Why You Need A Tailor

Finding the right size can be complicated. Unless you’re into custom made clothes, you want to be able to walk into a store, grab something off the rack, and leave having the item look perfect on you without any adjustments. While this is a nice fantasy, off-the-rack suits, pants, and jackets tend not to fit well for anyone.

A tailor will take the time to adjust those off-the-rack clothes for your body specifically, not some vague idea of what a particular body type looks like. Having a tailor means you no longer have to make do with close enough. After all, it’s uncomfortable walking around with pants that are a drop too long, so you keep stepping on them as they drag on the floor. Why do you want to do that when it’s easy to fix that problem?
Some problems can be prevented by taking simple measurements with a tape measure. However, while this may be good enough for a shirt kept under a jacket, it’s still highly recommended you see a tailor for finding a suit because he will take more intensive measurements to achieve a more accurate fit.

If you want to start taking measurements on your own, there are four places you need to measure: around your neck, down your arm, around your chest, and around your waist. For your neck, place the tape measure around your neck in the spot a shirt collar would sit. Measuring down your arm is to find your sleeve length. In this case, start from the back of your neck, bring the tape over your shoulder, down your arm, and stop at where a cuff would sit. When measuring your chest, wrap the tape around the widest part of your chest, which is usually directly under your arms. Finish up the measurement with your natural waistline, which is the narrowest part of your waist.

While you can attempt to use the previous measurements to find a suit off the rack, you’ll feel and look better if you don’t. Using a tailor is worth the investment because you’ll look like you’re wearing a custom-made suit, feel better about yourself, and have someone who can make minor size adjustments to your suit if you gain or lose a little weight.