Buying a Suit and Suit Sizing

Using this website, I determined my size.
46" around the arms and chest, and subtracting 7" gave me 39".
I measured my chest at 38" tight and 39" with a little room.
I'm between 5'8" and 5'11" so I should be getting a regular.

I'm starting to workout again, and I expect my chest and arms to grow a little.
Should I get a 40R, or stick to my 39R measurements?

What exactly will a tailor do to the suit after I buy it?
Just take the waist in?

How much should I be spending on a suit that will last a long time, and have a nice feel to it?

Thank you.

I have some "tailored" suits that I've gotten off the rack and some at thrift shops. First, you should make sure that the suit jacket fits perfectly at the shoulders (these are expensive alterations that can be avoided). It's better to have something that can be taken-in than let-out.
If you find the right tailor, they will work their magic. A tailor can make sleeves narrower, shorter, they can take it in in such a way that your upper body has a nice tapered look to it. I would go with a natural shouldered suit jacket. Padded and narrow style suit jackets look too uptight and executive (1980's power suits).
You want to look like you were born in that jacket, a natural, comfortable, close (but not tight) fitting.

Pants are relatively easy to work on. Make sure that they are not baggy or have excess material hugging your shoes. Good pants are made of worsted wool (most of the time, please avoid anything that says poly..). Great pants have an inner lining that makes the pants hang so much better. The devil is in the details. If you nail all of these details down you can easily make a $200 suit look like a $2,000 suit.

Other things to watch out for: be honest with your body (ex: long torso, short legs opt for a short jacket and narrow pants).
Keep it simple: Dark charcoal or midnight navy blue are the way to go. (deep navy blue looks more like black without looking like a waiter)
What's the weather like? I live in S. Cali so medium and light worsted wool is the way to go. Choose fabric accordingly.
Don't be afraid of the thrift shops. I've found vintage brooks brothers suits that I got less than $20 and spent $40 to make them look like $4,000 suits. In fact, I found a vintage green plaid Pendleton wool peacoat that would be ($100's of dollars new) for $8 and it was a little to wide at the belly but guess what, it was $15 to fix and it fits like a glove now.

Sorry for the rant but that's just my $.02.
Oh yeah, don't worry too much about your arms getting too big (unless your going on a 'roid cycle). There is usually enough room in the sleeves for a couple of inches.

Expired said:

Using this website, I determined my size.
46" around the arms and chest, and subtracting 7" gave me 39".
I measured my chest at 38" tight and 39" with a little room.
I'm between 5'8" and 5'11" so I should be getting a regular.

I'm starting to workout again, and I expect my chest and arms to grow a little.
Should I get a 40R, or stick to my 39R measurements?

What exactly will a tailor do to the suit after I buy it?
Just take the waist in?

How much should I be spending on a suit that will last a long time, and have a nice feel to it?

Thank you.

Click to expand...

That's all great in theory, but in practice you need to try on suits until you find the one that fits.
Measurements and cut vary a lot, so start with a 39R but try on a size up and a size down in each suit you like. Do it with the clerk at the suit store, and figure out together which one best suits your body type and size. Personally, I have 41, 42, 43 AND 44 suits in my closet, the sizing isn't an exact science

The tailor will do as little or as much as needed to get the suit to fit. At a minimum he'll hem the legs up and adjust the waist of the pants. You'll probably need the sleeve length fixed, and maybe the whole jacket narrowed or widened through the middle to fit you. Basically, the only thing you CAN'T fix is the width of the shoulders, everything else can be tweaked for you.

I would go to a tailor and get measured. I find it pretty difficult to measure oneself. I have somewhat similar measurements and I wear a 41 or 42R, usually a 42R but it really depends. You have to try everything on and/or trust measurements from eBay if you are going that route. Get all your measurements and send them to Jeff at Wizard of Aahs and ask for his recommendation. Get a really nice suit from him for a great price (probably a Daniele which is actually a Baroni). The suits are well reviewed - see:
Ask Andy post
Ask Andy review

If you expect to have a post-workout body in the near future, get your suit then, not now.

If this is your first suit (or first in a long time) try some on at a decent clothing store and buy what fits.

This is actually a very useful slideshow from GQ ... not that I'd swallow everything GQ tells me, but this bit is good. http://www.gq.com/how-to/fashion/200608/how-to-buy-a-suit-slideshow#slide=1 ... that bit about beware the salesman is spot-on ...

And yes, you need a good fit in the shoulders ... a good tailor can fix most of the rest.

Expired said:

What exactly will a tailor do to the suit after I buy it?
Just take the waist in?

How much should I be spending on a suit that will last a long time, and have a nice feel to it?

Click to expand...

A good tailor can do just about anything ...
Obviously, hemming the sleeves and pants to the correct length will be necessary (as 99% of suits are sold with that step intentionally left undone so it can be done when the customer is wearing it.)
Pants too loose? Take in the waist/seat ... or let it out a bit if too tight (but only a bit as that's all that the existing fabric will allow.)
Jacket too loose? Take in the sides/back ... or let them out a bit (ditto on the 'only a bit' thing.)
Narrow the sleeves or pants.

How much to spend? As much as you can reasonably afford in the circumstances. Your income/budget and the amount you expect to wear the suit will come into play.

So I shouldn't buy a suit online, based off measurements?
I'm asking all this because this sale ends tomorrow, and I need a suit before summer.

$420 after discount.
http://www.lastcall.com/store/catalog/prod.jhtml?itemId=prod8530015

Expired said:

So I shouldn't buy a suit online, based off measurements?
I'm asking all this because this sale ends tomorrow, and I need a suit before summer.

$420 after discount.
http://www.lastcall.com/store/catalog/prod.jhtml?itemId=prod8530015

Click to expand...

Remember, the size lists only one dimension, but the suit has to fit you in 3. Buying without knowing how the whole thing fits your body is risky.

That's true. Well, I went ahead and ordered it on the off chance that it might fit.
If not, I can drive to the last call near here and just return it.
If anything I'll at least get to see what a high quality suit is like before I shop for another.

I'd recommend against buying a suit online. But since you've done it, take it to a local tailor to see what they would need to alter.

Find a good department store such as Nordstroms, and strike up a conversation with the salesperson there. Get a feel for the fabrics while you are there, and try on a couple for size. As with shirts, you can buy suits with regular fit or tailored (slimmer) fit. If you buy at Nordstrom, they will perform any further alterations that are required free of charge, however, the retail prices can approach $1000. I've found decent suits at Nordstrom Rack (Nordstrom's outlet store) although their selection is limited. The Rack has a tailor on premise, and cost for alterations can range up to $50 depending on what is required, but the suits can be had for $300-500.

One suggestion I had received when I asked a similar question a few months ago was to stick to 100% wool instead of polyester or blended fabrics. This was good advice. Even so, the quality/fineness of wool varies, and prices will likely reflect that, but the above prices should give you a good ballpark.

To add my tuppence worth I am having a suit made for me by a company in the UK called Bookster, the measurements were done using an older made to measure suit, I will post comments when I get it, but I share the concerns regarding buying off the internet. They do have a good reputation but the bit that worries me is my measurements.

I buy off the internet with success, but I am confident in my sizing ... and I still have to put up with the occasional problem. It's not a complete no-no, but you do need to be knowledgeable about your sizing.

Actual jacket measurement is 2" LARGER than stated size eg size 42 = 44 inches (armpit to armpit doubled). Pants are usually 6" smaller eg 42 suit has 36" waist pants. Sounds good but the cuts of jackets can vary and one maker may measure differently so unless you know the brand and model it is really hard to know without trying on! I have worked out my sizing and favorite makers and have no trouble buying on line new or the Bay but still have an occasional oops.

Expired said:

So I shouldn't buy a suit online, based off measurements?
I'm asking all this because this sale ends tomorrow, and I need a suit before summer.

$420 after discount.
http://www.lastcall.com/store/catalog/prod.jhtml?itemId=prod8530015

Click to expand...

NO!

There's only been one online store I've ever seen that sells it's clothes in a proper format to buy with confidence and even then I'd need to spend half an hour measuring a jacket that I know fits me. I can't for the life of me remember the site's name, but it has every measurement of the jacket you could think of, all the way up to three different measurements of the width of sleeve, top, mid and cuff- if you buy the wrong size, it's definitely your fault with them. but you canot send out for 5 40R suits (for example) and expect any of them to fit.
A quick note on the shoulders- you cannot let shoulders out.

Well, it came in today and the jacket seems to fit perfectly on my shoulders. Putting my shoulder against the wall, the padding is probably 1/4" in? If I lean just a little bit into the wall, the padding touches.

My only problem is the mid section. Could this easily be taken in? It's also a little long in the arms.
I'm assuming that this would have to be done with any suit I buy?

I'm going to call a tailor tomorrow and see what can be done.

Yes the sleeves can be shortened slightly and the midsection can also be taken in. Although taking the midsection in too much can change the look/drape of the suit.

Expired said:

Well, it came in today and the jacket seems to fit perfectly on my shoulders. Putting my shoulder against the wall, the padding is probably 1/4" in? If I lean just a little bit into the wall, the padding touches. That sounds just right.

My only problem is the mid section. Could this easily be taken in? It's also a little long in the arms.
I'm assuming that this would have to be done with any suit I buy?

I'm going to call a tailor tomorrow and see what can be done.

Click to expand...

By 'mid-section' you mean there is too much room around the gut region? A tailor can fix that for you no problem.

Shortening the sleeves is standard stuff with suits. Sleeves are generally made "a bit too long" so that they can be taken in for the individual customer ... as you can't really let it out much and certainly can't add more material.

That doesn't sound right on the shoulders to me, but it's best to post a photo. I've never heard of anyone determining whether a jacket fit them by leaning against a wall