because the tapered sweep of the coat's lower quarters and tail makes it look vaguely like a giant wedge, which further fails to flatter.
Second, look at the button stance of the jacket. Mine is a few inches higher, allowing for both a longer sweep of the cut-away quarters and a longer leg line, both of which make me look taller and therefore slimmer.
Next, look at the sleeves. Not only is David not showing any linen at the cuff, instead of tapering the sleeves stay full and baggy all the way down. This allows the excess material to bag out at the sides, unfortunately enhancing the overall oblong look of the whole jacket. The length and bagginess of the sleeves also make his hands appear sort of lost. My sleeves, on the other hand, taper with my arm from wider at the shoulder and bicep to smaller at the wrist. This helps my arm and hand appear more defined physically and finished sartorially.
Finally, observe the shoulders. David's jacket shoulders are more built up and squarish, and the end of the shoulder padding extends beyond the end of his actual shoulders. The built-up shoulders look more artificial, and they make David's neck look shorter as well. The width of the shoulders make his head look too small. The shoulders of my jacket are less padded, more sloped and natural looking, and not extended so far beyond my actual shoulders. They are well-proportioned with my face and body, making my head look neither tiny nor huge, and adding to an overall sense of fitness and sharpness.
Now, to close, I must add one huge disclaimer: I have done this solely for the purpose of illustrating these matters, and not at all in order to brag about myself or censure David. I would have been as happy to do this if the roles had been reversed and he had been wearing the well-fitted jacket. David is normally quite a stylish dresser, and indeed he gets a good deal of the credit for getting me interested in clothing and style a few years ago. He unfortunately was just at the mercy of a rented garment's ill fit--and that, perhaps is the moral of this story: if you can avoid it, never, never rent (or, for that matter, borrow) a suit or tuxedo. Learn what a good fit looks and feels like, buy quality clothes that fit you well, and have them altered by a competent tailor. You will feel like a million bucks, and it will be worth the expense.
Photos copyright 2006 John Gill Photography.
