Every suit size chart in existence assumes a fixed relationship between a man’s chest and his waist, usually about six inches. It’s a reasonable average and a large minority of men are nowhere near it, particularly anyone who has done physical work or serious training. For them, buying a suit as a suit is a guaranteed compromise.
What the compromise looks like
The jacket that fits the chest arrives with trousers that could hold two of him, or the trousers that fit come with a jacket he can’t fasten. He picks one and has a tailor attack the other, which is expensive and never entirely convincing.
The answer isn’t custom
Select suits on our floor sell as separates, so the jacket comes in one size and the trousers in another from the same cloth, matched at the rack. The store’s own FAQ puts it plainly: a drop 8 is what separates are for. It’s solved at rack price.
What still gets done
Ordinary finishing. Roman, master tailor at Lincoln Tailor, on site in our store, brings in the jacket’s sides if the chest size leaves slack at the waist, and sets the length to the shoes you brought.
Also for Warren: The Versailles of Industry, and What Saarinen Understood. More on style consulting, or plan your visit to our Oak Park showroom.
