The Tailors' Thread: Fit Feedback and Alteration Suggestions

[zabo358]

Bought a Tom Ford Shelton suit in a 46R for my wedding. For context I’m 5’8 147lb athletic, muscular, lean build. What is the community’s thoughts on the tailors alternation suggestions?

The BIG one is shortening the jkt by 3/4-1 inch. No going back on that as they remove the fabric. My buddy is adamant that I leave that jacket length. Also, we’re shortening sleeves from the top due to the button placement, slight fabric removal behind collar, slight fabric removal on right rib cage (that wrinkling might be due to my severe shoulder slope which is a 3 on the measuring device.), and taper/hem leg.

I’m a bit uneasy, especially regarding altering the jacket length and am leaning towards taking this to TF’s in house tailor. Last 3 photos are before pinning alterations. Apologies for no shoes, throws the proportions off a bit.

 

[Aloysius16]

Just an opinion, not a tailor, but I would leave the jacket length unaltered. It looks a little long but only just covers your rear. Do you have shorter legs for your height (I.e. long torso)?

Also not sure why you would want to taper the pants. Suggest getting them hemmed to the correct length and seeing how they seem to you. Adjusting this, like the jacket length, can throw off the proportions and style of the suit. And the proportions and styling are really what you are paying a Tom Ford price for.

 

[breakaway01]

first of all, congratulations!

Your friend has a good eye. I would also strongly advise against shortening the jacket. See how the pocket looks too close to the hem on the side that was pinned? It will throw the proportions of the jacket off.

I would recommend taking it to TF’s own tailor. I am also not sure what your tailor means by removing fabric on the right rib cage. Did he pin up that alteration so that you could see it for yourself? I wonder whether the jacket is collapsing on the right side due to a low right shoulder, in which the proper alteration might be quite different. If the sleeves have to be shortened from the shoulders (working buttonholes? I would have thought the sleeves would be unfinished) then ask whether the sleeve pitch should be corrected at the same time.

also agree with not tapering the leg.

 

[A-Lawson]

Bought a Tom Ford Shelton suit in a 46R for my wedding. For context I’m 5’8 147lb athletic, muscular, lean build. What is the community’s thoughts on the tailors alternation suggestions?

The BIG one is shortening the jkt by 3/4-1 inch. No going back on that as they remove the fabric. My buddy is adamant that I leave that jacket length. Also, we’re shortening sleeves from the top due to the button placement, slight fabric removal behind collar, slight fabric removal on right rib cage(that wrinkling might be due to shoulder unevenness), and taper/hem leg.

I’m a bit uneasy, especially regarding the jacket length and am leaning towards taking this to TF’s in house tailor. Last 3 photos are before pinning alterations.

Don't reduce the jacket length, it will off-put the balance, and honestly, I think the length is ok. It just looks overwhelming because the trousers are cut so slim compared to the wide cut, shoulders and lapels of the jacket.
If there is fabric, I suggest letting out the trousers' legs to balance it out. If you hem and taper the trousers, you will look like you always skip leg-day, in my humble opinion.

I'm questioning the decision to take in the fabric in a vertical line at the rib cage, considering this is an issue caused my one shoulder being too sloped, and more sloped than the other. If I understand correctly, how this alteration is intended to be done, I can't see that it will be anything but disastrous and not fix the issue at all.

TF armholes are usually cut quite high, so there is honestly little you can do about adjusting it for sloped shoulders from above. A very skilled alterations tailor can move the fabric into the bottom of the armhole and fix some of the issues caused by your sloped shoulders caused front and back. However, since your shoulders are uneven, the length on each side of the jacket will also become uneven. This is risky, unlikely to go well, and very expensive.

Lastly, the pitch of the sleeves are wrong for you, as you can tell by the wrinkling on the backside of your upper sleeve.

I would suggest going MTM or bespoke for your next suit, as your issues (which are quite similar to my own) is not really fixable on RTW garments.

 

[zabo358]

Just an opinion, not a tailor, but I would leave the jacket length unaltered. It looks a little long but only just covers your rear. Do you have shorter legs for your height (I.e. long torso)?

I would say my torso is slightly longer than my legs, but not by a substantial amount.

I would also strongly advise against shortening the jacket. See how the pocket looks too close to the hem on the side that was pinned? It will throw the proportions of the jacket off.

I would recommend taking it to TF’s own tailor. I am also not sure what your tailor means by removing fabric on the right rib cage. Did he pin up that alteration so that you could see it for yourself? I wonder whether the jacket is collapsing on the right side due to a low right shoulder, in which the proper alteration might be quite different. If the sleeves have to be shortened from the shoulders (working buttonholes? I would have thought the sleeves would be unfinished) then ask whether the sleeve pitch should be corrected at the same time.

also agree with not tapering the leg.

Yeah, the pocket proportion would be way off. Did not pick up on that at first, thanks for pointing out. I will bring up the sleeve pitch with TF's tailor.

Don't reduce the jacket length, it will off-put the balance, and honestly, I think the length is ok. It just looks overwhelming because the trousers are cut so slim compared to the wide cut, shoulders and lapels of the jacket.
If there is fabric, I suggest let
ting out the trousers' legs to balance it out. If you hem and taper the trousers, you will look like you always skip leg-day, in my humble opinion.

I'm questioning the decision to take in the fabric in a vertical line at the rib cage, considering this is an issue caused my one shoulder being too sloped, and more sloped than the other. If I understand correctly, how this alteration is intended to be done, I can't see that it will be anything but disastrous and not fix the issue at all.

TF armholes are usually cut quite high, so there is honestly little you can do about adjusting it for sloped shoulders from above. A very skilled alterations tailor can move the fabric into the bottom of the armhole and fix some of the issues caused by your sloped shoulders caused front and back. However, since your shoulders are uneven, the length on each side of the jacket will also become uneven. This is risky, unlikely to go well, and very expensive.

Lastly, the pitch of the sleeves are wrong for you, as you can tell by the wrinkling on the backside of your upper sleeve.

I would suggest going MTM or bespoke for your next suit, as your issues (which are quite similar to my own) is not really fixable on RTW garments.

I agree with everyone's recommendations to not alter the jacket length or taper the pants. That's 4v1. I can see how the intended silhouette of the suit gets wiped away when doing this. Also, I know Tom's commented about how he hates jackets that are cut too short, which is why I was hesitant to alter it in the first place.

As for the rib cage adjustment, you got me? The tailor's English isn't the best, but it appears it was due to one shoulder being lower than the other plus the intensity of the slope...I am familiar with fixing the shoulder slope issue on a dress shirt, as I often get pulling from the top of my neck to my armpit, but have never altered it on a suit and this sounds like it's not even worth messing with.

Is altering the sleeve pitch going to be something that TF's tailor can easily do? I've never had this adjustment done before.

 

[A-Lawson]

As for the rib cage adjustment, you got me? The tailor's English isn't the best, but it appears it was due to one shoulder being lower than the other plus the intensity of the slope...I am familiar with fixing the shoulder slope issue on a dress shirt, as I often get pulling from the top of my neck to my armpit, but have never altered it on a suit and this sounds like it's not even worth messing with.

Yes, the diagnosis is correct, but the prescription is questionable at best.

Is altering the sleeve pitch going to be something that TF's tailor can easily do? I've never had this adjustment done before.

You would have to ask them, but I would surely assume that to be the case considering their clientele and price point.

 

[Aloysius16]

Fixing sleeve pitch requires rotating the sleeve at the armhole and is usually quite expensive as the sleeve needs to be removed totally. But as you are already having to do this, and incur the cost, in order to shorten the sleeves from the shoulder you may as well ask for the sleeves to be replaced at a rotation that is more suitable to your natural arm position and thereby reducing the wrinkling,

 

[philosophe]

Is altering the sleeve pitch going to be something that TF's tailor can easily do? I've never had this adjustment done before.

Considering the price of a Tom Ford suit and the alterations you're contemplating, have you considered going bespoke? I think you'd get a better result.

 

[Despos]

Would reconsider buying this suit. Tom Ford may not be the best fit for your body type/physique.
Would hesitate for them to alter this.
The back view with the pins under the collar is the wrong way to fit this.
You need more slope not less. When they do this they are making the back shoulder more square.
You have sloped shoulders and lowering the collar will make the back shorter and create diagonal drag lines form your shoulder blades to the side seams.
Proper fix is to work more fullness on the back shoulder to cover the blades properly and reduce the tension between your blades. That tension is causing the back to not lay smoothly over your blades.

Don't know your experience wearing suits but try on other brands and get the suit that requires the least amount of alterations.
This is how you learn your fitting issues.

 

[zabo358]

Considering the price of a Tom Ford suit and the alterations you're contemplating, have you considered going bespoke? I think you'd get a better result.

Would reconsider buying this suit. Tom Ford may not be the best fit for your body type/physique.
Would hesitate for them to alter this.
The back view with the pins under the collar is the wrong way to fit this.
You need more slope not less. When they do this they are making the back shoulder more square.
You have sloped shoulders and lowering the collar will make the back shorter and create diagonal drag lines form your shoulder blades to the side seams.
Proper fix is to work more fullness on the back shoulder to cover the blades properly and reduce the tension between your blades. That tension is causing the back to not lay smoothly over your blades.

Don't know your experience wearing suits but try on other brands and get the suit that requires the least amount of alterations.
This is how you learn your fitting issues.

So I was lucky to get this on sale for 55% off and paid right around 2k for the TF suit. I live in Houston and as far as I am aware "the bespoke tailor" here is Nick Lopez. His suits start at 3k, but I'm sure with fabric upgrades and the little extras + tax I'm probably looking at 4k out the door. Some people on this forum have had suits made by Nick, but my concern is that he mainly appeals to the older crowd and his house style leans conservative. I know very little when it comes to suits and am not too confident in being able to call audibles on style decisions that don't play to my strengths.

Given that I got the suit for half off, is it worth dumping the $ into alterations to make it fit right, or should I return it and go bespoke? Fyi, Nick Lopez's assistant was the one who suggested these tailoring alterations, and I am sitting at $400. I'm sure TF will be a tad more expensive, if not around that price, as Nick's tailoring prices are usually very high compared to others around here.

 

[A-Lawson]

So I was lucky to get this on sale for 55% off and paid right around 2k for the TF suit. I live in Houston and as far as I am aware "the bespoke tailor" here is Nick Lopez. His suits start at 3k, but I'm sure with fabric upgrades and the little extras + tax I'm probably looking at 4k out the door. Some people on this forum have had suits made by Nick, but my concern is that he mainly appeals to the older crowd and his house style leans conservative. I know very little when it comes to suits and am not too confident in being able to call audibles on style decisions that don't play to my strengths.

Given that I got the suit for half off, is it worth dumping the $ into alterations to make it fit right, or should I return it and go bespoke? Fyi, Nick Lopez's assistant was the one who suggested these tailoring alterations, and I am sitting at $400. I'm sure TF will be a tad more expensive, if not around that price, as Nick's tailoring prices are usually very high compared to others around here.

You can get good MTM for around 1-1.5k, also in Houston. You don't have to go bespoke to get good results.
I am of course biased, but I want to express my firm belief in that luxury RTW suiting is absurd in so many ways.

 

[philosophe]

So I was lucky to get this on sale for 55% off and paid right around 2k for the TF suit. I live in Houston and as far as I am aware "the bespoke tailor" here is Nick Lopez. His suits start at 3k, but I'm sure with fabric upgrades and the little extras + tax I'm probably looking at 4k out the door. Some people on this forum have had suits made by Nick, but my concern is that he mainly appeals to the older crowd and his house style leans conservative. I know very little when it comes to suits and am not too confident in being able to call audibles on style decisions that don't play to my strengths.

Given that I got the suit for half off, is it worth dumping the $ into alterations to make it fit right, or should I return it and go bespoke? Fyi, Nick Lopez's assistant was the one who suggested these tailoring alterations, and I am sitting at $400. I'm sure TF will be a tad more expensive, if not around that price, as Nick's tailoring prices are usually very high compared to others around here.

Did you buy the suit from TF? If their tailors do the work, will TF stand behind the results?

Re tailors, bespoke would be worth it, even with travel, if you need multiple suits. If you need just one, that's another story.

 

[zabo358]

You can get good MTM for around 1-1.5k, also in Houston. You don't have to go bespoke to get good results.
I am of course biased, but I want to express my firm belief in that luxury RTW suiting is absurd in so many ways.

Any mtm recommendations around Houston?

 

[zabo358]

Did you buy the suit from TF? If their tailors do the work, will TF stand behind the results?

Re tailors, bespoke would be worth it, even with travel, if you need multiple suits. If you need just one, that's another story.

Suit was bought from an overseas authorized TF retailer. I will be bringing the suit to TF tomorrow to at least get their thoughts and recommendations.

I wear a suit once, maybe twice per year, so I only need a single quality one for now.

 

[philosophe]

Suit was bought from an overseas authorized TF retailer. I will be bringing the suit to TF tomorrow to at least get their thoughts and recommendations.

I wear a suit once, maybe twice per year, so I only need a single quality one for now.

Even MTM usually takes a few iterations, so you may well be better off with TF's alterations. Hopefully their tailors know what they're talking about.