Slim Fit Suits: Here’s What You Need To Know

As the name suggests, the slim fit is a style which is closely fitted to the body with a small amount of excess fabric, thus creating a sharp, trim look. Slim-fit jackets are nipped in at the waist and have narrower-cut shoulders. Trousers are cut in a slim and sleek silhouette to finish off the suit neatly.

Wondering whether a slim-fit suit is right for you?

A slim fit isn’t ideal if the fabric in your suit looks strained, so the first step is to ensure that the slim-fit look is right for you. If you’re on the slim side and are comfortable wearing slim jeans or trousers, then it’s more likely you’ll that a slim-fit suit is a right cut for you. That said, It’s extremely rare to try on a suit and find that it fits absolutely perfectly; getting some quick tailoring will almost always improve a suit exponentially.

When shopping to purchase a new slim-fit suit, where do you start? considering all the different brands and price ranges. We’ve done the hard work for you by comparing several popular brands.

When it comes down to it, you need three main things to decide: your personal preferences, your budget, and any other requirements unique to the situation.

We have put together 5 things that make a slim-fit suit loot its best below:

1. Trousers are slim, very subtly tapered, and sit at the top of the shoes

When trousers of a slim-fit suit fit well, you should have enough fabric to pinch two inches off the thigh when standing, and a bit more room around the bottom of the ankle. (Trousers of a skinny suit, on the other hand, would be tight at the ankles.) The trousers should sit at the top of the shoes–slightly shorter than the trousers of a standard suit.

2. The shirt must be slim-fit, so it doesn’t bunch

If you wear an ordinary shirt with a slim suit, it’ll end up scrunched under your jacket; a slim shirt, on the other hand, won’t bunch.

3. Your jacket’s shoulder seams sit on the ends of your shoulder blades

If the shoulder seams of your suit jacket sit on the ends of your shoulder blades, the arms will lie smoothly and the whole jacket will look its best. If the seams sit closer to your neck, the fabric will stretch around the shoulders and make you look larger. And if the shoulders are too big, they will create ‘divots’—puckers of excess fabric right under the seam that make the whole suit look old-fashioned.

4. Your jacket’s body shouldn’t be too tight

Firstly, you should be able to do up all the jacket’s buttons without the fabric around the waist being too tight. And here’s another way to tell if it fits: When you button the top button and pull it out from your stomach with your thumb, there should be about an inch of space. If there’s any more than an inch, the jacket’s too big; if there’s any less it’ll bunch or stretch around your chest or stomach.”

5. The tie and lapels are slim

It stands to reason that if you’re wearing a slim-fit suit, your tie and lapel should be narrower proportionately. At its widest point, your tie should be no wider than a credit card, and your lapel can be the same width or a centimetre or two wider. If your tie and lapels are any wider than this, they’ll overwhelm your whole look; if they’re any thinner, your suit will look trendy.