The greatest factor to looking great in a suit isn’t how much you spend on it, where you got it, or even how you decide to style it. All that matters is how well that suit fits. I’ve teamed up with Combatant Gentleman to show you how customizing, or tailoring a suit to your body will make the difference.
“This post is sponsored by Combatant Gentleman but the content and opinions expressed here are my own.”
Most people get their suits off the rack. Off the rack means ready-made clothes rather than made to order. This is like buying a suit at a mall or other retailer. You find a suit at the store, try it on and hope for the best. Same goes with shopping online. For some people that is it, the suit fits and life continues.
My chest is too powerful
However, for people like me, that’s never the case. The clothes might fit but there will be something off. Sleeves are too long, shirt too tight at the chest, pants too long, among other things. You might think that is normal or that is part of the style, but it isn’t. You don’t have to live this way.
The key is tailoring your clothes or getting them altered. Basically, can get your clothes customized! How? You know that dry cleaner in your area?
Most of them have tailors. So that means you can get your clothing altered there. So what do you do there? Let’s use my new suit from Combatant Gentleman as an example.
I’ve picked up this blue glenplaid suit from Combatant Gentleman. Combatant Gentleman offers premium yet affordable essentials such as suits, shirts, outerwear, denim, accessories and shoes. Suits start around $160 so it’s perfect for starting off your collection. Luckily the blazer and shirt fit me perfectly.
The pants arrived with unfinished hems. But don’t worry, this is very common in the suiting world. This is key because it allows you to get the exact hem length for your height when you get it tailored. I’m 5’ 7”, so 99% of the time when I get pants off the rack the pants will be too long for me. See how my pants look without any alterations.
This is how my pants look without any alterations. I see a lot of people wear their pants this way; with all the breaks at the bottom. What are breaks? The break in a pair of dress pants (or any pants really) is the fold or creasing of the fabric above the bottom of the front of the pant leg where it meets your shoe. Some people say they might like full or half break. The photo above has about two full breaks 😂. What break should you get for your pants? There is no rule to this. Proper pant length is a matter personal preference. But, I might advise against going a high water or capri route with your pants. For my pants, I love having no breaks and maybe a little bit more so you can see my socks or ankles. I want my pants to basically float above my shoes. Here’s a handy guide for pants lingo.
After you got the break part down you need to think about the width and taper of your pants. This is important for your overall silhouette. Whether you do 100 squats easy or skip leg day, tapering your pants will give you that clean look. Tapered pants become skinnier as they reach the ankle. If you look at the photo of my pants without any alterations you can see how wide my pants are as well. I’m not a fan of that.
When you go to the tailor, you’ll be asked to change into the pants that are going to be altered. I suggest wearing the entire suit with shoes or an outfit with shoes that you’ll be wearing with the pants. This will help you see how the pants will look like after they are altered. The tailor will then pin the fabric to show you how your pants will look like. The tailor will adjust as needed until you like what you see.
Off the rack pants are meant to be altered, so why not make them look like they fit? After the tailor is done, it usually takes a week to get the pants back.
THE FIT
Tapered and no breaks. I feel no breaks gives it a more clean look and makes me look taller! Tailoring can run from $20~$40 depending on how much you get done. It’s a great deal when you’re getting a suit for $160 and then your suit actually fits you.
Thank you Combatant Gentleman for sponsoring this post! You can get the suit, the tie, and the shirt here. Don’t forget the shoes!
Thanks for reading and y’all stay dandy.
-Diego
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