Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Suits For Slim Guys

redAPPLE

redAPPLE

macrumors 68030
Original poster
May 7, 2002
2,691
8
2 Much Infinite Loops
hey guys.

i need some information regarding suits. i was told that some designers design suits that cater to slim guys.

maybe some of you guys have had the experience to buy such suits or have heard or read about designers that design them.

thanks for the help.
 
Bespoke is generally the way forward if you can afford it. While there are some designers who design suits that are slim fitting e.g. Versace and Dolce & Gabbana they sometimes tend to be right at the bleeding edge of fashion which, while great for the catwalk, is not so great if you want to do the stylish but anonymous corporate look.

In addition, the prices for a designer suit will most likely not be too far off what you will pay for a bespoke suit and you get the satisfaction of specifying the suit youself.

That said, I have noticed a trend in the UK for mainstream suit shops to stock slim fit suits (in the same way that Jermyn Street shirt makers have started to make slim fit shirts). You can always go into a suit shop and ask if they have anything in a slim fit and they might be able to help.
 
What price range are you looking at?

I just got my first Jermyn Street shirt on Thursday. :D Slim fit too!
 
well, i don't have a price range on mind...

the way i see things, a business suit should look well, professional.

if everything works out as planned, i keep the suits for at least around 5 years, which would be "cheap" on the long run...

i have never had a custom made suit before...

how much of those would cost?
 
If you want high quality hand tailored go to a Dolce & Gabbana, Gucci, Versace but you're looking at suits anywhere from $2000 - $8000. One good cheaper alternative is H&M, they are based out of Sweden, and have stores in big metros in the US.

One place I like to look is GQ Magazine. There is usually always a section on suits in every issue and you can get a feel for what you want. Also try going to a Neiman Marcus or Nordstrom's for custom fitting of designer suits... personally I would love to have a skinny D&G, but money is the problem hahaha.
 
rarely will you find anything off the rack that fits like bespoke tailoring. it can be pricey but i find it's worth it in the long run. the ability to choose the weight of fabric, the taper and drape of the jacket, height of waistline, etc...it's an amazing process.

be prepared for the investment in time and money...it's addictive.
 
3rdpath said:
rarely will you find anything off the rack that fits like bespoke tailoring. it can be pricey but i find it's worth it in the long run. the ability to choose the weight of fabric, the taper and drape of the jacket, height of waistline, etc...it's an amazing process.

be prepared for the investment in time and money...it's addictive.
Click to expand...

And that's just the beginning - once you've chosen the fabric, general shape (single/double breasted) and number of vents the fun really starts at the fittings when you can choose the details like number of buttons, how fitted you want the jacket, adding a little ticket pocket, having operable buttons on the jacket cuffs and the most important - which outrageous colour to line the jacket in... only to bottle it when they make it up with that day-glo lime green lining and you have to send it back and ask for something slightly more sober.

It can also be quite a revealing process about what suits you and what doesn't. A good tailor will be one who has an innate sense of what suits his customers.

The other advantage of a bespoke suit is that they generally make them with a degree of slack in the trousers so if your waistline fluctuates (within reason) during the five years you intend to keep a suit (which is a decent length of time) then it is easier to adjust than an OTP suit.

GQ is a good suggestion to give you ideas about what suits look like. Take a copy along with you if there's a particular look you want to achieve. Any tailor worth his salt will be able to incorporate any design aspect from a designer suit you like the look of (or advise you that it won't work based on other aspects of the suit) - but in general the parameters of suit design, once explained to you, are fairly limited anyway so you won't go too hideously wrong.

If you're buying a suit to last a while then I would steer clear of anything by H&M. Without wanting to come across as a fashion snob, they are cheap for a reason... either ill-fitting or poor construction. I would sooner pay the nominal extra for one quality bespoke suit to last me five years than buying three or four H&M suits to last me the same period of time. In terms of price, it depends on fabric but I have suits which have cost just over GBP1,000 to around GBP3,500 (this is suit jacket and two pairs of trousers).

Finally, if buying bespoke, it's always a good idea to get two pairs of suit trousers made up. A suit jacket will last forever. Trousers, even in the heaviest material, take a beating and won't last more than a year or so if worn and dry cleaned even half regularly (once or twice a week). There's nothing worse than an orphaned suit jacket, especially a bespoke one :(
 
For a good middleground, check out www.indochino.com. I haven't had the need to order anything from them yet, but they've gotten quite a bit of good press in Canada. Prices range from USD $285 - $600 for a custom-made, fitted suit, which is cheaper than a lot of the stuff you can buy off the shelf.

Might be worth investing in one of the cheaper ones (if you're buying in pounds, these will all be dirt cheap anyway), and see if you like them.
 
If anybody wants to know, I bought the peacoat from Indochino just now. ;) Obviously I haven't received it yet (it has been less than a day since I found out about the shop), but I'll tell you how well my new jacket fits next week, which is when I'll probably receive it. :)

I took all the measurements myself, and hopefully all will turn out well. I spent a LOT of time doing my own measurements. I'm a nerdy physics major, so of course I took every measurement around 10 times, tried different methods to measure my shoulder width (using different dress shirts in my closet that fit perfectly), and calculated the average measurement (excluding my highest and lowest measurements). :eek:
 
There are a small handful of Reiss stores in the US. They make nice stuff.

For a basic business suit, I'd probably start my shopping at Nordstrom. They have a good selection of suits across a fair range of prices and they will of course tailor them for you.

I almost wish I had to wear a suit for work more often, but I only tend to have to wear one 3-4 times a year when going to weddings or holiday parties or whatnot.
 
Just to follow up on my previous post, I received my navy pea-coat from Indochino. :) Here's the link.


I received this coat 8 days after ordering it, and shipping is free worldwide. It arrived in a really nice, thin box, and was packaged beautifully inside. :) I emailed the company about a concern I had, and Kyle, the CEO, replied to my email directly. Very nice guy, although a CEO answering my emails was a bit strange.

I guess the most important piece of info is that the coat fits like a dream. I actually measured my own dimensions, so I was initially concerned about how well it fit. Everything from the sleeve length, shoulder width, and overall fit around my body is perfect. I'll definitely be willing to buy a suit from Indochino the next time I need a suit. The fit is definitely better than off-the-rack, and while a tailored bespoke coat would probably be better (although I can't imagine how), this is MUCH cheaper, and the quality is really up there.


For $280 (after my 20% online discount), this coat looks and feels as good as the $500 - $1000 coats I tried on in Asian department stores. If you've never been to one, they're stocked with only the most expensive brands. It's not a heavy-weight coat, but it's as heavy as an off-the-rack, and the wool (70% wool, 30% cashmere) used in this coat probably keeps you warmer than the wool used in really heavy coats if they're mixed with nylon, viscose, rayon, viscose, etc.

This coat is slightly modern twist on a "classic" looking peacoat. It doesn't really appear as modern as some other wool coats out there. This doesn't bother me though. I really do like the look.


If you're slim or tall, I think they'd be able to make you a pretty nice suit. :)
 

Attachments

  • DSCF1883.JPG
    DSCF1883.JPG
    76.1 KB · Views: 130
  • DSCF1910.JPG
    DSCF1910.JPG
    35.9 KB · Views: 203
  • DSCF1914.JPG
    DSCF1914.JPG
    81.6 KB · Views: 129
Oooh, I'm ingtrigued by Indochina...

As far as the suits I've bought over the past couple of years (reverse chronological)...

Claiborne -- neutral fit -- this was a "filler" suit I bought at the beginning of the year so I would have more variety while interviewing... I didn't pay much for it at all, but I actually wear it quite a lot.
Patrizia Pepe -- One of the most recent suits I bought was a "trim suit" from her. Trim suits (lower waisted pants, higher coat hem) tend to fit slim bodies really well, and I'm really happy with this one. I think my favorite suit in my closet.
Versace Collection -- this was on the big enough side in terms of the coat that I had the coat taken in by the waist. It wasn't very expensive, and once it was done, I'm really happy with the way the suit fits.
Kenneth Cole -- this one is a little on the looser side, although they have some lines that are slimmer than others
Joseph Abboud -- this fits great slim, although it's the only 36R suit I own (rest are 38)

I actually just ordered a suit from Kenneth Cole's slimmer line, also, but I haven't received it yet.

In terms of stores... Yoox has a lot of Italian designers that are closer to runway styles, which tend to be designed for slim men anyways.

Also in terms of bespoke, it's definitely a great option, but I think that people understimate how much a good tailor can do with an off-the-rack suit -- a couple of minor coat modifications can make a big difference in how a suit looks on you. Also, there are "made to order" (I think this is the term?) suits that are essentially in between bespoke suits and pret-a-porter -- they do more customizations even than tailors do, but they're not nearly as expensive as

But if money is really not an issue, you certainly can't go wrong with bespoke... I have always wanted a Hickey Freeman, come to mention it.
 
mkrishnan said:
Also, there are "made to order" (I think this is the term?) suits that are essentially in between bespoke suits and pret-a-porter -- they do more customizations even than tailors do, but they're not nearly as expensive as
Click to expand...

Well that's what Indochino essentially is. I'm guessing that off-the-rack suits (and coats, in my case) are a number of levels down from a custom tailored suit, but "made to order" is probably just a level below, as it does take your body dimensions into consideration in some way.

Depends on whether you're willing to spend 2 times more on a suit that fits just a bit better. Personally, I don't think so, but then again, I'm not that important. :p


PS: "free20" is the online code I used to get 20% off. :)

PPS: Also, apparently there's a code, "Black", that allows you to receive a free, custom-made black shirt when you order a suit. It's valid from Nov 28 to Dec 15, 2008.
 
Abstract said:
Depends on whether you're willing to spend 2 times more on a suit that fits just a bit better. Personally, I don't think so, but then again, I'm not that important. :p
Click to expand...

I'd be curious... their prices are very reasonable, but their suits look really quite staid to me (in contrast to the coat you bought, which I quite like). I don't think any of them really look wearable in terms of style to me....

On the other hand, their prices are lower than most of the off the rack suits I've ever bought (in fact, on that recent list, the only one that cost less than those Indochina suits was the Claiborne).
 
I hadn't looked at the suits until you mentioned it.

While I don't think it would look good on me, I like THIS dark chocolate brown suit. I'm not sure about the lapels though. I guess if you have the classic navy and grey suits, a brown suit may look quite good with a white shirt.

I figure I may try to get a plain navy suit from them one day. The most important part of a suit is probably the fit, and while I don't know much about suits, I think it would look quite good if it fit well.
 
Abstract said:
While I don't think it would look good on me, I like THIS dark chocolate brown suit.
Click to expand...

My latest suit is actually brown, yeah, I'm really excited about the color, maybe in combination with some of the azure/blue tones that were big this fall or the violets and purples that seem to be on the Winter calendar.

As for that suit, it might look good with a white shirt and a skinny tie. I could kind of see that working. But if you get it, you should post pictures. :p
 
My mom used to work in Mens Tailored. She says Hugo Boss makes really nice suits for tall skinny men. And the best part is you wont have to drop $8,000 cuz lets face it, unless you are some powerful CEO or something, you don't need $2,000-$8,000 suits. Hell, i have three $1,200 suits and I never wear them. I got them for free tho :D
 
twietee said:
A friend of mine is wearing only that. It's fitting good, but I never know if he's just too lazy to go into another shop, though.
Click to expand...

Probably both. I only wear suits from Bachrach and drive all the way to Long Island to get them. They are the only place I found that makes nice, reasonably priced suits and shirts for tall, athletic people (6'3" and not fat with a swimmer built i.e. broad shoulders, slim waist). I admit being too lazy to go somewhere else. I have a couple of Boss suits from prior to that but it was a hassle finding the right one. At Bachrach they have stuff that fits pretty much off the rack for me.
For casual pants I swear by Chinos from Banana Republic and I used to buy casual shirts from Abercrombie & Fitch but they changed their cuts so now the shirts pucker in the shoulder area even in XXL, very sad.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back