What to do when you outgrow your suit
Suits these days for many are reserved for special occurrences. An interview, a wedding or a holiday celebration. Many people wear suits infrequently and yet want to have one that is available and fits well when the special occasion comes around. It used to be the case that you bought a suit and wore it every day to work and when it wore out, you either bought a new one or ideally got it mended. When you only wear suits occasionally though, you are unlikely to ever wear it out. Instead, there is a far greater likelihood you outgrow it. This is especially true of tuxedos. The average tuxedo is probably only worn a handful of times a year for black tie events and weddings. Even when you do wear a tuxedo it’s not for the entire day but only for a few hours spanning the duration of a given event. Tuxedos are quite expensive. You get an invite to a black-tie event; you rush to the closest store and purchase a tuxedo in some cases for $500 and then you don’t wear again for a while. A couple years down the line you get another invitation but you’ve now outgrown the tuxedo. You end up splurging on a new one. In essence you are buying clothes for a single evening which is very expensive and wasteful. In many cases not having attire the fits and the associated cost of procuring appropriate attire serves as a deterrent to attending such events. Whether black tie or white tie, some find themselves turning down invitations to events they would like to attend for this reason. Or in other cases you might reach out to the host and ask for an exemption from the stipulated dress code which is not ideal.
Instead, a much better solution would be to alter and adapt the tuxedo you have to continue to fit even when you outgrow the original size. For example, the below black tuxedo was too narrow as the wearer had outgrown it but otherwise was in excellent condition. Rather than buying a new one, this tuxedo was enlarged by widening it to ensure it fits and the two buttons on the front and can be buttoned with ease.
Specifically, black fabric was identified that was made from the same material but is a slightly different tone and was used to widen the tuxedo. Two strips were added on the back of tuxedo as you can see each one running from the armscye down to the bottom. This is done on each side symmetrically making it look like it was part of the tuxedo design to begin with. Thus, a tuxedo that you previously outgrew now fits perfectly fine. The exact amount of fabric is determined by your own measurements to ensure the altered tuxedo is in your size exactly. This way the next time you outgrow your tuxedo you don’t need to worry about whether you can attend your next black-tie event.
The same method can also be applied to suits. Let’s look an example of a black suit. For the jacket we apply the same principle we just same for the tuxedo.
The pants can also be enlarged using a strip of fabric that runs down the entire length of each side seam. The same fabric is used for the jacket and the pants ensuring they match. If the pants have pleats it may be tempting to just let the pleats out and then add a price of fabric to the beltline. This should be avoided as it will lead to unevenly shaped pants that suddenly become narrower at the point the pleats end leading a penguin look that is both uncomfortable to walk in and does not make for great optics. To say nothing of the fact that the pleats which ultimately make pants more comfortable are sacrificed. When it comes to widening the pants therefore, it’s important to widen them consistently by ensuring the fabric runs down the side of the pants. This will ensure comfort, symmetry and ensure the pants continue to match the jacket.
Below is an example of a blue cotton summer suit that was also made larger. Cotton fabric was chosen to match the material of the suit. When following this method there will be a slight contrast which is why the new fabric is added in a symmetrical fashion to make it look like it’s part of the original design. Care should be taken to make sure that if the pants are cuffed the fabric runs the entire length of the pants cuffs as well.
In addition to suits, when you outgrow a blazer, it can also be widened it. See below a light blue summer blazer that was too narrow and has been enlarged. It’s worth noting that since the fabric is added on the back sides none of it is visible at the front of the blazer.
Dark blue winter wool blazer jacket that was enlarged. Lining was added on the inside to widen the lining since it needs to match the new width of the jacket.
Seer sucker blazer that was enlarged by adding a dark striped fabric with horizontal lines. This is an unlined summer jacket. Given that it is composed of a fusion of striped blue patterns the added fabric blends in with the rest of the blazer elegantly.
A cashmere blazer that was enlarged by adding two pieces of cashmere fabric to each back side. It should be noted that cashmere is a lot more expensive than wool or cotton. For wool suits which are most common it’s much more economical.
A concern with widening suits is that there is a slight contrast due to the fabric added not matching the original fabric used to construct the suit or jacket. This can be addressed by letting out an existing suit. To do so additional fabric would need to be sewn in at the seams at the time the suit is made. Specifically, at the back of both the jacket and the pants, the seam ought to contain spare fabric that can be used to let out the garment. While this used to be the case with high end garments allowing a bit of an allowance for future alterations, today’s mass produced ready to wear suits do not contain any such allowance as the exact amount of fabric needed to make the suit is cut with none to spare in the interest of minimizing costs and maximizing margin. This comes at the expense of the longevity and sustainability of your clothes.
We are committed to designing and sewing formalwear including tuxedos and suits that are constructed to include spare fabric at the seams making them easy to let them out. That way a tuxedo even when infrequently worn becomes worth the investment when you know it can be adjusted and let out when you outgrow it while using the same fabric to ensure it looks exactly the same while budgeting for future weight gains or weightliftib