# How to Figure Out if You Have Sloped, Square, Normal, Dropped Shoulders



## VentsMcMahon (Dec 29, 2010)

Just had another disappointing experience trying on suits at a nice men's store, this time J. Press. Couldn't get a straight line across the shoulders and the suits just made me look really sloppy. Ex-athlete who used to have very broad shoulders but doubt I do anymore after years of neglect and desk work. Is there a rule of thumb to determine whether a person has square shoulders, sloped shoulders, or normal shoulders? And are there certain ready-to-wear brands that are more becoming on particular shoulder types? i know the hickey freeman madison makes me look dumpy but the hickey freeman presidential makes me look like $3200 bucks (the retail price). j.press suits make me look bad, hart schaffner marx really bad. Don't want to drop made-to-measure money until I figure out what works best for my body and shoulders.


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## jjskywlker (Dec 9, 2009)

It's not a direct answer to your question, but I've heard that Vishal at VM Clothiers (https://www.vmclothiers.com/) in Georgetown does good MTM half canvassed at ~$600 a suit. Once I save up some more coin, I plan to get a navy one made.

https://offthecuffdc.com/going-custom-part-3


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## David Reeves (Dec 19, 2008)

Part of the draw of MTM or Bespoke should be that the person measuring you up knows what looks best for your body type and can identify whether your "figuration". Sounds like you could benefit from a good tailor really.

I know a few American tailors that use the pilkington(?) system which involves spirit levels and rulers to measure. In England we just tend to use a trained eye/natural ability to spot drop shoulders, sway backs, erect posture etc.


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## windsor (Dec 12, 2006)

I once attended a "Health 






I attended a Health Fair a long time ago and one of the booths had a standing board, measuring about 4x7,, and it was ruled off in black ink in 2 inch squares. If you stood in front of it and looked in the mirror in front of you, every defect in your posture and frame showed up with alarming clarity. The grid is what made it possible. Possibly you could make a short version of one of these, to at least show the chest and shoulder area. Another idea would be to determine what doctors use a device like this and see if you can get their opinion.


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## CuffDaddy (Feb 26, 2009)

Go see a good tailor. This is exactly the sort of thing they are trained to determine. And, more importantly, to take care of for you, so that you never have to even bother learning the answer to your question.


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## a tailor (May 16, 2005)

thats a simple one.
go to a clothing store. put on a suit jacket, in your size naturally.
if the shoulders sag down so that the jacket breaks under the arms, you have sloping shoulders. 
if the collar and the neck points rise up off the neck, then you have square shoulders.

m2m suits cost a lot less than $3,200.00.


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## Gurdon (Feb 7, 2005)

*Just beginning*

With OTR suits, finding a suit you like with a reasonable fit in chest and, it is to be hoped, shoulders is just the beginning of the process of getting a suit that fits. The basic garment will require alterations to make it fit you properly. A good men's store will have an alterations tailor who can make whatever changes are necessary. Under some circumstances, as in a suit bought on sale, you might wind up with an independent tailor doing alterations.

Part of what's considered necessary may, however, depend on what the tailor thinks you know or expect in a fit. I have had a good tailor assume that padding the shoulders of a jacket that fitted me in the chest but was too wide in the shoulders would be satisfactory. When I explained that I actually wanted it to fit right he explained that it would be necessary to recut and fit the shoulders and that this is a difficult and expensive process. The results were worth the time and cost.

If alterations are included in the purchase price, the seller might not be eager to undertake extensive reworking. That is, they might tell you that padding will fix the fit. (And this would be true enough for many individuals.) Under such circumstances you might be better off taking your business elsewhere.

You may wish to do a search of the forum archives to get an idea of what's involved. Several of the tailors who post here have explained various alterations that address matching a ready-made garment to the individual body's contours.

But, as CuffDaddy says, you do need to find a good tailor.

Regards,
Gurdon


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## BespokeMex (Nov 13, 2010)

Agree with Gurdon and CuffDaddy...I think it has to do more with your expectations and budget instead of determining what type of shoulders you have. Our bodies are not symmetrical, and if your shoulders are uneven, I can tell you that no OTR suit will fit you just right. In fact, MTM may not even do the job depending of the extent of the alteration needed for the shoulders and the expertise of the tailor working at the store where you get the suit. You can probably find a good tailor that can make you a custom suit that will fit you and just you for about the price of a MTM, and the asymmetrical shoulders will become a moot point. Also any suit you buy whether a decent OTR suit or MTM, by the time you are done with the alterations, it will be worth it to check out the custom made option.


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## dwebber18 (Jun 5, 2008)

I agree with what everyone has said. If you can't find an OTR fit that works for you then it might be worth it to do MTM. I'll tell you John H. Daniel here in Knoxville, TN has a fantastic deal of buy 1 suit get 1 free each year for the last 2 months. You can get 2 canvassed suits for around $900 plus tax, they measure you all over and use a tool to take the shape of each shoulder and compensate to their individual shapes. Might be worth looking in to, even if you can't get down here to get measured they sell through many mens shops and will typically take your measurements from a tailor that knows how to measure you. If I ever get a job where I have to wear a suit they will be my first and last stop.


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