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Man's Suit Jacket Fits Too Tight - Men's Clothing Alterations - Male Style Advice Video
Hi! I'm Antonio Centeno, the founder of Real Men Real Style. Today, I'm going to be answering
a reader's question, what to do about a jacket that fits a little bit too tight.
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Okay. This is what came in. "Antonio, thank you for constantly posting up new videos."
You're welcome. "I enjoy watching them from Malaysia," very cool. "I've recently bought
a new navy colored suit jacket from the department store for my brother's wedding. It's a slim
fit style and it gives a snug fit. I really like it, but when I showed it to my mother,
she thinks it's too tight mostly due to my belly. Worrying that I may not be comfortable
moving around in the jacket, she suggests that I exchange it for a larger size. However,
there is already about a half inch to a three quarters inch excess on the shoulders of my
current jacket. A larger size means broader shoulder pads. Therefore, is it okay to keep
the current outfit or is it recommended I get one size larger? Sincerely, William."
Okay, this is a great question. Most men are wearing jackets that are too large for them.
Realize with the jacket, this is a suit jacket. It's not an exercise or a jogging suit. It's
not a workout suit. I've had people purchase clothing for me and they show me in a video.
They're like, "You know, I can't jump up on a pull-up bar and knock out 30 pull-ups."
First thing, well, could you normally knock out 30 pull-ups? No, seriously I'm thinking,
"Why are you doing this in your suit?" It is for dressier events. This is not a workout
outfit.
So you do want, especially if you've got a good body, you want your suit and your clothing
to fit a little bit more closer to the body. Most people were just used to our clothing
fitting so loosely because almost everything we own is made to fit a bigger man, so that
would be my first thing.
I'd actually like to see how this fit looks, but let's say it is a little bit tight in
the midsection. Should you just go buy a larger suit? My quick answer is going to be no because
it already sounds like it's a little bit too big in the shoulders. He's right. If he purchases
the next size up, the shoulders are going to go out another half inch to a quarter inch
on the sides. And also, he's going to have a full inch excess on the shoulders, and that
is not going to look good.
Instead, he should just have the jacket opened up. It's a $50 to $100 procedure. Actually,
there in Malaysia, it's probably going to be a bit cheaper, but any good tailor can
get this done, a seamstress as well. You don't have to be a bespoke tailor. This is a common
alternation and most jackets should have room to be opened up approximately one and a half
to two inches at the most. Once you get past that, proportions start getting out and it's
not a good idea, but I would say it sounds like even just adding an inch there, an inch
and a half in the midsection, it's going to look like a much better jacket.
Now, you need to make sure the material is in there. Make sure you can return this jacket.
Take it to a tailor. He can open it up on the bottom and peek in there and make sure
there's enough fabric because the best tailor in the world cannot open up a jacket if there's
no fabric to expand open, but if he can open up that jacket, I think that's going to solve
your problem.
Another thing to think about is that it's okay that your shoulders are a little bit
out there. My jackets, I like my shoulders to be a bit out there, and the reason is I'm
a pretty thing guy and I wanted a little bit of build on my shoulders going out because
when you build out the shoulders, it changes your silhouette and it can help give you a
more masculine look. So with your excess stomach, you don't want to have the Grimace look, the
figure who mysteriously disappeared from McDonald's a while back, but if you look at Grimace,
he is shaped like a pear. This is not a manly look.
Flip that over and you'll have a more masculine look where actually your shoulders in that
area, it goes in an inverted triangle. That's the image you want to portray. Now, I know
for a lot of men, they can't do that, so go for a rectangle. It's better to have a square
look than it is to have a round, pear look. That's pretty much the worst shape. You don't
want that one.
It sounds like you're going to have more of a square, more of a rectangle shape look.
That is fine because it's better than the alternative and it is going to make you look
better. But again, this is your brother's wedding. It sounds like you are taking everything
you need to into account. Make sure that the trousers have a good fit. That's it! Have
a great time.
Hopefully this helps. Look for my other videos. I've talked about alterations. I've got an
entire article over The Art of Manliness talking about alternations. I've also talked about
getting a suit fit at Real Men Real Style. If anyone else has a question about men's
style, you know where to go, mensstyleqa.com. I will see you guys over there because that's
where we're answering all the questions. We've got over a couple hundred questions and answers
already put up.
I look forward to seeing you guys over there. Take care. Bye-bye.