How Your Suit or Tuxedo Should Fit

While it’s said that all eyes will be on the bride on the wedding day, that doesn’t mean the groom doesn’t need to dress to impress. And a big part of that is making sure your suit or tux fit perfectly.

Our Generation Tux team explains that a great fitting suit or tux should make you stand taller and exude confidence. But don’t simply ask yourself how it looks—pay attention to how it feels when you’re wearing it. “Currently the trend is wearing garments very fitted and close to the body, but this isn’t for everyone,” she says. “You want to make sure you are comfortable on your big day.”

When in doubt, take advantage of our Free Home Try-on for the groom so you can do a fitting in the comfort of your home. To make the process even easier, Wiley is sharing her top tips to ensure the best fit.

How Should a Suit Fit?

THE JACKET

• The jack­et’s length should land right where your butt starts to curve inward.
• The hem of the jacket should hit around the mid­dle of your hand.
• The shoulder seams should sit around the bend of your shoulder, so it doesn’t look boxy or pull across the back.

Pro Tip: If you choose to wear a two-button jacket, only button the top one. With a three-but­ton jack­et, always but­ton the top one—the middle button is up to you.

THE SHIRT SLEEVE

• The shirt sleeve should land at your wrist where your hand starts to widen.
• The jack­et sleeve should end with enough room to show off about a half inch of your shirt sleeve
• Make sure your shirt is ful­ly but­toned (including the collar) and tucked in to determine prop­er sleeve length.

Pro Tip: Keep your arms hanging naturally at your sides to determine the right jacket and shirt length. Putting your arms above your head or out in front will make them too short.

THE PANTS

• Make sure the pants’ waist sits at your nat­ur­al waist or right below your belly but­ton.
• Your pants should have about a half-inch break, land­ing at the back of the shoe.
• Pant breaks vary from no break to a double break. No break means the pant hem is right at the ankle and there are no fabric folds around the shoe, while a single break is one fold of fabric around the shoe and a double is two folds of fabric.

Pro Tip: Make sure you put your shoes on once you are fully dressed to see where the pant length hits and that you are happy with the length.

Is it too tight?

You’ll know pretty quickly if the jacket is too small, says Wiley, because it will pull across your back shoulders and won’t allow you to move comfortably. Another telltale sign is if you can’t button the jacket front.

Is it too big?

This can be a bit trickier, but be sure to avoid a boxy look, by having the front of the jacket hug the body and naturally drape to create a second skin.

Don’t forget…

Tuxedo pants do not have belt loops; they are reserved for suspenders or a cummerbund.

A pocket square and fashion socks are a great way to show your personal style and compliment your look.

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