How a suit should fit: the eight checks
Fit is the whole game. A modest suit that fits properly beats an expensive one that does not, every single time. The good news is that fit is not mysterious: it is eight checks you can run in a mirror in ninety seconds. Here they are, in the order a tailor would look.
The short answer
A suit fits when the shoulder seam ends exactly at your shoulder, the collar sits flush without gapping, the jacket skims the chest without pulling, and the sleeves show a quarter to half an inch of shirt cuff. Judge the shoulders first because they cannot be altered affordably; everything else a tailor can fix.
One: the shoulders
The shoulder seam should end where your shoulder does, with the sleeve dropping cleanly from it. Divots, ripples or seams hanging past the bone are the one fault a tailor cannot economically fix, which is why you buy for the shoulders first and adjust everything else after.
Test it against a wall: lean gently sideways. If the shoulder pad hits before your arm, the jacket is too big.
Two: the collar
The jacket collar should sit flush against your shirt collar, which sits flush against your neck. A gap at the back means the jacket is too big or your posture and the cut disagree; bunching means it is too small. About half an inch of shirt collar should show above the jacket.
Three: the chest and lapels
Buttoned, the jacket should skim the chest without the lapels bowing away or the front pulling into an X at the button. You should fit a flat hand between chest and jacket; a fist means too big.
Four: the waist
A gentle taper at the waist gives the suit its line. Too loose and the jacket reads boxy; too tight and the vents flare open behind you. This is the cheapest, easiest alteration there is, so judge shoulders first and let a tailor perfect the waist.
Browse Slim Fit SuitsView collectionFive: jacket length
Classic rule: the hem should roughly cover your seat, with your knuckles level with the bottom edge when arms hang naturally. Fashion moves this line an inch either way; gravity and proportion do not.
Six: the sleeve
Jacket sleeves end at the wrist bone, showing a quarter to half an inch of shirt cuff. It is the detail photographs catch most, and one of the simplest alterations to get right.
Seven: the trouser waist and seat
Trousers should sit at your natural waist without a belt doing structural work. The seat should follow you without hammocking below or gripping across. If you are between sizes, size up and have the waist taken in; letting out has hard limits.
Eight: the break
The break is where trouser meets shoe. One clean, shallow fold is the modern classic; a puddle of cloth ages the whole outfit. Ask for a slight break and you will be right for a decade.
Run all eight checks and you will never need to ask whether a suit fits again. You will simply see it.
Browse Navy SuitsView collectionQuick answers
- What is the most important part of suit fit?
- Shoulders. Almost everything else can be altered affordably; shoulders generally cannot.
- How much shirt cuff should show?
- A quarter to half an inch beyond the jacket sleeve with arms at rest.
- Should I size up or down between sizes?
- Up, then tailor down. Taking cloth in is routine; conjuring cloth that is not there is impossible.