Fitting Clothes

Objective

Pretty much everyone who talks about men's fashion says that the most important lever at your disposal is the fit of clothes. It is a necessity, and not something that you can use to stand out. So, I need to understand how any given clothing item should (or can?) fit. And therefore I will be able to aim to purchase well fitting clothes.

Starting Point

I read through the men’s style manual. They detail out how each item of clothing should fit. The focus is essentially on more formal clothing. But the same basic elements (tops, bottoms, innerwear, outerwear & accessories) exist in all clothing occasions. I am therefore inclined to take the guidelines from this style manual as an overall starting point.

• Tops
• Neck - Collar should fit snugly around the neck. 2 fingers should fit between neck and collar, when buttoned. For a casual t-shirt a little more room is the norm, but not much looser than the this thumb rule.
• Torso - Buttons should lie flat and the fabric between buttons should not pull. But it should still be snug at the chest. Around the stomach area there must be more space than there is at the chest, but it shouldn't provide more than a few inches of loose space.
• Back - Slim guys should go for fitted styles which contour towards the waist. Bigger built guys should get box pleats for more space without volume.
• Waist - The shirt should be tucked into trousers, without ballooning out of them (don’t fold over the belt). A t-shirt shouldn't be tucked in, and should end a little below the hip bone (covering the belt, but not all of the zipper. While seated it should leave just enough room.
• Sleeve - Cuff should lie between the base of the thumb and your wrist. Obviously half sleeve t-shirts don't follow this rule. An inch or two short of the elbow is ideal for half sleeves. Avoid sleeveless t-shirts. Full sleeves which are rolled up should end just after (or just before) the elbow.
• Shoulder - Seams should lie on the centre of the shoulder. They should end at the round of the shoulder.

• Bottoms
• Waist - Know where you wear your pants, and get something which will stay there without a belt. Probably best just above the hip bone.
• Pleats - It’s better to get flat fronted pants than those with pleats in the front.
• Legs - The legs should have enough space around your legs so that it isn't tight when you sit. But it shouldn't lack shape. Jeans can be slightly looser, but not by more than an inch or so.
• Break - Should cover the top of your shoe and part of the laces (while standing). Jeans would break lower (a quarter of an inch above the ground).

• Innerwear
• Area covered - Innerwear should not be visible. It shouldn't stick out beyond your other clothing.
• Tightness - Entirely a matter of personal comfort. It just shouldn't be looser than other clothes to the extent that it scrunches up and shows.
• Outerwear
• Slimmer is more formal. Should ideally match the shirt's dimesnions + a bit, so that it makes the overall figure show slimly. Unlike a shirt, a blazer/jacket/sweater would be reasonably snug even at the stomach area. But a sweatshirt would be looser.
• Sleeves - Should leave space for a quarter inch of shirt cuff to show.
• Shoulders - It should make your shoulders look broad (in proportion to your body) and overall make your frame and posture look good. The seams should fall at your shoulders. The overall best judge of fit for outerwear is whether the seams naturally sit at the centre of the shoulders.

• Ties
• Position - Knot should lie between the points of a collar (at the throat). THere should be a dimple in the tie, just below the knot.
• Length - The tie should never cross the waist. Uptil the belt is best.