Fit guide

Fit is what makes cheap clothes look expensive. Start with the four checks from the video, then use the rest of this page when you're buying something new.

The one rule: buy for your shoulders, tailor everything else. A tailor can shorten, hem and take in. They can't really fix shoulders.

The four checks from the video

1. Pants pooling on your shoes

**Not that.** Wide trousers bunching over the shoes

Check: Stand in the shoes you'll wear them with. The hem should just touch the top of the shoe, with one small fold or none.
Fix: Hem them. A tailor usually charges $15 to $25. Next time, buy by inseam: measure a pair that fits from the crotch seam to the hem.

2. Sleeves covering your hands

**Not that.** Sweater sleeves hanging over the hands

**This.** Blazer sleeve ending at the wrist with the shirt cuff showing

Check: Arms relaxed at your sides. The sleeve should stop at your wrist bone. Under a jacket, about a quarter to half an inch of shirt cuff should show.
Fix: Jackets and coats: a tailor shortens sleeves, usually $20 to $40. Sweaters: hard to shorten, so size down or look for a shorter sleeve length.

3. Shoulder seams hanging off

**Not that.** Oversized tee with the shoulder seam down the arm

**This.** Grey tee with the seam on the edge of the shoulder

Check: Find the seam where the sleeve joins the body. It should sit right on the edge of your shoulder bone, not down your arm and not pulling up toward your neck.
Fix: Size down. This is the one a tailor can't really fix, so it decides the size you buy. Get the shoulders right first.

4. Skin-tight tees

**Not that.** Blue tee stretched tight across the chest and arms

Check: Close at the chest, a little room at the waist. Sleeves end around mid-bicep and touch your arm without squeezing it. The hem lands around the middle of your fly.
Fix: Go for a medium fit. Not painted on, not a tent. If you're between sizes, pick the one with the right shoulders (see 3).

Fit check, piece by piece

Shirts

Collar: buttoned, two fingers slide in without it choking you.
Shoulders: the seam sits on the edge of your shoulder bone.
Body: no pulling or gaps between the buttons. A little room at the waist, not a parachute.
Sleeves: the cuff ends at your wrist bone and stays there when you reach forward.
Length: tucked shirts cover your seat. Untucked ones stop around the middle of your fly.

Knitwear

Sweaters, quarter-zips, cardigans and knit polos all follow the same rules.
The hem lands around your belt. Past your seat looks sloppy.
Close at the chest without stretching the knit. Cable knits can have a bit more room.
Cuffs at the wrist bone. Ribbed cuffs can push up a little.
Shoulder seam on your shoulder, unless the sweater is cut to drop on purpose.

Jackets and blazers

The shoulders end where yours do, with no dent below the shoulder pad.
Buttoned up, there's no X-shaped pull around the button. If there is, size up.
A blazer covers most of your seat. Casual jackets (suede, harrington, chore) stop at or just below the belt.
About a quarter to half an inch of shirt cuff shows past the sleeve.

Trousers and chinos

Rise: the waistband sits at or a little below your navel, not down on your hips.
Seat: the fabric lies flat. No sagging, and no lines pulling across.
Leg: narrows toward the ankle without hugging your calf.
No break: the hem just touches the shoe. Best with loafers and sneakers.
Slight break: one soft fold at the shoe. Works with almost everything.
Full break: lots of fabric piled on the shoe. Skip it, it looks dated.

Jeans

Same rise and seat rules as trousers. Straight or a slight taper.
One small stack at the ankle is fine. More than that, get them hemmed.
Raw (unwashed) denim stretches at the waist and can shrink in length, so follow the brand's size advice.

Coats

Try it on over the thickest sweater you'll wear under it.
With that sweater on, the shoulders still sit on yours and you can cross your arms.
The sleeve covers your shirt and sweater cuffs.
A topcoat that ends just above the knee is the easiest length to wear.

Buying online without guessing

Most returns are a size guess gone wrong. Measure something you already own instead of guessing.

Find a piece that already fits you right, the same kind of thing you're buying.
Lay it flat and measure. Tops: armpit to armpit, shoulder seam to shoulder seam, collar to hem, and shoulder seam to cuff. Pants: waist straight across the top, inseam from the crotch seam to the hem, and the leg opening.
Open the store's size chart and look for garment measurements, not body measurements. If the chart lists a full chest or waist, double your flat number. Match within about half an inch.
Between sizes? Go by the shoulders for tops and the waist for pants. A tailor can fix the rest.
Before you order, skim three reviews for "runs small" or "runs big."

Keep the fit

Wash cotton cold and hang it dry. A hot dryer can take a size off tees and chinos.
100% cotton shrinks a little in the first few washes, so buy chinos a touch long and hem them after the first wash, not before.
Fold sweaters. Hangers stretch out the shoulders.
Wool and cashmere: hand wash cold or dry clean now and then, and lay them flat to dry.

Take these to a tailor

Hem pants or jeans	$15 to $25
Take in a pants waist	$15 to $30
Taper the legs	$25 to $45
Shorten jacket or coat sleeves	$20 to $40
Take in a shirt at the sides	$20 to $30

Typical US prices. They vary by city and tailor, so ask before you drop it off.

Not worth paying for

Fix the shoulders	Rarely works. Buy for the shoulders instead.
Make something bigger	There's usually not enough fabric inside to let out.
Shorten a jacket's body	It throws off the pockets and buttons.