How Clothes Should Fit: A Practical Guide for Shirts, Jackets and Trousers
Learn the fit checkpoints for shoulders, sleeves, collars, waists and hems, and which alterations a tailor can fix and which are not worth attempting.
Key takeaways
- Shoulders are the hardest part to alter, so get them right first.
- You should be able to move, sit and raise your arms without pulling or gaping.
- Hems, waists and sleeve lengths are the easiest and cheapest alterations.
A well-fitting garment looks better and feels more comfortable than an expensive one that fits poorly. Fit is less about a size label and more about a few clear checkpoints. Once you know them, you can judge a garment in a fitting room in under a minute.
Shirts
- Shoulders: the shoulder seam should sit at the edge of your shoulder bone, not hanging down the arm or climbing onto the neck.
- Collar: when buttoned, you should fit one or two fingers between the collar and your neck.
- Chest and body: the fabric should lie flat without pulling at the buttons. If you can pinch a few centimetres of loose fabric at the side, the fit is regular. Much more than that is relaxed or oversized.
- Sleeves: the cuff should end at the wrist bone, allowing the hand to move freely.
- Length: a tucked shirt should stay tucked when you raise your arms. An untucked shirt should end around the middle of the zip.
Jackets and blazers
- Shoulders: the seam should finish at the edge of your shoulder with no dimple or overhang. This is very difficult to alter.
- Front closure: the closed button should lie flat. A visible X-shaped crease means the jacket is too tight.
- Sleeves: a small amount of shirt cuff, around a centimetre, should show below the jacket sleeve.
- Length: the jacket should generally cover the seat of the trousers, and the hem should sit evenly around the body.
- Collar: the jacket collar should rest against your shirt collar with no gap at the back of the neck.
Trousers and jeans
- Waist: comfortable when fastened, with room for one finger inside the waistband, and no gaping at the back.
- Seat and thigh: enough room to sit, but without baggy fabric hanging below the seat.
- Hem: choose a break that suits the style. A slight break has one small fold at the shoe, a full break has more fabric resting on it, and no break leaves the hem just above the shoe.
Quick fit tests
- Raise both arms above your head and check that the garment does not ride up or restrict you.
- Sit down and check that nothing digs in or gapes.
- Walk a few steps and check that the hems and sleeves stay in place.
- Look from the side as well as the front.
What a tailor can and cannot fix
| Usually easy | Sometimes possible | Rarely worth it |
|---|---|---|
| Shortening hems and sleeves | Taking in the waist or sides | Changing shoulder width |
| Taking in trouser waists | Narrowing trouser legs | Changing the jacket chest size |
| Replacing buttons and zips | Letting out seams, if there is spare fabric | Moving pockets or lapels |
Buying tip
Buy for the part of your body that is hardest to alter, usually the shoulders for jackets and shirts and the seat for trousers, then have the rest adjusted.
