# Does this jacket fit? Wrinkle at shoulders



## SKooT1027 (Jun 6, 2008)

I got this sport coat for Christmas and really like it. Overall, I believe it fits really well. However, I notice a bit of a crease/wrinkle at the shoulders and I don't know if that's a problem. I don't have any real experience with sport coats (this is my first), so I wanted to check before going to get it tailored. Hopefully these pics provide enough info.


----------



## Jake Genezen (May 27, 2010)

Perhaps it is too wide in the shoulder, and therefore the jacket's shoulder is not supported and thus buckling, and hence the wrinkle/dent.


----------



## TheGreatTwizz (Oct 27, 2010)

I experience this on some suits as well. It comes from the shoulder shape in relation to your own shoulders and arms. I would suspect your biceps are wider than your shoulders, leading to pressure in the upper part of the sleeve pushing away from the shoulder. Can't really fix it, and it is something I've learned to deal with on certain makes of jacket. If that weren't there when you were just standing with arms hanging, the crease happens as soon as you move your arm anyway. Given that it is rare you'll be standing around with your arms hanging on the side, I say deal with it as long as its not a horribly expensive jacket. 

The fit otherwise looks GREAT, especially if you haven't had any work at all done to it.

P.s. nice EVO!


----------



## Peak and Pine (Sep 12, 2007)

What Twizz is saying. And you're talking about the sleeve head I think; the shoulder looks wrinkle free. The coat looks good on you. Appears a decent fit. (I'll inoculate you from upcoming comments about tucking your shirt in: _yeah, yeah, he knows that_.)

Try this: use an oven mitt on the hand you chose to slip up the sleeve while holding a hot iron in the other. Press it out. If the wrinkling persists, rip the lining at the cuff and stuff something up there.


----------



## SKooT1027 (Jun 6, 2008)

Thanks for the quick input. Yes, it's the top of the sleeve. When I move around you can see the crease in the pictures, almost as if the shoulder padding should be just a bit shorter. It's not terrible, but I don't want to look like I'm walking around in a jacket too big for me with huge shoulders.

Is it worth looking into trimming the shoulder padding a bit (can that be done?) or would that not help or be worth it?

As for the untucked shirt, I just put it on so I had a proper shirt under the jacket when checking the fit.


----------



## Peak and Pine (Sep 12, 2007)

SKooT1027 said:


> Is it worth looking into trimming the shoulder padding a bit (can that be done?) or would that not help or be worth it?


As to that, no, you can't make shoulder padding shorter. However, you can adjust it's thickness; you remove layers of the pad or even the whole thing. What you may not be aware of is that most coats have a bit of padding in the sleeve head itself. What I was suggesting initially is that you might want to try adding more of this. Ask the tailor.


----------



## Mongo (May 9, 2008)

This is going to sound strange, but I have this exact problem a lot.

Do the wrinkles go away if you try wearing the jacket without a shirt on (for testing purposes only!)? 

I have very large arms and chest, and have discovered these wrinkles appear on some jackets when I get a little heavy. Seems the shirt pulls on the sleeve, somehow, causing this effect. It goes away when I lose a few pounds.


----------



## Leighton (Nov 16, 2009)

Jake Genezen said:


> Perhaps it is too wide in the shoulder, and therefore the jacket's shoulder is not supported and thus buckling, and hence the wrinkle/dent.


I'm going with this explanation. Have you tried a smaller jacket of the same make and model? Probably won't fit in the chest, but the shoulders should be thinner.


----------



## TheGreatTwizz (Oct 27, 2010)

Leighton said:


> I'm going with this explanation. Have you tried a smaller jacket of the same make and model? Probably won't fit in the chest, but the shoulders should be thinner.


I would have recommended the other way; going up a size. Lets clarify this: Are we talking about the wrinkle on the sleeve of the jacket, or the buckle on the top of the shoulder?


----------



## hsc89 (Oct 14, 2009)

I have had a very similar problem with a couple of OTR jackets I have purchased over the last year or so. After multiple trips to the tailor with only marginal success, I had to finally face the music - my issue was almost completely related to my increasingly lousy posture and sizing up or down to combat both the "wrinkle" and the "dimple" would never truly solve the problem. Is your shoulder perhaps too far forward relative to the sleeve head? Or significantly lower? If so, you might see if you can have the sleeve(s) "rotated" toward the front and/or lowered. I have been told by my tailor that it can be done but is not cheap because of the time/work involved. I eventually decided it was better to pay on the front end than the back and started going MTM.


----------



## CuffDaddy (Feb 26, 2009)

Doesn't look like a strict sizing issue to me. It looks far more like an instance of the maker's model being very different in shape from you. If this only happens with this maker, just avoid their jackets. If it happens with most or all OTR jackets, you may be driven to MTM or bespoke. Trying to get an OTR jacket to fit your shoulders when it's fighting it is often a recipe for alteration frustration, usually accompanied by a high tailoring bill.


----------



## Hanzo (Sep 9, 2009)

hsc89 said:


> I have had a very similar problem with a couple of OTR jackets I have purchased over the last year or so. After multiple trips to the tailor with only marginal success, I had to finally face the music - my issue was almost completely related to my increasingly lousy posture and sizing up or down to combat both the "wrinkle" and the "dimple" would never truly solve the problem. Is your shoulder perhaps too far forward relative to the sleeve head? Or significantly lower? If so, you might see if you can have the sleeve(s) "rotated" toward the front and/or lowered. I have been told by my tailor that it can be done but is not cheap because of the time/work involved. I eventually decided it was better to pay on the front end than the back and started going MTM.


Very interesting. I tend to have this problem a bit, and have been told by my chiropractor as well as several massage therapists that my shoulders tend to roll forward too much. I'm not wearing a coat today, but when I get home, I'll have to put one on and try standing with better posture. It will cause some other issues with the coat and the back has been tailored to my current stance, but it will be interesting to see if it affects the shoulder issue. Thank you for the insight.


----------



## a tailor (May 16, 2005)

several posters have touched on the edges, but the the truth is that this jacket is just too tight in the shoulder/ chest /sleeve area.
take it back and get the next size larger. or something of a different manufacture that makes a jacket with more room in the shoulder. 
the money you spend on useless alterations, could buy you something you might like better.


----------



## a tailor (May 16, 2005)

Mongo said:


> This is going to sound strange, but I have this exact problem a lot.
> 
> Do the wrinkles go away if you try wearing the jacket without a shirt on (for testing purposes only!)?
> 
> I have very large arms and chest, and have discovered these wrinkles appear on some jackets when I get a little heavy. Seems the shirt pulls on the sleeve, somehow, causing this effect. It goes away when I lose a few pounds.


your gain and loss of weight proves the point everyone is looking for. in your case its not the shirt its the extra meat in the shoulder.


----------



## The Rambler (Feb 18, 2010)

Just to add on to Alex's expert opinion, wrinkles like that are "stretch marks" that indicate that the garment is too small, the cloth being pulled tight. (The folds from too much cloth look very different). Though the rest of the garment is a good, if close fit, you should always fit the shoulder before anything else.


----------



## joeyb1000 (Feb 24, 2010)

The Rambler said:


> Just to add on to Alex's expert opinion, wrinkles like that are "stretch marks" that indicate that the garment is too small, the cloth being pulled tight. (The folds from too much cloth look very different). Though the rest of the garment is a good, if close fit, you should always fit the shoulder before anything else.


I agree


----------



## Jovan (Mar 7, 2006)

I have this problem to varying degrees on a couple of my suit coats. It seems my right shoulder slopes a bit more than my left which throws the corresponding coat shoulder off. However, the problem all but disappears on coats with "natural shoulder" construction.


----------



## SKooT1027 (Jun 6, 2008)

I should clarify as I didn't notice the other wrinkle that appears in picture 3.

I'm talking about the dimple under the shoulder pad, best represented in pictures 1 and 2.

As for all the posts, thank you very much. I'll try to get to the store to try on additional sizes this weekend. It's a 44R, which is what I should be. I have a suit which is a 42R, and fits but is now a hair snug, so anything larger than a 44R sounds too big.

I do have a rather athletic build and rounded shoulders, so that could add to it


----------



## Hanzo (Sep 9, 2009)

a tailor said:


> several posters have touched on the edges, but the the truth is that this jacket is just too tight in the shoulder/ chest /sleeve area.
> take it back and get the next size larger. or something of a different manufacture that makes a jacket with more room in the shoulder.
> the money you spend on useless alterations, could buy you something you might like better.


I'd like to pick your brain a bit on this, as I've had this problem and want to do everything I can to fix it. The problem I'm concerned with is that if I buy a coat in a larger size, the shoulders will hang past my actual shoulders and look too large. Am I wrong?


----------



## WouldaShoulda (Aug 5, 2009)

The jacket "fits" but the shoulders and upper arm are mismatched to your body type.

On me, some jackets do this while others don't.

I buy the ones that don't.


----------



## a tailor (May 16, 2005)

manufactures dont know you or your body. they just makes suits as best they can. but one suit shape cant fit millions so they must go with averages.
they can make sizes available in one inch increments from the smallest to the largest but the stores are the ones that order sizes. and they go with even numbers for the most part so odd numbers are hard to find. 
its best for you to go to every store and try on everything in your size till you find which label is right for you.
remember the shoulder/chest area for fit. because the sides can be let out or taken in.
you will find that the fit will be different for various models made by the same manufacture. so dont overlook this just because one model is not right.
it seems a chore,but its worth the effort. once you get the right label,right model, right size its easy all the time.
that is until they change their specifications.


----------



## a tailor (May 16, 2005)

Jovan said:


> I have this problem to varying degrees on a couple of my suit coats. It seems my right shoulder slopes a bit more than my left which throws the corresponding coat shoulder off. However, the problem all but disappears on coats with "natural shoulder" construction.


congrats! you beat the system.

here is something to watch as time [years] go by. if the right shoulder starts to drop still lower the right trouser leg will need to be longer. strange, no it will be the pelvis tilting to maintain balance.


----------



## Flanderian (Apr 30, 2008)

a tailor said:


> you will find that the fit will be different for various models made by the same manufacture.


I can recall that 40 years ago while purchasing HSM suits (Decent quality then.) that not only would different models be sized differently, but that individual jackets of the *same *model and size would often vary by as much as a size or two. (I.e, one 42 might be as large as another 44.)


----------



## Joe Beamish (Mar 21, 2008)

I have one jacket that does the exactly same thing; it's too small/narrow.


----------



## Jovan (Mar 7, 2006)

a tailor said:


> congrats! you beat the system.
> 
> here is something to watch as time [years] go by. if the right shoulder starts to drop still lower the right trouser leg will need to be longer. strange, no it will be the pelvis tilting to maintain balance.


 You know your stuff for sure.  That may already be happening. My trouser waists tilt toward my left hip a bit. Not so bad that I need different inseam lengths for each leg, but I will keep your advice in mind.


----------



## TheGreatTwizz (Oct 27, 2010)

Jovan said:


> Not so bad that I need different inseam lengths for each leg.


Are you certain of this? Your tailor could simply be doing it without your knowledge. My inseam differs 1/4 inch on each leg. I had one tailor who would only ever measure one leg and do both to the same. I would notice it in the mirror (a break in the back is my biggest worry). Another tailor always marks them both, and one day I had a discussion with him about it. He said to me he noticed it the first time I walked in, and didn't want to say anything. After that, he'll mention every time I walk in and ask that I drop off those pants to get it corrected.

Mind you, I'm a pretty young healthy guy, and I, too, have a slight right shoulder drop which leads to needing the longer inseam on the right leg.


----------



## AMulls (Jan 6, 2010)

I have a similar issue as the OP with some of my suit jackets. I see that some of you are saying that it's because the jacket is too small. For me, it seems that the jacket fits everywhere, but the shoulders are just too big and extend past where my actual shoulder is. I've noticed that it is not there on some of my smaller sized jackets, and is there on some of the larger sized ones.

Perhaps it's because many of my suits are JAB (I know, I'm gradually upgrading) and that's just the cut. But I, too, think that it's just a padding issue on the shoulder. I think a more natural shoulder would have less of this as an issue. Maybe I just don't understand jacket construction, though.


----------



## Jovan (Mar 7, 2006)

TheGreatTwizz said:


> Are you certain of this? Your tailor could simply be doing it without your knowledge. My inseam differs 1/4 inch on each leg. I had one tailor who would only ever measure one leg and do both to the same. I would notice it in the mirror (a break in the back is my biggest worry). Another tailor always marks them both, and one day I had a discussion with him about it. He said to me he noticed it the first time I walked in, and didn't want to say anything. After that, he'll mention every time I walk in and ask that I drop off those pants to get it corrected.
> 
> Mind you, I'm a pretty young healthy guy, and I, too, have a slight right shoulder drop which leads to needing the longer inseam on the right leg.


 Nope, both my trouser legs are the same length. My girlfriend does my hemming for me. I mean no insult to your tailor, but a quarter inch difference seems downright anal retentive! I doubt I would notice if one of my trouser legs came up that much higher than the other.


----------



## aluminiumfish (Feb 19, 2009)

I arm twisted my tailor to take up a sleeve from the shoulder seam against his wishes and we ended up with a mess like the picture you have shown.
I had our junior seamtress try everything i could think of to remove it (tailoress + my tailor refused to touch it again ) ...
we let out .5 inch from each shoulder seam and let out the back seam as well .
That helped relax the top arm creases.


----------

