Look & Fit
As a guiding principle, the suit should fit you, not the other way round. Thus, your decisions in bespeaking your suit should be based on your body type, not the prevailing fashions of the day. And while looking good is important, the suit must also be very comfortable to wear. No credit should be given to a tailor who makes good-looking suits that restrict the wearer's movements.
In the 1800s, the English riding coat, ancestor of the modern day suit, allowed freedom of movement to horseback riders. In modern times, look to the virtuoso dance performances of Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly in the movie "Ziegfeld Follies". Their suits appear molded to their bodies, flowing gracefully with their movements. Click here for a link to the video.
Here are some guidelines for a good fit.
There are several indications of correct coat length.
| (1) | It should be just long enough to cover the seat of your trousers. |
| (2) | With hands by your side, the coat should end roughly where your thumb meets your forefinger. |
| (3) | 
When viewed from behind, the coat should cover about half the length between your collar to the ends of your trousers.
The best way to determine if your suit is of the correct length is to use all three methods during the first fitting, and make small adjustments in subsequent fittings. |
The buttoning point creates a fulcrum between the upper part (where the swell of the chest is), and the bottom part (where the panels meet). A correct buttoning point prevents a suit from bunching up unnaturally when you are seated.
Traditional tailors will locate this button point half an inch below the natural waist. The natural waist is the narrowest part
of the waist. For most men, this would be an inch or two above the navel.
For 2-button coats, this impacts where the top button should be placed, and for 3-button coats, where the middle button should be placed.
In general, 2-button coats create a deeper "V" in the front, and thus a greater illusion of height is created for the wearer. Refer to our next section on Bespoke Details for a guide on which coat to pick for your body type.
The correct button point prevents the suit from bunching up when you are seated.(see left)
Trivia: In many ready-to-wear suits, the sleeves are often cut too long to make it easy for subsequent alteration. This explains why the cuff buttons on a ready-to-wear coat are non-functional, so that they can be moved up and down the suit sleeves during alteration.
Armhole Position An oft-neglected but extremely important detail is the armhole position. This should be set as high as possible, no more than an inch below your armpit.
This minimizes the chances of your entire coat riding up when you raise your arms. A coat riding up in this manner is extremely unsightly, and one of the surest signs of a bad fit.
This would also, by extension, require shirts that are also cut with correspondingly high armholes, so they do not bunch up under the coat.
