Suit pants have shrunk but I don't know why

[lullemans72]

Hey guys,

I've been noticing this weird thing recently where two of my suit pants seem to have shrunk, and I have no idea how or why.

Several months ago, I gave one of my brown suits to the dry cleaners. When I picked it back up, I noticed the pants had gotten about 1 cm shorter. I noticed it straight away since I like my pants to just cover up the knot of my shoe laces, and I basically hate it when my pants hover above my shoe laces and don't cover up my socks.

Part of me thought it could have been the dry cleaner, but there was no way for me to verify this. In any case, I took it to the MTM place I originally ordered it from and had them lengthen the pants by 1 cm to the way it was before.

All was well with the brown suit, but then I noticed the same thing happened with my green MTM suit earlier this week. The only difference is, I haven't ever had that suit dry cleaned before, so I think it's safe to say that dry cleaning isn't the culprit here.

A possibility is that I've simply gained weight, causing the suit pants to sit higher up on my waist. But I'm honestly not sure if and how much weight gain influences this, if at all. I don't think my measurements have drastically changed since last year either.

Can anyone fill me in on this? Could weight gain really be the root cause of this apparent shrinkage, or is there something else I'm not aware of?

Please see photos attached of both my brown and green suit. Green suit are the photos with the cognac shoes, and brown is with the brown suede shoes. I'm of course wearing the same shoes in both shots.

 

[papado]

Could it also be possible you actually lost weight and you've been pulling the trousers up a little further to the natural wasit/rise and therefore they're sitting a little higher?

Sometimes it's also something where we've been wearing the trousers at the wrong place and when you finally fix them the right way you realize they were tailored while sitting at the wrong point on your waist.

 

[lullemans72]

Could it also be possible you actually lost weight and you've been pulling the trousers up a little further to the natural wasit/rise and therefore they're sitting a little higher?

Sometimes it's also something where we've been wearing the trousers at the wrong place and when you finally fix them the right way you realize they were tailored while sitting at the wrong point on your waist.

Interesting point about weight loss. Never thought about it that way. It could be the case, but I doubt it, because I've pretty much maintained my current lifestyle over the past years.

As for the position, it could be that too as you mentioned. Although I have the impression that the suit pants are influenced more by where they sit relative to my hip bone rather than my waist (though I could be wrong, just guessing!).

 

[Nobilis Animus]

Apart from weight gain or loss, where do your trousers normally sit on your body?

You mentioned them possibly getting 'higher up on my waist.' That is a misnomer. Your natural waist is but a single point upon which the trousers can sit. Do you find that they need adjusting throughout the day, or do they stay in relatively the same place?

 

[Keith Taylor]

As papado suggested I’d think it more likely to be caused by weight loss rather than gain. A couple of years ago I weighed in at 177lbs and had all of my pants hemmed perfectly for the position my trousers sat, but as I steadily gained 16lbs over the next couple of years my hems slipped ever downwards, until eventually I had to have them rehemmed (and let out) to account for the fact that the waists now only sat comfortably beneath my belly.

It could also be the case that your weight hasn’t changed but its distribution has. I’ve recently dropped almost all the weight I gained and returned to 179lbs, but the couple of pairs of trousers that were still adjusted to fit perfectly at that weight two years ago don’t sit quite as well now. You may have lost a little at your stomach and gained it elsewhere.

The solution seems obvious. Measure the outseam of every single pair of your pants to the closest micron, and then sit in the dark with a cigarette and shotgun to catch the elves who sneak in at night and mischievously adjust your clothing

 

[lullemans72]

Apart from weight gain or loss, where do your trousers normally sit on your body?

You mentioned them possibly getting 'higher up on my waist.' That is a misnomer. Your natural waist is but a single point upon which the trousers can sit. Do you find that they need adjusting throughout the day, or do they stay in relatively the same place?

Hey, and sorry for the late reply. I appreciate your feedback. To be honest, I don't know how to exactly explain how I wear them, so I took some photos instead if that helps. To my recollection, I don't believe I constantly need adjust them throughout the day, although I am able to adjust the position of the pants, albeit ever so slightly, and more so with the green than the brown suit as the brown one is a little tighter than the green one, which is a bit roomier.

As papado suggested I’d think it more likely to be caused by weight loss rather than gain. A couple of years ago I weighed in at 177lbs and had all of my pants hemmed perfectly for the position my trousers sat, but as I steadily gained 16lbs over the next couple of years my hems slipped ever downwards, until eventually I had to have them rehemmed (and let out) to account for the fact that the waists now only sat comfortably beneath my belly.

It could also be the case that your weight hasn’t changed but its distribution has. I’ve recently dropped almost all the weight I gained and returned to 179lbs, but the couple of pairs of trousers that were still adjusted to fit perfectly at that weight two years ago don’t sit quite as well now. You may have lost a little at your stomach and gained it elsewhere.

The solution seems obvious. Measure the outseam of every single pair of your pants to the closest micron, and then sit in the dark with a cigarette and shotgun to catch the elves who sneak in at night and mischievously adjust your clothing

Thanks for sharing. So it would seem like there's a lot more at play than I initially thought. What I will do this coming week is head over to the MTM place and have the trousers adjusted as I did with the brown suit, and at the same time ask the shop to check and see if my measurements have changed since last year. That'll at least give me a little more clarity.

As for those pesky little elves....since firearms aren't allowed in Japan, I'll have to keep my trusty katana nearby at night from now on

 

[Nobilis Animus]

Hmm, hard to say. I think getting your measurements re-confirmed is a good idea, and will rule out the possibility of drastic weight changes if you've stayed relatively the same. Perhaps have them done first before any adjustments.