How to Choose a Suit That Fits Properly

Start With the Shoulders

If you take one thing from this guide, let it be this: the shoulders are the hardest part of a suit to alter and the easiest part to get wrong. Almost everything else can be adjusted by a good tailor, but a shoulder line that sits badly will never look right, however much you spend on the rest.

Stand in front of a mirror in decent light. The shoulder seam — the point where the sleeve meets the body of the jacket — should end roughly where your own shoulder ends, at that small bony point before your arm begins. If the seam droops over your upper arm, the jacket is too large. If it digs in and creates a dimple or ridge above it, it is too small.

Look for a clean, unbroken line from collar to shoulder tip, with no rumples and no padding floating above the shoulder. Good structure should be felt, not seen: you want to look like a sharper version of yourself, not like someone wearing armour.

Judging the Jacket: Length, Sleeves and Button Stance

Jacket length is a question of proportion. The classic test is simple: the front hem should fall around the middle of your hand, near the point where your fingers curl, and the back should just cover your seat. Anything shorter starts to look like a fashion experiment; anything longer shortens your legs and swallows your frame.

Sleeves are the detail people notice without quite realising why. Aim to show roughly 1cm to 1.5cm of shirt cuff when your arms hang naturally, with the jacket sleeve ending at the wrist bone. Too long and your hands disappear; too short and it looks as though the jacket shrank in the wash. Non-working buttons can be moved fairly cheaply, but sleeves with functioning buttonholes are a bigger job — so check carefully before you commit.

Button stance matters more than most men assume. On a two-button jacket, the top button should sit at or just above your natural waist, around the narrowest part of your torso rather than down near your navel. Fastening it should create a clean V that lengthens you. Only ever fasten the top button on a two-button jacket; the lower one is decorative. On a three-button jacket, fasten the middle button only.

Trousers: Break, Rise and Waist

The waistband should sit where you would naturally wear your jeans — comfortable without a belt, secure without gripping. You should be able to slide a couple of fingers under the waistband without a struggle. If the fabric pulls into creases across the front when you stand still, go up a size.

Rise is the distance from the crotch seam to the waistband. A rise that is too low exposes shirt every time you move and creates an unflattering silhouette. Sit down in the changing room: if you feel the waistband slipping down your back, the rise is wrong.

Then there is the break, which is how the hem meets your shoe.

• No break — the hem just grazes the shoe. Sharp and contemporary.
• Slight break — one soft fold where the fabric meets the shoe. The safest, most versatile choice.
• Full break — fabric folds over the shoe. Traditional but can look heavy on shorter frames.

Whatever you choose, avoid fabric pooling around your ankles. Finally, check the seat and thighs: pockets should lie flat, with no horizontal wrinkles across the crotch or lines radiating from the fly.

Move Before You Decide

A suit is not a statue. Before buying, spend two minutes doing the things you will actually do while wearing it.

• Fasten the jacket and sit down. It should ride up slightly, not bunch painfully across the back.
• Cross your arms and give yourself a hug. The shoulders should not pinch or pull.
• Raise both arms overhead. If the entire jacket climbs with them, the armholes are too low or the chest too tight.
• Check the back of the collar. There should be no gap between the jacket collar and your shirt collar.
• Walk a few steps and study a full-length mirror. Nothing should twist, billow or gape.

What a Tailor Can Fix — and What They Cannot

Straightforward and usually inexpensive:

• Hemming trouser length
• Taking in or letting out the trouser waist
• Shortening jacket sleeves from the cuff
• Taking in the sides and waist of the jacket
• Minor adjustments to the seat or thigh

Difficult, costly or simply unwise:

• Shoulders — narrowing or widening them rarely looks convincing
• Jacket length — changing it throws out the pocket and button proportions
• Chest — the front panels can only be adjusted a little
• Working cuffs — buttons may end up sitting too close to the sleeve end

So buy for the shoulders and chest, then tailor everything else. As a rough guide, simple alterations might cost a modest amount per garment, while structural work at the shoulder can approach the price of the suit itself.

The Final Check

Give yourself five unhurried minutes in the fitting room. Button up, arms at your sides, and look at yourself front, side and back. Ask a blunt question: does this suit look as though it belongs on me, or am I trying to fit myself into it?

Also weigh fabric against fit. A mid-weight wool in navy or charcoal will serve you through most of the year and most occasions; a heavier cloth drapes beautifully in winter, while a lightweight weave keeps you comfortable in summer. But no cloth, however fine, rescues a poor fit. A modest suit that fits you properly will always outclass an expensive one that does not.