How Should A Suit Jacket Fit?

How Should A Suit Jacket Fit?

With the vast number of styles of suit jackets now available, it's pretty key to have a basic understanding of which styles flatter your natural proportions. Too large and you will look sloppy, too small and you'll see strained material and restricted movement. Everybody has different proportions, following these general rules will help you find a jacket that emphasises your best features.

As James in the video states, the shoulders should sit flat, while the jacket collar should sit snug against the shirt collar and follow the curve of your neck. Finding a comfortable fit around the collar keeps both the shirt and jacket sitting snuggly around your shoulders and the back of the neck. From a tailor’s perspective, changing the fit of the collar is considerably more difficult than other alterations; therefore if you are looking to buy an off the peg jacket we recommend that you pay particular attention to how the jacket sits on the shoulders and around the collar as possible.

In terms of the shape of the jacket, it's important that the arm hole is cut is high as possible as this gives the jacket it's shape. Again if you're looking to purchase an off the peg jacket, ensure that the sleeve is cut nice and high under the arm. Then but taking the waist in a little you will add more shape to the jacket and give the classic tailored look.

Bunched up shoulders, caused by the sleeves being sewn at the wrong angle will cause wrinkles, making the overall fit look sluggish. Watch out for shoulder divots and shoulder rumpling, these are tell-tale signs of an ill-fitting suit and make you look sloppy. Shoulder divots appear when the suit is too large at the shoulders, causing the padding to jut out from the body and the suit material to fall past it. This is where the real benefit of a tailored suit is apparent, as the tailor will ensure the cut and angles fit your own shape so that the material always sits nice and flat across your shoulders.   

The sleeves of a suit jacket should leave the shirt sleeve is slightly exposed. One or two centimetres is the average amount, less is more conservative, more a bit more flamboyant, so the colour and amount of collar you show is often a reflection on your personal style.

How long should a suit jacket be? The longer the length of a jacket the more opportunity there is to emphasise the shape between the shoulders, waist and hips, but it should only just cover the seat. 

A well tailored jacket will create a refined silhouette, with depth in the lapels and always sit flat across the body. 

For more insights into tailoring, see our full tailoring video series in association with Savile Row tailors the Cad & The Dandy.

BUYING A JACKET ONLINE - MEASUREMENT GUIDE

Buying a jacket online that fits beautifully is actually a surprisingly simple process if you take a few comparison measurements off one of your own jackets. In the video below, Leah discusses the below four key measurement points to ensure the perfect fit.

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A TAILORED AND A TIGHT JACKET 

Buying a jacket online that fits beautifully is actually a surprisingly simple process if you take a few comparison measurements off one of your own jackets.

The main point of measure to ensure your jacket is not too tight is the shoulders, it’s really crucial to get a well fitting shoulder. Ensure you look at size charts when purchasing online to understand your key measurements. 

In our video details series, we explore the main differences between a tailored jacket vs a tight one, including the four key signs to watch out for that your jacket is fitting too tight.

COMPONENTS OF A LUXURY NAVY JACKET

What Makes Our Jackets So Special?

As we have discussed, fit is incredibly important to us, and so our tailored jackets are designed to look good across all body shapes, ensuring you always look and feel your best. We offer two fits, slim and regular, as well as allowing you to choose the perfect length to suit your torso and arms. We recommend you look at our comprehensive size guide, which gives a complete overview of the sizing should you wish to check against another jacket here: Jacket Size Guide.

As well as being constructed from fabric supplied by the world-renowned Scabal of Savile Row, what makes our jackets genuinely exceptional is the ability to select your choice of the lining (included in the total price). Your lining is not about being extravagant but ensuring you have something personal to you that lasts a lifetime. We have a large selection of jacket linings and offer a bespoke service should you want an authentic one-of-a-kind jacket.

Once you have purchased your jacket, one of our team will follow up with you instantly to double-check the details and answer any further questions. Your satisfaction is absolutely guaranteed, so you can be sure that you will be delivered a jacket that exceeds your expectations. 

SHOP OUR TAILORED JACKETS COLLECTION

Click here to view our full range of Men’s Tailored Jacket.