Suit Size – Struggling To Find The Best Fit?

Suit Size - Struggling To Find The Best Fit

It’s important to know that suits that are readily available in retail stores, like the ones I post on here or the ones you find on the high-street, they are made in their thousands and the suit size is based on the “normal” size human. What’s considered normal? I don’t have a clue but I know I haven’t been “normal” or been able to wear a suit straight off the rack since I was nineteen years old. I play football and cycle a lot so below my waist is much larger than “normal” meaning none of the trousers off the rack will fit me. Suit jackets off the rack fit me fine.

Tailor Made

Let’s get down to it, if you cant find a suit that fits you, what do you? If you can afford to have a tailor design a suit for you from nothing, usually costing around £600 for the entire suit – then you need not worry, the suit will fit you perfectly. Most of us, myself included cannot afford to be buying tailor-made suits.

A good friend of mine messaged me this morning this same question. He’s super slim and 6″5 in height, you can imagine his struggles.

Retail & Tailor Combined – The Perfect Suit Size

The Perfect Suit Size

The best thing to do is to combine between buying from the retailers for cheap and then spending another £15-£50 at your local tailors to get them to readjust the suit to fit you. I advise you to always buy the suit in a larger size and then you’re tailor will have an easy job removing the excess fabric.

If you are in doubt, go into the tailors without a suit, get them to measure you and tell them your intentions of buying an off the rack suit and getting it cut. They’ll tell you what jacket and trouser size to go for and you can work from there.

My Preferences

My budget for a suit is usually around the £150 mark. For me anything above that is pushing it and anything below that is a bit too cheap and tacky. My favourite store at the moment for suits is Mark’s & Spencer’s, their suits are usually made really well and they have a MASSIVE range of sizes so it becomes easy for me to find a suit that fits perfectly in the jacket. Then my tailor charges me £25 to get the trousers tapered in and turned up above my ankles.

Straight-Hem-Or-Turn-Up

My Transition From Skinny To Tailored

my transition from skinny to tailored

Ask me five years ago why men wear tailored suits and I would laughed saying; “because they’re old and overweight.” Although that may have been true, I now find myself right this moment shopping for a tailored fit suit. So what’s changed?

Well for one, I’m not eighteen anymore. Being twenty-three, my lifestyle is very different to how it was five years ago. All those late night takeaways have taken its toll and my lack of enthusiasm towards playing football has made me a proud owner of a 34 inch waist. Not only that but my desire to bulk up and pump weights in the gym has given me quite broad shoulders as well. It is fair to say, I’d rip a skinny suit easily in a day or two. Unfortunately two suits that are very dear to me are destined to stay in the back of my wardrobe until I am either able to drop a waist size, or pluck up the courage to give them to a charity shop.

Different Suit Sizes & Styles

We all have many different suit sizes and styles to choose from when we’re out shopping and knowing which style best suits you is essential. You have a choice between the school boy/rocker suits – the skinny fit. Then you have the slick and streamlined suit – the slim fit. Going up the ladder and getting old in age brings you to the comfortable and kind-of slim fit – tailored fit. The last and pretty much the least desirable fit – the regular fit.

skinny suits for kids

Skinny Fit

Skinny fitted suits are the perfect suit for the young hairless man who is venturing out into the big bad world. Perfect for the stylish kid who likes to look cool, show off his dapper shoes and wear his Ray-Bans at night. Can you wear these to work? Of course! I did and they worked very well for me. If you are proud of your physique then this suit is perfect for you. Be warned, your movement may be restricted in these so watch out before jumping over that fence or chasing that bus.

Slim Fit

Slim fit is probably by far the best fit and if I hope I can slim down enough to get back into them. Slim fitted suits look and feel amazing. You can breathe and stretch freely in these suits without worrying that lifting your leg too high will cause your trousers to rip at the crotch. Yes that has happened to me, on more than three occasions. I wouldn’t advise running for a bus though. Want a suit fitted for all formal and casual events/days the slim fit looks fantastic and feels equally the same.

Tailored Fit

Want comfort without losing style? Tailored fit my friend. This suit will go in at the waist and your calfs allowing you space in your chest and thighs (the big parts of us real men.) Worrying about your ripping your suit is the thing of the past. You can look at the tailored fit suit as the dad of the family. Old and wise enough to know how to last a long time while still keeping it’s owner comfy and looking sharp. Feel free to run and jump in these as you wish.

james bond running in a suit

Regular Fit

Regular fitted suits are by far my least favourite. This is for the men who want to wear a suit and don’t really care what others think. Style is out the window on this one and comfort was the one who kicked it out. You’ll never have to worry about durability as these suits will last you a lifetime. I have read that many people buy a regular suit from a retail store for cheap and get the suit cut and chopped to fit them perfectly – food for thought maybe?