Simple Ways To Add Elegance

[Jay]

See evidence of a Reiss suit tailored and looking the business earlier in this thread.

I'm with you on argyle socks along fair isles, chunky knits and marls too. They are very autumnal. I don't tend to wear them with formal wear, but they go along way to adding a sophisticated heritage edge to a casual outfit.

And what is wrong with you people putting cider before good tailoring? The yoof of today and all that...

[Sam]

Ah, you will have been the guy then. I knew "tailored Reiss suit" rang a few bells and that those bells chimed in the key of "it's a good move."

And put it this way; of cider and suiting, one will be of immense social value and the other will be an occasional indulgence. Which is which is something that presumably changes upon reaching a certain age!

[electroRoss]

This is the result of my obsessiveness as typed above.

I think you look very smart Jay. It looks like a nice suit and you clearly look after yourself.

I have a question. Why would you tailor a suit to fit everywhere perfectly except length? I would class this as an ill-fitting suit. Is length of jacket considered not as important as shoulder width, sleeve length, back width, etc?

Which areas of sizing are compulsary and which are negotiable?

[Sam]

We went through this a couple of posts down from the picture - taking up the length is actually a pain in the neck and Jay is (his word not mine) a shortarse

[Jay]

It's all down to personal style I guess. I quite like my suits jackets a little longer. I'm small (only 5'7") so my reasoning is (and perhaps I'm wrong on this) that it elongates and makes me look slimmer.

Also, taking off the length on a suit can be a risky business as tailors are playing with the vents and it's all too easy to end up with a suit that doesn't hang right at the bottom, vents that are too short and look silly and can throw the entire proportions of the suit out, especially the position of the lower ticket or jetted pockets (as they look too close the hem). There's a limit to what even good tailors can do, sadly, so if you're a short arse like me, it's either fully tailored from scratch or something I just have to accept.

That suit jacket is the longest I have though (and the only one from Reiss for that reason), but the colour is such an amazing vivid blue, which doesn't come across in the photo, that it was worth it over all.

Basically, the two most difficult and expensive jobs when altering a suit are the fit at the shoulders and the jacket length. It's usually not worth having either done.

In terms of what is compulsory, then I personally will have the following done if necessary (and the above suit has all of them done):

jacket sleeve length
jacket waist taking in to create a slimmer fit (I'm fortunate enough to never have needed it letting out)
trouser waist
trouser hems (which on good suits are usually unfinished anyway)
leg width (I prefer a slimmer leg and have all my suits taken the along their full length).

It depends on the maker though. I've never had my Paul Smith suit trousers taken in as a 29" waist which comes with their 36" jacket fits me perfectly and I rarely have them slimmed in the leg as they tend to be cut fairly well to my tastes there already.

[Jay]

We went through this a couple of posts down from the picture - taking up the length is actually a pain in the neck and Jay is (his word not mine) a shortarse

Yeah, that's pretty much what my above post explains. Oh, the joys of being a shrimp on getting a good fit.

[Sam]

Yeah. Troublesome thing is that if you can find one without sacrificing masculinity, a shorter jacket will make you look taller, I believe. I used to have this problem until I shot up to average height but kept the pigeon chest of my childhood self! So now sizing's a nightmare but that's about it

[William Colman]

All this talk of suits! it makes me want to increase my Thom Sweeney fund to at least £1. I might have to settle for Reiss though, problem is I don't have a reason to own a suit so I can't justify spending £400 on the initial cost and then however much it will cost for alterations.

[electroRoss]

It's all down to personal style I guess. I quite like my suits jackets a little longer. I'm small (only 5'7") so my reasoning is (and perhaps I'm wrong on this) that it elongates and makes me look slimmer.

Also, taking off the length on a suit can be a risky business as tailors are playing with the vents and it's all too easy to end up with a suit that doesn't hang right at the bottom, vents that are too short and look silly and can throw the entire proportions of the suit out, especially the position of the lower ticket or jetted pockets (as they look too close the hem). There's a limit to what even good tailors can do, sadly, so if you're a short arse like me, it's either fully tailored from scratch or something I just have to accept.

That suit jacket is the longest I have though (and the only one from Reiss for that reason), but the colour is such an amazing vivid blue, which doesn't come across in the photo, that it was worth it over all.

Basically, the two most difficult and expensive jobs when altering a suit are the fit at the shoulders and the jacket length. It's usually not worth having either done.

In terms of what is compulsory, then I personally will have the following done if necessary (and the above suit has all of them done):

jacket sleeve length
jacket waist taking in to create a slimmer fit (I'm fortunate enough to never have needed it letting out)
trouser waist
trouser hems (which on good suits are usually unfinished anyway)
leg width (I prefer a slimmer leg and have all my suits taken the along their full length).

It depends on the maker though. I've never had my Paul Smith suit trousers taken in as a 29" waist which comes with their 36" jacket fits me perfectly and I rarely have them slimmed in the leg as they tend to be cut fairly well to my tastes there already.

I guess there are two points here, "personal style" and working with your physique. I like my suits to be slim too and I think that despite the extra length in the jacket the suit looks like it fits better that 99% of the suits I see in work and out and about. I think that because it fits so well in every other area, it looks good.