Suit fit advice: Sid Mashburn

[ATL]

Hi all,



I'm getting a suit from Sid Mashburn and have been through the initial tailoring and a second round. I just got the suit back, and stupidly thinking all would be well, I simply picked it up. I'll be going back a third time. I had originally gone in with the thought of having an MTM garment, but I was talked out of this because my body type doesn't require any crazy alterations and going the off-the-rack and tailor approach would be faster.


I'm having a hard time articulating what I want done to this suit. I think the top is too boxy, and even after alterations to supposedly address this, there still seems to be a roll under the collar. So, perhaps some waist suppression? I also don't know if the shoulders are too big. The pants, which have been slimmed, tapered and let out a bit, still seem not as streamlined as I would want them, and there looks to be some extra fabric around the thighs. Also, the back of the pants is doing something strange around the knee that was supposed to have been addressed.



What else? I, of course, want this to be perfect.



Thanks.

 

[MaxBuck]

I'm not a tailor and can't tell you how to fix it, but right now the suit doesn't fit you very well.

 

[ATL]

Yeah, I'm more than a little ticked off. But I think it's good that I took the suit home because now I have some time to think about what is wrong and will be better able to guide them.

 

[RogerP]

I think the problem is that the style of the suit - short jacket, low rise pants - isn't particularly flattering to your overall physique. I have in the past been guided away from stylistic choices that simply would not flatter my body shape by knowledgeable sales staff.

 

[Tempest]

...my body type doesn't require any crazy alterations and going the off-the-rack and tailor approach would be faster.

It certainly seems that one shoulder is higher than the other, FWIW.

The back of the coat reveals several issues. There is rippling at the center around the shoulders and at each side around the waist. The back of the shoulder sleevehead appears empty.
The trousers appear to be pitching forward, possibly as a result of being let out poorly at the seat. I'm not a fan of low rise for anyone, but the rear view here is a good demonstration of how a higher waistband would allow everything to hang better.

 

[CuffDaddy]

WARNING: I'M NOT A TAILOR, and the following is just observation/conjecture, not real expertise.

I think there are a couple of things going on. One clue is that the views of the front and the back of the jacket are radically different. From the back, the jacket waist is already over-suppressed, as indicated by the pulls. The front view looks relatively comfortable. This may indicate that the balance of the jacket is off, at least for you. Or maybe the alteration done were too aggressive. The shoulders seem very soft, but that's a matter of taste; still, from the rear, the shoulder seam (esp on your right shoulder) seems to be well down the arm, almost like a cardigan.

Similarly, the trousers show a relatively common issue. Most trousers are cut with the expectation that the wearer will have the belt/waistband higher in the back than the front. If you don't wear them that way, that will lead to vertical slack in the back, which, in turn, leads to the effect seen in your profile/side-view picture. Your jacket-less rear view makes it painfully clear that you can't remedy the situation by hiking up your britches further in the back!

Like a great many men, including yours truly, you just don't have the ectomorphic physique that a lot of trends are currently built for. One of the reason that the current fashions are so ill-conceived is that, unlike more classic proportions, they are simply unwearable by a great many men. Sid Mashburn is an interesting shop. I've bought a few things there, but never tailored goods. They simply don't carry anything that is appropriate to my physique, or at least haven't any time I've been in.

BTW, don't for a minute think that the choice is between "boxy" and "streamlined." A classically-proportioned, well-fitted suit is anything but boxy, but accomplishes it without being tight anywhere.

 

[ATL]

Thanks for the advice. I'm wondering if they'll let me switch to MTM at this point in time.

 

[CuffDaddy]

If you're looking for a good source for MTM/near-bespoke in Atlanta, I can point you to a good source that is much better, IMO, than you generally can get in a retail shop.

 

[ATL]

If you're looking for a good source for MTM/near-bespoke in Atlanta, I can point you to a good source that is much better, IMO, than you generally can get in a retail shop.

Thanks, but I called them up, and they were very apologetic. It seems like if I wanted to switch over, they'll let me, which is probably the best course of action.

 

[Flanderian]

Thanks, but I called them up, and they were very apologetic. It seems like if I wanted to switch over, they'll let me, which is probably the best course of action.

I hope all goes well for you and that your next round of dealings with Sid Mashburn is entirely satisfactory.

I pretty much agree with everything Roger and CuffDaddy had to say.

The problem I had as a youngster was that I wanted to look like the guys in the fashion ads, when I wasn't built anything like them. And it took quite a while and plenty of money for me to understand that I had to learn how to look good on my own terms.

I sincerely hope that Mashburn is able to fully satisfy your wishes. But even MTM programs can have their limitations as they are dependent both on the expertise of the retailer in dealing with the specific MTM program, and the basic styles that the manufacturer cuts. An MTM program doesn't mean you get any cut you wish, the manufacturer simply modifies and existing cut to more closely meet your build. And unfortunately, if that manufacturer doesn't happen to have a cut that suits you, no amount of modification will ever be entirely satisfactory.

Should you ever wish to take CuffDaddy up on his offer, I can say that for my part, I would trust his recommendation without reservation.

 

[Charles Dana]

I endorse the advice to let CuffDaddy give you a referral. Follow his guidance, and you'll end up with a suit that will look classic and flattering for practically the rest of your life.

But no matter where you turn for your next suit, keep in mind that it must absolutely fit properly in the chest and shoulders right at the beginning, as those areas cannot be altered.

Also insist on trousers with a full/traditional rise--leave the low-rise nonsense to the skinny twenty-year olds. If Sid Mashburn can offer only a low rise, walk away. (I know that low-rise trousers are the style these days. Still, whenever I see them, I imagine that the tailor started out with every intention of making classic, flattering pants, but then ran out of fabric, so he did the best he could with what he had. Low-rise trousers, to me, look unfinished--somehow incomplete. A junior varsity version of what a man in full wears.)

 

[TheBarbaron]

I'll take a stab at this. I am also not a tailor, but I mark alterations for RTW suits daily, so if I were attempting to salvage this suit, I would consider doing the following:

THE FRONT:
1) Your right shoulder is a good bit lower than your left, as per many right handed gentlemen. This imbalance has been corrected well in the sleeve length, but leaves a couple of artifacts in the jacket. I see a small divot on your right side a couple of inches above the ticket pocket that you don't have on the left. The diagonal line from your fastened button towards the right shoulder is also probably a symptom, as the button on the right side is a hair lower than the buttonhole on the left. That hang may also be affecting the little...flap?....on the lower front right side of jacket where you have a curved line from the lower button down and towards the right side, under the pocket.
While shoulder padding should be entered into carefully, especially on a soft shoulder jacket, just having the tailor slide a tailor pad in to check how it affects the fit can give a good indicator of usefulness.
2) Minor suggestion: the sleeve width near your wrist seems a hair loose - not much, but I would have mine tapered a little bit on the forearm.

THE BACK:
1) The sides are a bit too tight directly above the vents. Waist suppression is a fine thing, but for those with reasonably ample seats/thighs, it needs to ease out again when hitting those areas. Tension lines seem clear. I would say 3/4" would make the difference.
2) The shallow diagonal from mid-right to upper left back may be ameliorated with the shoulder pad discussed in THE FRONT, as may the greater sleeve folding right behind the shoulder blade on the right side.
3) The rippling behind the collar is more difficult to assess from pictures - it might need the back raised or collar lowered a hair more to account for your posture (which is my guess, though only a guess); it could also be that the center seam in that area is just a tad tight, and the shoulders are pulling against each other.

THE PANTS:
1) As other esteemed posters have noted, I agree that the back of the pants is being worn too low in relation to the front. I see what might be tension lines right below the waistband on the back, so to slide them up any farther may be aided by a little more room in the waist and seat, or lowering the crotch of the pants the small amount available. I suspect this is the only major issue on the pants, and finding a way to remedy it will result in a much cleaner drape. I also agree with other posters that a higher rise will probably serve you better.
2) A minor suggestion on the pant length and break: Sid Mashburn seems to have a slim leg opening, which is in keeping with the style. Because of it, I would aim to have at least the front of the trousers a bit shorter. Since your shoe will stop the pant at the same spot regardless, extra length can lead to a dramatically sloppy break in the front. YMMV.

 

[ATL]

Well, I just got the third round of alterations back, and the things are better, but still not right. I'm growing tired of this.

 

[Pentheos]

The jacket's waist is all wrong. The front button is holding on for dear life, the fabric is all puckered above the vents on the rear. The shoulders look a bit better, but the arms look worse. Overall, I think it looked better before your third round of alterations.

As someone else said, Sid Mashburn is not for you.

 

[momsdoc]

What did they do? The back looks worse, with nore rippling around your midsection. The front has more of an X than before, but the verical pucker on the right by the pocket is gone. The back of the pants are still a mess. I was initially concerned when you mentioned tapering the legs and also letting the pants out. You also questioned if more waist suppresion would help. This leads me to believe that you were going for the fasonable too tight skinny look. The initial alterations may be causing the problem by the knee, and if the leg opening was tightened than it was too extreme. How does an unaltered suit fit you? I suspect you could get a better result if you kept the proportions more traditional.

 

[FLMike]

Yikes. Lot's to fix yet.

 

[ATL]

Looking at the pictures, the only thing I think is better is the shoulders, which they tightened up. They fixed the collar roll as well, but now it's pulling in that area. They also slimmed down the sleeves, slimmed down the legs even more (it was said to be a solution to the pants looking off balance), and shortened the legs at the same time as they raised the waistband in the back. The pants are too short now. Initially, the trousers looked a lot better; I don't know why it's not coming across here. The back of the jacket still looks terrible, as does the front.

I'm at a loss, and I don't know what the solution is; I have no interest in going through another two of three rounds of tailoring in the hope that some of this gets fixed. I don't know if MTM would have fixed any of this.

 

[Flanderian]

I'm sorry, but this suit doesn't fit you.

When they've done the alterations, have you simply stated you weren't happy, and let them decide what needs to be done? Or did you offer opinions about how you think it should fit and what you wanted them to do? It's hard for me to believe that a competent retailer would let you walk out of the store looking like that.

 

[Mike Petrik]

Sid Mashburn has some very tasteful stuff, but ultimately their sweet-spot is not classically-proportioned well-fitted suits, and I believe that is the problem in your case. Cuff nailed it in post #6.

 

[gaseousclay]

I'm at a loss, and I don't know what the solution is; I have no interest in going through another two of three rounds of tailoring in the hope that some of this gets fixed.

there's only one solution left...