the easy guide to fit - latest men's fashion and style
TRANSCRIPT
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GUIDE TOTHE EASY
FITHOW TO MAKE ANY ITEM OF CLOTHING FIT YOU
PAUL MCGREGOR PRESENTS
WHY FIT?Fit is, hands down, the number 1 essential to dressing
better.
You could be wearing a $1,500 suit but if it doesn’t fit,
as it should it’s not going to look good.
The issue with fit is guys choose to ignore it because
they may be overweight, or they want to feel
comfortable. But you should always pay close
attention to the way clothes fit you whatever weight or
whatever age you are.
Now you’ll hear me reference ‘slim fit’ throughout this
guide, but I wanted to get things straight before I
carried on. A slimmer fit doesn’t mean you have to be
slim to wear it.
So if you’re piling on a few extra pounds and you want
to skim through this guide because you don’t feel it’s
relevant... DONT.
Fit is important for everyone. Whatever shape or size
you are...
Use this visual guide to understand how you
clothing should fit.
T H E B A S I C S
Off The Rack
3 OPT IONS
This option is the most accessible.Simply buy clothing from yourfavourite brands and stores andget a tailor to alter them after.
Made To Measure
A garment created by you and toyour measurements. Made toMeasure works off a 'MasterGarment' making it more affordablethan the ultimate 'Bespoke'.
Bespoke
The Daddy of tailoring. A garmentwill be created from scratch to fityou perfectly. The downside tobespoke is it's typically very pricey.
Buying a blazer off the rack and having it fit you perfectly is almost near
impossible. Here are the areas you need to focus on.
SHOULDERS
WHAT TO FOCUS ON
When buying a blazer focus on theshoulders fitting you well. Why?Because these are difficult to tailor.The edge of the padding in theshoulders of the jacket should notextend beyond your shoulders.
CHESTAnother area to focus on is thechest size. If you feel restriction ofmovement across your chest or ifthere's pulling, the jacket is toosmall. The chest of the jacket
should lay flat across your chest.
WAISTThis simple adjustment will
transform your jacket and elongateyour shoulders. Many off the racksuit jackets are not tapered at thewaist, and getting it tapered willreally compliment your silhouette.
SLEEVESOften or not the sleeve length on ablazer is too long or too short. It'sbest to buy a jacket with longersleeves and adjust appropriately.Showing 1/2 inch of shirt cuff is a
good basis to go off.
B L A Z E R S
SLEEVE LENGTH TAILOREDTO SHOW SHIRT CUFF
WAIST TAPERED TOELONGATE SHOULDERS
DOESN'T EXTEND BEYONDTHE SHOULDERS
NO PULLING. CHEST SIZEIS GREAT.
Tailoring your casual and formal trousers (pants) will make a huge
difference. The same guidelines apply for both suit trousers and jeans.
LENGTH
WHAT TO FOCUS ON
There is no 'right' length to focuson, just make sure there's littlescrunching at the bottom of the
trousers. My personal preference isfor them to break on the top of mydress shoes, some prefer no break
at all.
RISEThe rise is simply the distance
between the crotch of the trousersand it's waistband. You want to aim
for comfort but don't opt foranything too big. Get it right whenyou buy, there's not much a tailor
can do to alter the rise.
WAISTThe trousers should fit snuggly
around your waist without causingmuch discomfort. If the waist is too
big get it altered rather thanthrowing the trousers away oropting for a belt to hold your
trousers up.
SEATThere's no easy way to put it, theseat of the trousers should fitsnuggly around your butt. You
shouldn’t get a wedgie or look likeyou're wearing baggy underwear.Too tight? A tailor can loosen theseat. Too big? Get them to take it in.
T R O U S E R S
TROUSERS BREAK ONTOP OF SHOES
SLIM FITTINGTHROUGHOUT
FITS ON THE WAISTWITHOUT A BELT
Getting your dress shirts and casual shirts tailored to fit is a great investment.
Not only will they look better worn alone, they'll make layering easier.
OVERALL FIT
WHAT TO FOCUS ON
The main thing to focus on withshirts is the overall fit. If there's a lotof excess fabric around your bodyit's time to get it taken in. The shirtshould skim your body but it
shouldn't look it's been painted on.
SLEEVESSleeve length is another importantalteration. Your cuffs should meetthe point where your palm begins.Also make sure you have room inthe sleeves to move, but not toomuch room it looks oversized.
LENGTHThe torso length of a shirt can behemmed by a tailor. If it's too longyou may want to get the lengthshortened. This is common withcasual shirts you tend to leaveuntucked. Dress shirts are betterkept longer to help tucking in.
DETAILSOther finer details to focus on
include buttons, cuffs and collars.All can be changed by a good tailor.Make sure the shirt fits you aroundthe neck comfortably. You shouldbe able to put two fingers between
your shirt and neck.
S H I R T S
COLLAR FITS SNUGGLYWITHOUT RESTRICTION
NO LOOSE FABRIC. SHIRTTAPERED TO FIT
SLEEVE CUFF MEETSWHERE PALM BEGINS
Here's what to avoid. If you find yourself looking like any of the below do
something about it. Remember to always focus on 'slim fitting'.
E X AMPLE S OF WHAT YOU SHOULDN 'T LOOK L I K E
B A D F I T
Strive towards this. Remember everything you wear, both casual and formal
should fit you well. Don't be afraid to use a tailor.
E X AMPLE S OF WHAT YOU SHOULD LOOK L I K E
G O O D F I T
WHAT NOWThis guide gives you the basics behind how your
clothing should fit.
Alongside this, video 4 from the Style Reinvention
series will go into more detail about finding a tailor and
the misconceptions behind tailoring.
All in all...
DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP.
If there was one thing I would do to make you dress
better it would be altering the fit.
The change in appearance from wearing an ill fitting
outfit to a well fitted outfit is phenomenal.
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