Men's Dress Suit Separates
Getting the Right Fit from Properly Sized Dress Pants and Jackets
Sep 15, 2008
The traditional method of buying men’s business suits is to select a suit that comes complete with a jacket, slacks and possibly a vest. The pants do not have a hem, so a tailor needs to hem the pants and make any alterations in order for the suit fit properly.
In a well made suit separate, the jacket and slacks are sold separately. The jacket and pants are also sized individually, and the pants are hemmed to standard lengths.
For instance, a traditional suit would be sold off the rack with a coat size of 42; the pants would have a waist size of 36 and the pants would not be hemmed. The garments could be adjusted by a tailor, and the pants would be hemmed, often for an additional cost.
With a suit separate, that size 42 coat can be paired with pants of any waist size and pre-set length size. No tailoring is required.
Advantages of Suit Separates
- Suit separates are ready to wear. They are already tailored to a specific size, and the pants are pre-hemmed. Select a set off the rack and they can be worn that day.
- Unlike most suits, the separates the jacket size can be substantially different than the waist size of the pants.
- Since the pants portion of a suit generally receives more wear and tear, the user can buy more than multiple pair of pants to in the same cloth of the jacket. This does not have to be done at the time of the initial purchase.
- There is no additional cost for tailoring the suit.
Disadvantages of Suit Separates
- The color and style selection of suit separates is much more limited than with the traditional suit, which is available in weaves, checks and herringbone patterns, which are not often available in suit separates.
- Traditional Suits can be tailored to fit body types that do not fit the standard sizes available in suit separates. Separates are rarely available in odd sizes.
- With fewer choices in suit separates, it is not always possible to find unusual, or the most common sizes, especially during a sale.
- Currently, most separates are only available in cuffs; tailoring allows a choice of straight hem or cuffs.
Choosing a New Suit
In order to have a nice group of suits for any business occasion, a mixture of traditional suits and suit separates provides a good mixture of style and convenience. Whatever type of suit you choose, make sure it is fitted well, or good material and appropriate for the intended use. Complete with a great shirt and necktie.
