Categories: Shopping & Fashion

Understanding What Makes a Modern Slim-Cut Suit

The modern slim-fit suit fits entirely differently than a suit from 10 or 20 years ago. Modern suits are not cut in a restrictive manner and should never fit tightly, but they are cut in a manner that hugs your body, giving a more flattering silhouette and actually affording you more mobility than a loose-fitting suit. Pay attention to the details when suit shopping and you can see how the overall feel of the suit adds up to more than the sum of the small refinements that have been made in the past few years. A suit is not just a suit and knowing what design subtleties create that unique modern cut suit will help you make sure you are buying a suit that is contemporary and has a long lifespan in your wardrobe.

Coat Fit

The overall fit of the suit coat has taken a more form-fitting shape. The shoulders of a modern suit should be unpadded and about an inch narrower than they used to be. Shoulder pads are out and have been for a while. Note the way the modern slim cut suit hugs the shape of your shoulder and the ease of arm mobility that this allows. The front panels of the suit should feel thinner and more forgiving due to thinner canvas and lining materials. The coat should have a natural “fall” to it and should not feel crisp.

Coat Cut

A modern suit should also have a smaller footprint in addition to its trimmer silhouette. In years past, suits were boxy and the coat was expected to cover your rear-end. A modern suit should be about an inch shorter than those from a decade ago. Look for the bottom of the coat to fall halfway down your buttocks. Any shorter and you look like you are auditioning for an emo band and any longer and you risk looking dated. Sleeves are easily alterable by your clothing store’s tailor, but note that coat sleeves are now worn shorter than the traditional rule of thumb used to dictate. Ideally, you want to show a half inch to an inch of cuff, and have the coat sleeve fall at or just above your wrist.

Coat Design

Note the way a modern suit falls on your shirt/tie combination relative to the way they used to work together. That contemporary suit will have narrower lapels, keeping in proportion with the slimmer ties that are in fashion. You will also notice a lower button stance, exposing more shirt and tie. Two button suits are timeless and fit with this trend, while three button suits fall in and out of fashion.

Trouser Fit

Fitting with the modern fit of the coat, the fit of trousers has also trimmed down to a more form-fitting style. Flat front pants are the norm, but pleats can either be seen as more traditional or very high-fashion depending on the overall shape. Either way, ensure that the pant leg follows the shape of your legs and never becomes to billowy.

Trouser Tailoring

The traditional rule of thumb was that suit pants should fall directly at or above the heel of your shoe, but this has changed a bit since the turn of the century. Pants should fall just below the top of the shoe back. This allows for the sophisticated no break look, or for a subtle pant break at mid-shin. The lines of flat front pants flow most smoothly with an plain hem, that is a hem without a cuff. Pleats, however, leave the choice of pant bottom finishing solely up to personal preference.

The contributor loves the fact that the James Bond look is gaining widespread popularity in the suiting world at all price points.

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