Off The Rack vs Made-to-Measure | A Wolf In Wool

I’m going to let you in on a little secret… Despite what men’s fashion magazines would have you believe, tailoring is not going to change your life.

What it could be, is the difference.

The difference between looking like you’ve been squeezed into a suit that’s too small or a “hand-me-down that looks too big” one. It’s trousers that don’t pool over your shoes or show your ankles, it’s buttons that fasten comfortably and don’t stretch or contort the rest of the fabric, it’s shirts that have room in the chest but don’t billow in the arms and it’s collars that button without turning you blue.

Simply put, tailoring gives the wearer a garment that fits.

A modern coat of armor, perfectly balanced, that drapes beautifully over the wearer. A suit is the only garment, that has been built and designed, specifically, to accentuate the male form.

When executed correctly, a tailored suit can broaden and build the shoulders, suppress the waist, and give the impression of height. At the same time, it is luxurious to the touch, beautiful to look at, cool in the heat, and warm in the cold.

Birth of off the rack suits

Once upon a time, all garments were made for you, locally, in naturally occurring fabrics. As we moved through the 20th century, populations grew, demand grew and the off the rack suit was born

Today, the market is dominated by brands that create a variety of opaque fits and silhouettes. Slim and skinny, relaxed and regular, long and short. All without proper context, often with a premium price tag and rarely the perfect fit.

“Is that what a real man is supposed to look like?”

Edward Norton, Fight Club

And that’s the thing… We’re not all built the same. We cannot adhere to the ideals of some designer somewhere.

We hurl, we cycle, we lift weights or we don’t. We overindulge, we drink or we don’t – the list goes on.

The goldilocks effect.
An off-the-rack suit that’s too large (left).
An off-the-rack suit that’s too tight (centre).
A made-to-measure suit that’s just right (right).

But the fit and designs of these garments are a catch-all, an one frame fits all approach to sizing, whether it be S/M/L, chest sizes 36-50+ or collar sizes 14-20.

What a brand is telling you (the wearer) is that if you have, a 16” inch collar then you must have a corresponding arm length of 34″. But, as I’m sure your own personal experience can attest to, that is often not the case.

What do we do?

Which brings us to the question – how can we address this?

Well, a made to measure suit and shirt will go a long way to solving issues of fit.

Leaving aside the choices you have when buying custom tailoring (such as fabric, details, linings, style, etc.) the garment is cut for you.

It does not exist until you say so.

And you want it to:

Hit the outer curvature of your shoulder bone and then drop down in a clean line to your cuff.
Which should rest comfortably on your wrist bone, allowing an inch to half-inch of shirt fabric visible under your jacket.
Your buttons should fasten comfortably. Without significant gaps or an ‘x’ forming across the buttoning point (see below)
Your jacket should be like a good lawyer – it should cover your rear at all times.
Trousers that break once, over your shoes, stopping at your first lace.
Shirts that are slim through the body and arms, don’t untuck and button at the neck comfortably.

How can Wolf In Wool help?

Our suits can be designed according to your preference.

Whether you like double-breasted or single, two buttoned or one, peak or notch lapels, trousers with belt loops or side adjusters, cuffed or uncuffed, we’ve got different types of jacket pockets to choose from and 100s of fabric choices.

The customisation options are infinite. And the best part is, they fit perfectly.