derek guy Profile picture
Apr 20, 2023 11 tweets 6 min read Read on X
SOME BASIC POINTERS ON HOW A SUIT SHOULD FIT

Getting a lot of pushback on the idea that you need more than two weeks to shop for a suit. I think this is bc most people don't know how a suit should fit. So here are five things people often overlook
1. Collar Gap

I've already talked about collar gaps. This can be caused by various things: a tight chest, shoulder slope doesn't match your own, or jacket doesn't fit ur posture. From this, you can see how fit is a 3D concept, not as simple as chest size

2. Shoulder Divots

Another common issue is shoulder divots, which is when you see an indentation on the sleevehead. This can be caused by poor make. Or an overly narrow shoulder, esp across back. Sometimes can be fix by alteration; sometimes not. ImageImage
3. Jacket is Too Tight

If the chest is too tight, the lapels may also buckle away from the body. If the waist is too tight, you will see pulling at the waist button when it's fastened. ImageImage
4. Jacket is Too Short

A good rule of thumb is that the jacket should always cover your bum. A better rule of thumb is that the jacket should bisect you halfway between your collar and the floor when you're wearing heeled shoes. Image
5. Sleeve Pitch

Sometimes the jacket's sleeves don't match the natural way your arms hang. This will cause drag lines when you are standing naturally. This can be a very difficult and expensive alteration, which is why you should take time to shop around ImageImage
6. Balance

A coat's hem should hang evenly when viewed from the side, or the front can be slightly lower than the back. However, the front should never be higher than the back. This will make the coat look like it's riding up on you. ImageImage
7. Overly Long Back Rise

RTW manufacturers often build pants with an overly long back rise to sell suits to a broader range of ppl. But as a result, the trousers end up collapsing under the seat. Look at yourself in a three-way mirror and aim for a clean fit ImageImageImageImage
These are just some basic fit issues. Then there's the issue of how you want the silhouete to look—clean, drapey, elongating, rounded, etc. See this post on how to understand silhouettes in tailoring

putthison.com/how-to-underst…
Ultimately, any garment, whether a suit or casualwaer, is about making you look and feel good. But it takes a while to train your eye. This requires sampling things and mulling for a while. I wouldn't want you to plunk $1k on something and regret it later.
If you want to learn more about how tailored clothing should fit, you can read these posts:

putthison.com/tag/fit/

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More from @dieworkwear

Jul 12
I will tell you how to find a tailor. 🧵
For the purposes of this thread, I will assume you mean an alterations tailor, which is someone who alters clothes you bought from a store. I will not cover bespoke tailors, who are people that make clothes from scratch. That kind of discussion goes beyond what I can cover here. Image
Like any trade, the clothing business can involve a bit of insider baseball. To find a good tailor, call a few stores that sell high-end clothes. For men, these will be suits that retail for $3,000 and up. For women, it will be things like suits, eveningwear, and bridal gowns. Image
Read 16 tweets
Jul 2
Stephen Miller's suit here shows one of the biggest problems with men's tailoring today. 🧵
I should first emphasize this thread is not meant to body shame. I mean that sincerely. Few men are built like Adonis, so when shopping for clothes, most will have their own fit challenges, including muscular figures. This thread is only meant to highlight a tailoring issue.
Let's first do an experiment. Which suit do you think looks better?

Left or right? Image
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Read 18 tweets
Jul 1
Here's an explanation of when you can wear a suit jacket on its own. 🧵
But first, let's play a game. Here are two men wearing gray tailored jackets with blue pants. Which outfit looks better to you? Ignore physical attributes of the people underneath and focus on the outfits. Then reply with your answer. Image
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If you said the right looks better, then we have the same taste. In this case, we can again go back to history to understand our views.

As I've said before, our notions in traditional men's tailoring largely derive from Britain, where suits and sport coats were invented.
Read 16 tweets
Jun 28
If you're looking for fabrics that you can wear in the summer, it's useful to consider three things: weight, weave, and fiber. If you only pay attention to one of these dimensions (say, linen), you will miss the bigger picture.

Let me show you. 🧵
If you're shopping for shirts, then some of the better summer materials include linen, seersucker, madras, and very lightweight, open weave cottons. In the photo below, you can see a swatch of voile, which is a featherweight 2/3oz cotton that's so open, it's almost sheer. Image
You can see here why most men don't wear it. Without a jacket, the material can almost be indecent (although it's more forgiving in non-white colors like light blue). For this reason, some tailors double up the front, like you see on the right, but this limits the breathability. Image
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Read 18 tweets
Jun 26
As a general matter, my advice isn't really "go to this store" or "buy this brand." Rather, I encourage people to think about clothes in a certain way.

Let me show you how to shop for a good suit. 🧵
My advice isn't really about brands or stores because everyone has unique fit challenges they have to solve. Perhaps you have forward pitched shoulders or a barrel chest. Or maybe you have big thighs and a prominent seat. No single suit will work for everyone. Image
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When shopping for a suit, it helps to know how they're made. Suit jackets and sport coats are unique in that they're made from layers of haircloth, canvas, and padding, which are shaped through darts, pad stitching, and ironwork. This is how you get the 3D shape. Image
Read 18 tweets
May 26
A lot of attention is paid to craft traditions in Western Europe and North America, such as handsewn Hermes leather goods and bespoke Savile Row suits. But the uneven focus leads some to believe that things made outside of these places are low quality.

This is not true. 🧵 Image
When I was on a menswear forum, there was a guy whose style I greatly admired. Like others on the forum, Niyi Okuboyejo loved men's tailoring. He had a technical understanding of how a jacket should hang from the shoulders. He also knew how to put things together in a classic way Image
At the same time, he also knew how to do things in his own voice and style, but in a way that looked good and not haphazard. Sometimes this was about adding a funky tie; other times, it was playing with materials and silhouette. All of these are still suits and sport coats! Image
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Read 17 tweets

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