Two words—Group Buy!

I have all my suits and shirts custom-made/hand tailored. Getting a suit that actually FITS, as opposed to "fits on you" makes a world of difference. Especially when any suit and shirt, even if it is the "right size," looks like a tent on me around my legs and midsection.

I have a problem getting fitted for suits. My wife has to drag me in kicking a screaming. :D

I haven't been able to buy an off the rack suit in years. The last time I tried they said it would require every seam being opened up and the suit re-cut. I don't know these suits fit, but it ain't me.

First suits I ever bought I had to go with JC Penny...and they had an Athletic cut at the time (close to 20 years ago). They were the only ones that would fit my thighs.

I couldn't wear jeans for the same reason until baggier cuts moved into focus.

+1 to custom asian suits. I was too young when I lived in Taiwan, but my father had a ton of custom tailored suits made while we were there. They fit perfectly and lasted (relatively in industrialist fashion) for a long, long time. From what I remember they were a steal as well.

Luckily I don't have much of a call for full blown suits anymore. Unluckily that means I look like crap during those occassions in which I do need them. I always feel like a kid who had to borrow dad's suit for a funeral. :(

I've had exactly this problem. For all things sartorial, I turn of course to Sierra Trading Post. There, great deals can be had on suits.

I have a 44" chest, but Size 44 coats are paired with 38" waist, which is 3-4" too much. I call them up, but the don't do any mix and match.

STP suits:
http://www.sierratradingpost.com/sea...&searchWithin=

Suit separates (with limited selection) are available at Brooks Brothers:

http://www.brooksbrothers.com/IWCatS...Section_Id=249


Also at Joseph Banks (but I wasn't too impressed with the quality):

http://www.josbank.com/BuildYourOwnS...tFlow=t&Page=1

I think it is very cool that so many of us have a problem that for 99.9% of the world is unfathomable.

I have a couple of custom suits, bought a couple of years ago when I went to Hong Kong every couple of months. For me they are good, but not quite right. They are extremely well made, but no matter how much I tried they never quite had the cut of an great italian suit like Zegna for me. I type this as I sit our offices in shorts, not nearly as much call to be "suited and booted" as there used to be! When meeting with clients I am 99% slacks, sport coat and no tie these days.

Yeah, I bought jeans for the first time in a while, and Nautica normal fit jeans fit me like normal, and relaxed look like hospital scrubs. Of course, that the actual inside measurement of the waist was 39" kept me from noticing that I'd put on weight :o

You probably already tried, but different brands of off the rack stuff has wildly different cuts now depending on the cuts, in my limited experience. Daffy's maybe? My one off the rack suit fits great, but it was from (gasp) Men's Wearhouse in a tall, so maybe that's sized differently too. But it was no problem to get a 46 long coat paired with 36 flat front pants.

My thighs got a lot leaner from cycling, so they look considerably better in flat fronts now.

If only I could reduce my shoulder width, I'd fit into into most suits with very few alterations.

Where do you guys buy your suits? I usually like Brooks Brothers, but that is mostly because my uncle works at the B.B. here.

Last year I got a sewing machine and learned how to do pants alterations! it's pretty sweet.

Friends don't let friends wear pleats.

In another thread I posted a link to the NY Times article re the tiny sizes of current european male models - they are just cyclists w/o any power.:)

I will be going the custom route. I've tried on a number of suits recently, and they are all terrible. In addition to just not fitting, the quality of the work is really poor.

I usually buy Banana Republic clothes for work. Pants rarely on sale, shirts always on sale. Nice sweaters on sale if they're not all gone. The suits? You gotta be kidding. But I have looked, because they're somewhat small.

Great advice, when I was in South Korea, I purchased a whole wardrobe.

The haggling for a better price was worth it as well.

There's no way they can compete with Zegna in terms of quality - of course, that's a huge price difference.

Try Sears, JCP, Kohl's or similar stores (yeah, I know....). They usually sell suit jackets and pants separately, so you can mix/match for your specific measurements.

Quality won't be the best, but if it fits, it will look better than a more expensive suit that was "re-tailored".

You were in a crap store. If they can't take 4" out of a pair of pants you consider yourself lucky they didn't fit you. Many stores have an Athletic cut that should fit you easily without any modification. When I was serious about lifting I needed a 46 Short suit. That came with 38 waist pants when my actual waist was 32. They take out material out of the rear seam so you end up having to reach way behind you to get your wallet out of the pocket. The good news is I spent less money because of it. :)

If you took in a pair of pants that much the pockets would be just about in the crack of your butt and it would look horrible.

Try Joseph Bank. Their suit separates enable you to buy jackets and pants without the normal 6" drop. Prices are OK and if you buy in the store at least they do alterations.

Haven't bought a suit there in years but the quality used to be good though the styling is somewhat conservative and traditional.

Not if you remove from the side seam as well. I was a stock broker and I wore suits every day. I can't ever recall anyone saying "dude, your pockets are too close". If the pants are 6" too big the pockets are too far apart to begin with, so taking them up only leaves them slightly closer than normal. Besides, the jacket covers the pockets anyway.

i don't care for Brooks Brothers

Actually, my problem is opposite. The 38-S coat is fine. It's my thighs that are too big for my 30" waistline; it was pulling the calves of the pants towards the quads. The guy thought taking the waist in by 4" would be too much—the pants would fit and drape funny, no longer being the straight cut was designed for. So it's not like they didn't know what they were doing, they just thought I'd be better off getting it custom-made, or at least look for form-fitting suits with pants that have a relaxed fit (which they didn't have).

Hence my dilemma, off-the-rack form-fitting suits (tailored or european fit) usually don't come with pants that have a relaxed fit.

nothing wrong with pleats. they're simply out of fashion right now. being an older guy, i couldn't care less about chasing what somebody says is hip and fashionable. if you don't like pleats any more, hang those slacks in the back of your closet; they'll be back in fashion in 2-3 years. getting people to spend money on clothes by telling them what they bought last year is wrong is how the fashion industry keeps sales up. and FYI, i own both pleated and flat front

That's a lot of work to do on a pair of pants, especially if he has to pay for alterations.

Yes it is but if you're dropping $500+ on a suit it's not out of line, especially compared to the alternative of a fully custom suit. Thankfully due to age and laziness my hips have caught up with my legs and I can wear off the rack again.


I refuse to wear unpleated pants unless they're jeans. My build doesn't really allow it anyway. That could be why guys are having trouble fitting slacks. The pleat gives you more wiggle room.

A gentleman will only wear bespoke suits.

Go to a London tailor. You'll get better cut and longer credit.

;)

There are several London companies that do a proper measuring o'er here, send the details over to Asia, get the suit knocked together, than do final tailoring at a fitting here. Good value there.