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I need suit advice.

The Seeker of Truth

New in Town
Messages
6
I would like some advice on this S Cohen three button single breasted. I have two suits with the same cut and fit.
Does it look right? Is it stylish? What should I have done to it if anything? I am new to suit buying/wearing and need help from experienced gentlemen.
 

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Dirk Wainscotting

A-List Customer
Messages
354
Location
Irgendwo
Does it look right? Is it stylish? What should I have done to it if anything? I am new to suit buying/wearing and need help from experienced gentlemen.

Depends what you think "right" is. In my opinion the suit is somewhat too large. The inseam of the trousers is noticeably long (or you need to pull them up a tad!) and the collar gapes on the right hand side - may be too large in the shoulder and it is sitting on your low shoulder. The armhole is quite low and moves the coat upwards, as is seen in your second used car salesman pose:D, though the trousers look better.

If you like a roomier cut and more room for movement, it may not bother you, though the lack of a front dart (if I see correctly) in more modern coats makes for a boxier silhouette.

The shoulder/collar is a more difficult and more expensive fix than other things. Make sure that at least the sleeves and trousers are the right length and you have some instant improvement.
 

ingineer

One Too Many
Messages
1,088
Location
Clifton NJ
Seeker;
I would bring that to a tailor and have him shorten the sleeves and length
Should be a little shirt cuff showing and the body looks too long as well
its always worth the cash to have the suit to be a perfect fit
I am not an expert on these things but he knows how to make it like i spent a fortune

On the plus like the olive colpur
 
Last edited:

Speakeasy

Familiar Face
Messages
62
Location
Toronto
Definitely needs some hemming - at the most you should have a full break.The angle of the pictures also makes the rise of the trousers difficult to see.

Things like how much trouser break and double vs single-breasted are a matter of preference, but higher armholes and a longer rise are really crucial for a good fit.
 

ingineer

One Too Many
Messages
1,088
Location
Clifton NJ
Seeker;
if you wear that for work; then it is imperative
spend the money on one , establish a relation with the tailor
you will see
l
 
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Metatron

One Too Many
Messages
1,536
Location
United Kingdom
As you are on a forum that caters to the vintage taste, I would get the trousers shortened with turnups/cuffs.
Overall, the suit is not particularly flattering as it is. It can be made to look a lot better by taking in the waist, shortening the trousers as others have pointed out, but seeing as it's off the rack, I wonder whether an overall smaller jacket size would be a simpler solution?
 

Shangas

I'll Lock Up
Messages
6,116
Location
Melbourne, Australia
Trousers are definitely too long. You'll be tripping over them all day. Get them to a tailor and have them hemmed. Or if you're like me (cheap), you can run them through your own sewing machine and do it yourself. Of course, hemming won't help if the trousers are overall too big. It's only worth it if everything else fits OK but the leg's a bit too long.
 
Messages
17,219
Location
New York City
Depends what you think "right" is. In my opinion the suit is somewhat too large. The inseam of the trousers is noticeably long (or you need to pull them up a tad!) and the collar gapes on the right hand side - may be too large in the shoulder and it is sitting on your low shoulder. The armhole is quite low and moves the coat upwards, as is seen in your second used car salesman pose:D, though the trousers look better.

If you like a roomier cut and more room for movement, it may not bother you, though the lack of a front dart (if I see correctly) in more modern coats makes for a boxier silhouette.

The shoulder/collar is a more difficult and more expensive fix than other things. Make sure that at least the sleeves and trousers are the right length and you have some instant improvement.

I agree with the above and also the recommendation that you try a size smaller on for your next purchase.

As to tailoring, absolutely, the suit could be meaningfully improved by a good tailor: do your homework to find out who is a true men's tailor in your area - this is not a job for a hack sitting in the front window of a dry cleaning establishment (while I'm sure some tailors in dry cleaning establishments are good, my experience is most are hacks), you need to find a real tailor with the experience and the skills to make some difficult adjustments to you suit.

Since you mention you are new to suit buying, a general guiding principal is that one looks better in a well-tailored modest price suit than in an ill-fitted expensive one.
 

The Seeker of Truth

New in Town
Messages
6
Thank you sirs.
I am not necessarily cheap though I am on a budget. Your suggestions are well received.
I bought this and the other suit when I weighed considerably more and have recently dropped said weight. I plan on meeting Remon Danforah this ccoming Friday. From what I can ascertain he is one of the best tailors in my city Birmingham Alabama.
Thank you once again
 

Claudio

Vendor
Messages
377
Location
Italian living in Spain
As already stated , the suit is generally too big. I suggest you don't have it altered as there is not much you can do in the shoulders to correct this, without running the risk of making it worse. if you are going to be stuck with it then bite the bullet and have the sleeves taken up (either from the shoulder end- harder and more expensive - or from the cuffs but this also depends on how the cuff is finnished), take the trousers up and maybe nip the waist in too. However the larger shoulders and chest area will make it big regardless. If this is your only suit then green wasnt the best choice of colouring to start with. dark blue is always a better choice as a starting point and can be used in many matches (people will alwys remember the 'green suit', not so with the blue). If yuo can put it back on the market (250US$ wasn't cheap so I am thinking its well made with a decent cloth and construction) and get yourself a smaller suit.
Good luck
 

The Seeker of Truth

New in Town
Messages
6
As I stated earlier this isn't my only suit. I have a navy two button single breasted and a brown three button single breasted the exact cut as this one.
BTW, this suit is actually grey I guess it is the lighting that makes it appear olive.
 

Dirk Wainscotting

A-List Customer
Messages
354
Location
Irgendwo
As I stated earlier this isn't my only suit. I have a navy two button single breasted and a brown three button single breasted the exact cut as this one.

That means, unfortunately, that you have more than one suit that needs the same attention. It may not have been a good idea to lay out the cash for three suits prior to researching fit!
 

Mathematicus

A-List Customer
Messages
379
Location
Coventry, UK
I think something is fixable, provided the suit is not bigger than a full size. The chest may be taken in, getting rid of the billowing at front and the waist can be tapered. Adjustments on sleeves will make the look way better. The real delicate point is the collar zone, that might be too large and probably needs attention.
 

The Seeker of Truth

New in Town
Messages
6
[Qals
That means, unfortunately, that you have more than one suit that needs the same attention. It may not have been a good idea to lay out the cash for three suits prior to researching fit!
I also stated that I bought them when I weighed considerably more. I have lost said weight.
To recap, so we can bring everyone up to speed, this suit and one other (a brown one) are the same cut and fit. The other is a navy suit. It is a two button single breasted.
All were purchased by a much more overweight me. All three are worsted wool.
 

Dirk Wainscotting

A-List Customer
Messages
354
Location
Irgendwo
Okay, I mean this without sarcasm. You have two choices really, one is to regain some weight (which I assume you'd rather not do); second, is to have some alterations done, which will improve the fit somewhat, but may turn out costly and not turn out ideal.

Things like taking in the jacket are not a simple matter; reducing the fronts (where most people have excess cloth) is limited: you can't reduce the darts running through the pockets without a lot of work, and I doubt any tailor would take it on (if the fronts are fused it's extra work). The common solution of reduction via the side-body seams is only good for small amounts because the fronts don't lose much. It is often on the front edges where the excess in the front of a coat needs to be reduced: impossible in a finished coat.

It's up to you whether you want to go for some alterations and accept that not everything will be solved. A good tailor may perform a small miracle for you, it happens. The other solution may be to sell the suits to someone they will fit and use the proceeds toward something that fits you better and only needs a tweak here and there (or not at all). You'll have fewer headaches and less of a hole in your pocket.
 
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Awesomest Guy

Familiar Face
Messages
51
Location
Land of Ooo
A tad loose, even looser than I prefer. The collar gapes. I like the general cut, fabric, buttons etc. Remember, pocket squares maketh the man. Always wear one.
 

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