A lineman at Fordson, or the father who played there before him, has the body suits weren’t cut for: a 48 chest on a 38 waist, a drop 10 where the rack assumes a drop 6. Every suit he tries on fits half of him. The jacket that fits his chest comes with trousers he could fit a friend into, and the trousers that fit come with a jacket that won’t close.
Separates
Select suits on our floor sell as separates, which for a drop 10 means a 48 jacket over a 38 trouser, the two pulled from the same cloth and matched on the rack in front of him. The store’s own FAQ puts it in one line: a drop 8 is what separates are for, and a drop 10 is the same answer with two more inches of reason.
The jacket still gets shaped
A 48 that fits the chest has spare cloth at the waist on a man with a 38, and Roman, master tailor at Lincoln Tailor, on site in our store, takes the sides in so the jacket follows the drop instead of hanging off it. That and the hem to his shoes are the whole job, and small jobs he can often do while you wait.
Where separates stop
A shoulder the rack doesn’t make, or a drop past what two sizes can bridge, is custom from $599. The consultant will say which it is before pulling anything, and for most linemen it’s the rack. Greenfield Road runs straight north from Ford Road to the showroom.
Also for Dearborn: Thirty Years at Ford: The Suit for the Retirement Dinner. More on style consulting, or plan your visit to our Oak Park showroom.
