# Jacket Drop?



## JamesBond (Dec 6, 2004)

I know this has been asked a few times but i cant find anything on it when searching. What exactly is a drop referring to when mentioned on a sportcoat? For example a 38R drop 7. I always thought it meant the difference from the chest measurment to the waist measurment but im still confused. Thanks to anyone who can help.


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## thinman (Jan 21, 2005)

As I understand it, "drop" refers to the difference in measurement between the size of a suit's jacket and the waist of the trousers. So a 38R, drop 7 suit will be cut for a 38" chest (It actually has a circumference of 38" + 4". It's standard to add 4" to a jacket's chest so that it's not a straightjacket.) and the trousers will have a 31" waist (38" - drop of 7"). I believe the waist of the jacket will also be slimmer for a drop 7 suit compared to the standard drop 6. Others can of course expand on this.


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## chat_chapeau (Dec 2, 2005)

Yep, yep, thinman. But I don't find that an inch the waist necessarily makes much difference in the jacket. I'm a 42 reg and have lost and inch in the waist this year and my jackets look great. Unless you have a really peculiar body (such as my brother, a 46L drop 14) you should be OK.


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## a tailor (May 16, 2005)

JamesBond said:


> I know this has been asked a few times but i cant find anything on it when searching. What exactly is a drop referring to when mentioned on a sportcoat? For example a 38R drop 7. I always thought it meant the difference from the chest measurment to the waist measurment but im still confused. Thanks to anyone who can help.


 the size 38 drop 7 is meant for a38 chest and a 31 waist and a 39 seat. the size 38 drop 6 is meant for a 38 chest a 32 waist and a 40 seat. a suit marked "athletic" is usually an 8" drop, the 38 would have a 30 waist and 38 seat. in each case the chest remains the same. its the measures at the sides of the jacket and the waist and seat measures of thr pants that change.


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## a tailor (May 16, 2005)

chat_chapeau said:


> Yep, yep, thinman. But I don't find that an inch the waist necessarily makes much difference in the jacket. I'm a 42 reg and have lost and inch in the waist this year and my jackets look great. Unless you have a really peculiar body (such as my brother, a 46L drop 14) you should be OK.


 since the jacket waist is not a snug fit but rather loose, then a small gain or loss has no effect on the jacket fit. does your brother really have a 46 chest and a 32 waist? the tailors nightmare.


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## rnoldh (Apr 22, 2006)

*Length of jacket too!*

Thanks for all the info, and I think I get the concept of the drop. But what about the length of the kacket?

I'm 5'9', 190 Lbs., and a size 44R. I like a 32.5 inch jacket length. Right now I'm a RTW buyer. No MTM yet. Usually, my 44R's are OK, with some jackets 33 inches and some 32 inches.

Are there any general rules for jacket lengths of RTW. And how much longer are L's than Regulars?


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## thinman (Jan 21, 2005)

rnoldh said:


> Thanks for all the info, and I think I get the concept of the drop. But what about the length of the kacket?
> 
> I'm 5'9', 190 Lbs., and a size 44R. I like a 32.5 inch jacket length. Right now I'm a RTW buyer. No MTM yet. Usually, my 44R's are OK, with some jackets 33 inches and some 32 inches.
> 
> Are there any general rules for jacket lengths of RTW. And how much longer are L's than Regulars?


In my experience, jacket length depends very much on the manufacturer. Thus, I keep a list of manufacturers and their sizes that fit me best and I carry a measuring tape when I shop.


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## Teacher (Mar 14, 2005)

a tailor said:


> since the jacket waist is not a snug fit but rather loose, then a small gain or loss has no effect on the jacket fit. does your brother really have a 46 chest and a 32 waist? the tailors nightmare.


I'm close: 46/33.


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## johnnyblazini (Feb 24, 2006)

What do you teach? Gym and Juice?


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## johnnyblazini (Feb 24, 2006)

Although this isn't my thread, I wanted to thank A Tailor for being a part of this forum. 

This is not the first time that I am impressed with your advice/explanations... 

Thank you.


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## Andy (Aug 25, 2002)

JamesBond:

From The Encyclopedia of Men's Clothes:

*The Drop* is the difference between the size of a suit jacket and the waist of the matching pants. The usual drop is 6 inches (so if the jacket is a size 40, the pants that go with that jacket will have a 34-inch waist.


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## Errowen (Nov 2, 2006)

*Short explanation but not a correct explanation*



Andy said:


> JamesBond:
> 
> From The Encyclopedia of Men's Clothes:
> 
> *The Drop* is the difference between the size of a suit jacket and the waist of the matching pants. The usual drop is 6 inches (so if the jacket is a size 40, the pants that go with that jacket will have a 34-inch waist.


The explanation suggests the purpose of the drop measurement of your suit jacket is to tell you what size waist the pants of your new suit will have. Good Grief. You might wonder why they bothered to put a tag in the pants: it's all there in the jacket tag! This is complete rubbish.

The drop measurement on a jacket tag indicates the taper of the jacket by relating the chest size to the waist size of the model wearer for which the jacket was designed -- whether the jacket is sold with pants or not. You will find sports jackets, blazers and even, I am told, shirts tagged with a drop measurement.

Errowen


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## arkirshner (May 10, 2005)

Errowen said:


> The explanation suggests the purpose of the drop measurement of your suit jacket is to tell you what size waist the pants of your new suit will have. Good Grief. You might wonder why they bothered to put a tag in the pants: it's all there in the jacket tag! This is complete rubbish.
> 
> The drop measurement on a jacket tag indicates the taper of the jacket by relating the chest size to the waist size of the model wearer for which the jacket was designed -- whether the jacket is sold with pants or not. You will find sports jackets, blazers and even, I am told, shirts tagged with a drop measurement.
> 
> Errowen


Flusser's glossary in Dressing the Man:

"Drop: The difference in inches between the measurement of a suit jacket's chest and the suit trouser's waist. Most American men's suits are designed to accommodate a six-inch drop (for example, a 42-inch coat chest and a 36-inch trouser waist); athletic cuts feature a drop of seven inches or more."

Its one think to try to contradict Andy, he is right in this instance, but he is a man and its possible that once in a while he may be wrong, but its another thing altogether to try to contradict Mr. Di Pietropaolo, in his profession he is a master.


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## Starch (Jun 28, 2010)

Minor additions:

- I've never heard "drop" described to have a meaning other than that set forth in the Andy and Flusser quotations (jacket size - pant waist).

- I suppose I may have been missing it, but I don't know that I've ever seen the drop specified on a tag. The salesman usually tell you what it is.

- How much the jacket tapers is somewhat (though obviously not entirely) independent of how small the maker thinks the wearer's waist is: a sack jacket hardly has any waist suppression at all. I suppose it's also true that some of the more obvious champions of sack jackets also have less drop to their suits, but it's still more than 2 or 3. I suspect a goodly number of the fans of sack jackets also have a relatively modest drop in their figures, but that's hardly a rule.

- It took you 5-1/2 years to notice Andy's purported error?


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## arkirshner (May 10, 2005)

Starch said:


> Minor additions:
> 
> - I've never heard "drop" described to have a meaning other than that set forth in the Andy and Flusser quotations (jacket size - pant waist).
> 
> ...


+1 We agree my friend


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## mrkleen (Sep 21, 2007)

Errowen said:


> The explanation suggests the purpose of the drop measurement of your suit jacket is to tell you what size waist the pants of your new suit will have. Good Grief. You might wonder why they bothered to put a tag in the pants: it's all there in the jacket tag! This is complete rubbish. The drop measurement on a jacket tag indicates the taper of the jacket by relating the chest size to the waist size of the model wearer for which the jacket was designed -- whether the jacket is sold with pants or not. You will find sports jackets, blazers and even, I am told, shirts tagged with a drop measurement. Errowen


 WRONG.


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## Guest (Jul 20, 2021)

thinman said:


> As I understand it, "drop" refers to the difference in measurement between the size of a suit's jacket and the waist of the trousers. So a 38R, drop 7 suit will be cut for a 38" chest (It actually has a circumference of 38" + 4". It's standard to add 4" to a jacket's chest so that it's not a straightjacket.) and the trousers will have a 31" waist (38" - drop of 7"). I believe the waist of the jacket will also be slimmer for a drop 7 suit compared to the standard drop 6. Others can of course expand on this.


is it possible for a drop 7 jacket to be tailored to become drop 6 jacket? The difference is only in the curve of the waist right? Also, is there a curve on regular fot jacket or it is a straight line?


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## fishertw (Jan 27, 2006)

Just to throw a curve ball in here, I believe that a sack cut jacket has much less taper at the waist than other cuts of suits. It all depends upon the cut of the suit as to how tapered and close fitting the jacket is at the waist level. My 3/2 sack BB 1818 blazer is a much more liberal waist circumference than a similar two button jacket by another manufacturer. I hesitate to use the term "drop" in this context as I have always understood that to be the difference between the jacket size and the trouser waist size of a suit.


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## Matt S (Jun 15, 2006)

Guest-102346 said:


> is it possible for a drop 7 jacket to be tailored to become drop 6 jacket? The difference is only in the curve of the waist right? Also, is there a curve on regular fot jacket or it is a straight line?


If there is extra fabric to let the jacket out, it can be done, but jackets are generally only altered at the rear side seams. The difference between different drops can be found throughout many seams of the jacket, and this difference cannot be altered. Jackets can be cut in different ways, but they are shaped in a complex way that isn't simply a curve or a straight line.


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## Matt S (Jun 15, 2006)

There is still no consensus on what drop is in this thread. In US/UK sizing, a drop 6 suit means that the trousers are meant to be a number size that is 6 down from the jacket's number size (which is meant to correspond to body measurements in inches, but doesn't always in practice). So a size 40 suit with a drop 6 has a size 40 jacket that comes with size 34 trousers. Also, the jacket's waist taper corresponds to the drop as well, but not in a literal sense. A jacket with a 6-inch taper is very tapered.

A drop 7 suit in the US/UK sizing system means that the trousers are 7 numbers down from the jacket, and jacket will also have more taper. A jacket that isn't part of a suit still has a drop because it determines the fit of the jacket. A larger drop is often used to label a more fitted cut overall and is not just about one measurement versus another. It has to do with sizing and fit. It's shouldn't be taken literally.

In EU sizing, drop 7 is standard and drop 8 is more athletic. This doesn't mean a EU drop 7 has more taper than a US drop 6. The EU numbers correspond to cm rather than inches. An EU 50 with a drop 7 means that the the jacket is meant to fit someone with a half chest of 50 cm (which converts to 39 in for the full chest), and the trousers have a half-waist of 43 cm (which converts to 34 in for the full waist). EU jackets that are not part of a suit just about always mention drop to signify the fit of the jacket. If you see "drop" in a tag, it does not necessarily mean it's a suit.


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## Matt S (Jun 15, 2006)

fishertw said:


> Just to throw a curve ball in here, I believe that a sack cut jacket has much less taper at the waist than other cuts of suits. It all depends upon the cut of the suit as to how tapered and close fitting the jacket is at the waist level. My 3/2 sack BB 1818 blazer is a much more liberal waist circumference than a similar two button jacket by another manufacturer. I hesitate to use the term "drop" in this context as I have always understood that to be the difference between the jacket size and the trouser waist size of a suit.


A sack jacket indeed has less taper at the waist. But drop, just like jacket sizing, refers to how a garment is to be worn rather than the garment's measurements. A size 40 jacket does not measure 40 inches around the chest; it is designed to be worn with someone who has a 40-inch chest. I've seen them measure anywhere from 41 to 44 inches around. "Drop 6" in US/UK sizing means that the jacket or suit is designed to be worn by someone with a 6-inch chest to waist difference. A sack design is meant to fit fuller in the waist than a darted design on someone with the same drop.


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