Suit Rage

[Sterillium]

Advice welcomed.

I am an odd shape. I have a 50" chest and a 35" waist, my wingspan is just under 2 metres and even in a shirt or jacket that fits really well, if I move my arms too much, the sleeves zoom back up to my elbows, Miami Vice style.

I have a couple of nice suit jackets and (although I know it makes me an uncouth yob) I do like wearing them open, with jeans. But even though they fit well when buttoned, they tend to do this when worn open:



(Exaggerated, but that's the general issue!)

Is this something that can be avoided if I get them to a seamstress? If so, what part of the jacket needs to be snipped, ripped or altered? What feels odd to me is that they are good when buttoned, so I'm not sure what the mechanics of the "extra material" my body shape is creating are.

The other idea I have is to just eat a lot of pie and cake until the suit fits snug on my vastly engorged midsection.

Edited by Sterillium on Sunday 22 August 12:32

[Sterillium]

(I'm not a company director)

[55palfers]

Sterillium said:

(I'm not a company director)

There's your problem.

[23.7]

Your photo doesn't open.


As someone who has purchased decent suits then lost weight I'd say altering a jacket like that you're onto a loser.

If you can't buy off the peg, made to measure is the only option.

[klootzak]

The problem you describe is usually due to the armholes (armscye) being too long, making the sleeves deep top-to-bottom where they join the body of the jacket and creating a sort of batwing effect. When you lift your arms the bottom of the sleeves pull tight, pulling the sleeve up your arm (and the side of the jacket up).

It isn't something that can really be altered or adjusted without rebuilding the entire jacket.

The only real cure is to get a jacket made for you, with shorter armscye and slimmer sleeves as part of your specification to the tailor. That shouldn't be a problem as long as they are actually adjusting a block to your spec rather than just outsourcing to a manufacturer that has 40 or 50 standard blocks that give the general impression of being made to measure.

k

[Sterillium]

klootzak said:

The problem you describe is usually due to the armholes (armscye) being too long, making the sleeves deep top-to-bottom where they join the body of the jacket and creating a sort of batwing effect. When you lift your arms the bottom of the sleeves pull tight, pulling the sleeve up your arm (and the side of the jacket up).

It isn't something that can really be altered or adjusted without rebuilding the entire jacket.

The only real cure is to get a jacket made for you, with shorter armscye and slimmer sleeves as part of your specification to the tailor. That shouldn't be a problem as long as they are actually adjusting a block to your spec rather than just outsourcing to a manufacturer that has 40 or 50 standard blocks that give the general impression of being made to measure.

k

This is really useful - thank you. Can you see the pic I posted?

[klootzak]

Sterillium said:

This is really useful - thank you. Can you see the pic I posted?

I couldn't but can now. Doesn't help much though

The jacket opening is clearly a different matter, but I'm not entirely sure what's going on there. Is it a single or double-breasted jacket?

Based on what you've said though, it just sounds as though the jacket is too large below the chest.

How does it fit when buttoned? How much space is there between you and the jacket?

k

[SCEtoAUX]

There's an old adage: If eating pie and cake is an option, eat pie and cake.