Do you need to "wear in" a new Tom Ford suit?

[White Truffle]

I recently bought a beautiful Tom Ford suit. It's the O'Connor dark grey and I must say it's really beautiful. There are one or two bumps here and there on it and when I spoke with the lady in the shop where I bought it she said that because the suit is handmade it will take a little while for the fabric to settle into my body shape. Any opinions on this?

 

[The Noble Dandy]

It would be interesting to see those bumps in a photo. But this is the first time I have heard this kind of explanation. It sounds a bit fishy to me.

 

[TheIronDandy]

It would be interesting to see those bumps in a photo. But this is the first time I have heard this kind of explanation. It sounds a bit fishy to me.

I agree with this. If you want more nuanced answers, pictures will really help.

 

[White Truffle]

I agree with this. If you want more nuanced answers, pictures will really help.

Thank you for these replies. I'll put some pics up later when I get back from work.

 

[White Truffle]

So, here it is...

I think it's a basically a good fit but if you look at the third photo there's a slightly odd sagging underneath the right armhole. The lady in the shop said that as you wear the fabric the body heat will soften it and it will feel more 'on the body'. In fairness to her she did sound like she knew what she was talking about and I don't think she was being disingenuous. She said that other jackets I've worn (Corneliani, Dolce and Gabbana and Gucci) were factory made and as a result the fabric has a flatter look against the body. She felt it didn't need any alteration except maybe a 1/4inch lengthening of the right arm.

Also, it's a size 50. In the fourth photo there's a picture of a size 48 Dolce and Gabbana suit that I bought 15 years ago. Can't decide if the Tom Ford is a bit boxy or the D&G a bit tight. Would welcome any views.

 

[White Truffle]

Here's a couple more pics from when I tried it on in the shop

 

[The Noble Dandy]

I think it's a good fit. The trousers need to be hemmed though.

 

[imatlas]

I’ve heard the “it will settle once you wear it” thing before.

Isn’t Sean Connery said to have slept in his suits to make them look more broken in?

The solution is easy enough: take it home, wear it a few times, and decide if you still think it needs any work.

It looks like a good fit to me; and very similar to the D&G suit (which also ripples slightly under the arms)

 

[White Truffle]

I’ve heard the “it will settle once you wear it” thing before.

Isn’t Sean Connery said to have slept in his suits to make them look more broken in?

The solution is easy enough: take it home, wear it a few times, and decide if you still think it needs any work.

It looks like a good fit to me; and very similar to the D&G suit (which also ripples slightly under the arms)

Sterling advice.

 

[TheIronDandy]

Canvased suits do take some shape after your body as you wear them, but it won't fix any major fit problems. But that suit does look to fit you well. Since suits sometimes get a bit wrinkled during transport and in the stores, you might want to get it pressed. A good press can also help smoothen out some lumps and bumps on the fabric.

 

[White Truffle]

Canvased suits do take some shape after your body as you wear them, but it won't fix any major fit problems. But that suit does look to fit you well. Since suits sometimes get a bit wrinkled during transport and in the stores, you might want to get it pressed. A good press can also help smoothen out some lumps and bumps on the fabric.

You say canvased suits. Would my D&G Martini suit from 2010 (that's the black one in the pictures) be canvassed?

 

[TheIronDandy]

You say canvased suits. Would my D&G Martini suit from 2010 (that's the black one in the pictures) be canvassed?

I can't say for sure, I'm not familiar with who makes their suits, but my guess would be "probably not".

Classic suit jackets (that are tailored by hand, or using machines that try to mimic the effect of handwork) usually build up the chest area using layers of stiffer cloth. Tom Ford is one of the few high fashion brands (Ralph Lauren purple label is another) who still have their suits made this way - most others have moved to cheaper production techniques as their customers usually aren't interested in these things.

Canvasing is also more commonly used on English style jackets, as it makes the jacket a bit heavier and thus warmer. Still, the best way to find out is to take it to a good alterations tailor, and ask them to check.

 

[White Truffle]

I can't say for sure, I'm not familiar with who makes their suits, but my guess would be "probably not".

Classic suit jackets (that are tailored by hand, or using machines that try to mimic the effect of handwork) usually build up the chest area using layers of stiffer cloth. Tom Ford is one of the few high fashion brands (Ralph Lauren purple label is another) who still have their suits made this way - most others have moved to cheaper production techniques as their customers usually aren't interested in these things.

Canvasing is also more commonly used on English style jackets, as it makes the jacket a bit heavier and thus warmer. Still, the best way to find out is to take it to a good alterations tailor, and ask them to check.

Thank you for this. Of the ten jackets I own there is definitely something special about this one, even on the hanger. It just seems to have an almost sculptured quality to it. I'm guessing this is probably down to the workmanship involved in making it and the canvassing. I tend to be slow to fork out big bucks for "big" brands but the Tom Ford suit seems truly the next step up from other ready to wear suits I've seen.

 

[imatlas]

I lean the other way - I think D&G is likely to be half or full canvas.
More information on canvas and using the pinch test to check can be found here:

Canvas and suit construction

A few years ago I wrote a post about canvas suit construction which some of you may remember. As a continuation of the featured articles on Style Forum I thought I would update and condense some of the information to reflect current trends in manufacturing, and also to bring the information to...

www.styleforum.net

 

[White Truffle]

I lean the other way - I think D&G is likely to be half or full canvas.
More information on canvas and using the pinch test to check can be found here:

Canvas and suit construction

A few years ago I wrote a post about canvas suit construction which some of you may remember. As a continuation of the featured articles on Style Forum I thought I would update and condense some of the information to reflect current trends in manufacturing, and also to bring the information to...

www.styleforum.net

Thank you for the link to the canvas post. Very interesting!