where to buy a smaller mens suit?
April 3, 2012 1:04 PM Subscribe
[men's suit help for a smaller genderqueer suit wearer] i'm a 32-34 chest with small arms. is my only option a custom made suit?
i'm in the d.c. area and am having a fancy love event this fall. i am willing to travel to nyc if necessary. i have tried on "boys" suits at major department stores but the sleeves are to small and the pants are either pleated (no thank you for me) or too small (the rumpshaker/hips).
i have gone to some "custom" suit shops in dc but their frames start at a 36 for the jacket and my arms end up swimming in them (eating more hamburgers won't help, although a number of shops have offered up that advice). even if a "traditional men's jacket" fits my chest, my arms and shoulders generally make me look like a little kid in a parent's jacket. i should also note that i'm a bit of a dandy, so that's the flavor of suit that i am dreaming of - just not sure i can make it happen :)
i already know about many of the online resources for "gender queer/transgender men" and fashion but i'm too small for some of those suggestions.
any tips or suggestions from people who wear smaller "men's" suits would be appreciated thanks!
i'm in the d.c. area and am having a fancy love event this fall. i am willing to travel to nyc if necessary. i have tried on "boys" suits at major department stores but the sleeves are to small and the pants are either pleated (no thank you for me) or too small (the rumpshaker/hips).
i have gone to some "custom" suit shops in dc but their frames start at a 36 for the jacket and my arms end up swimming in them (eating more hamburgers won't help, although a number of shops have offered up that advice). even if a "traditional men's jacket" fits my chest, my arms and shoulders generally make me look like a little kid in a parent's jacket. i should also note that i'm a bit of a dandy, so that's the flavor of suit that i am dreaming of - just not sure i can make it happen :)
i already know about many of the online resources for "gender queer/transgender men" and fashion but i'm too small for some of those suggestions.
any tips or suggestions from people who wear smaller "men's" suits would be appreciated thanks!
A lot of the genderqueer / trans men I know do a lot of shopping for low priced but quality suits on Etsy and Ebay and then take them to a good tailor.
posted by Jon_Evil at 1:11 PM on April 3, 2012
posted by Jon_Evil at 1:11 PM on April 3, 2012
I can't help with getting a precise fit, but for "in the meantime" suits/menswear, I find that the slim-cut suits and dress shirts at H&M run REALLY slim. I'm 5'4" and thin-limbed, and I buy my blazers from the mens side of H&M.
posted by JuliaIglesias at 1:16 PM on April 3, 2012 [2 favorites]
posted by JuliaIglesias at 1:16 PM on April 3, 2012 [2 favorites]
Seconding JuliaIglesias on H&M as a great resource. Also for blazers, Uniqlo.
A store that caters specifically to short men (if you are under 5'6" in height) might have more options in your size range.
Honestly, though, all my shorter and slighter FTM and genderqueer friends and acquaintances buy their suits from Duchess.
posted by Sidhedevil at 1:25 PM on April 3, 2012
A store that caters specifically to short men (if you are under 5'6" in height) might have more options in your size range.
Honestly, though, all my shorter and slighter FTM and genderqueer friends and acquaintances buy their suits from Duchess.
posted by Sidhedevil at 1:25 PM on April 3, 2012
Many blogs are recommending SuitSupply as an option for custom suits that won't cost an arm and a leg. You can supply your own measurements for what you need and have a suit made to measure.
Other options would be finding a suit that's close, and tailoring/altering it. Sleeves can be taken up, jackets can be taken in, etc.
posted by smitt at 1:36 PM on April 3, 2012
Other options would be finding a suit that's close, and tailoring/altering it. Sleeves can be taken up, jackets can be taken in, etc.
posted by smitt at 1:36 PM on April 3, 2012
If you go the Uniqlo route and don't want to travel to their store in NYC, the website Suddenlee will shop there on your behalf and ship to you for a small fee.
posted by Apropos of Something at 1:38 PM on April 3, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by Apropos of Something at 1:38 PM on April 3, 2012 [1 favorite]
Express gets mentioned a lot when it comes to smaller men's clothing. (I can't say I've ever been into one, but apparently they do suits.)
Jackets do sometimes go down to 34, but you have to strike it lucky. Men's Wearhouse gets mentioned a lot and goes down to a 35S. But, mostly, the small guys I know shop in the boy's department, presumably because it's cheaper than going custom.
For tailoring, apparently you need to find a jacket that fits in the shoulders, as that's the least-changeable part. (I can get away with a 36 jacket if it runs a little small and have much call for dressing up, so I've never investigated.)
The all-out option is probably the boy's section of Brooks Brothers, possibly with some tailoring, but the selection's limited.
posted by hoyland at 1:39 PM on April 3, 2012
Jackets do sometimes go down to 34, but you have to strike it lucky. Men's Wearhouse gets mentioned a lot and goes down to a 35S. But, mostly, the small guys I know shop in the boy's department, presumably because it's cheaper than going custom.
For tailoring, apparently you need to find a jacket that fits in the shoulders, as that's the least-changeable part. (I can get away with a 36 jacket if it runs a little small and have much call for dressing up, so I've never investigated.)
The all-out option is probably the boy's section of Brooks Brothers, possibly with some tailoring, but the selection's limited.
posted by hoyland at 1:39 PM on April 3, 2012
You can order online from Top Man, which I thoroughly recommend. I am a genderqueer woman with short arms and I have never bought a jacket from anywhere else. A grey tweed suit I bought there about eighteen months ago is particularly dear to my heart. Basically they make clothes that go down to teenagers' sizes, but in shapes and styles that look like adult clothing. Bonus: some of the more unusual sizes frequently show up on sale. In my experience Uniqlo shirts are great, but the jackets are a bit boxy. H&M are OK for T-Shirts and jumpers, but the suits and shirts look much cheaper - the seams are wrong.
Since you have a while, it also may be worth sifting through some proper vintage stuff - ie not flares and disco gear, but real early twentieth-century clothing. People used to come in smaller sizes. I have a tailcoat I bought in an antique shop years ago that I wore to formal dinners all through university. It's difficult to find men's vintage retailers, though - and many of them are just full of the aforementioned zoot suits.
Additional point about TopMan: I know you aren't going to be able to make it to a store, but it's worth mentioning that I have always felt incredibly comfortable shopping there, even when I walked into the barber's concession in the Oxford Street branch and made a booking with what was obviously a girl's name.
posted by Acheman at 1:56 PM on April 3, 2012 [1 favorite]
Since you have a while, it also may be worth sifting through some proper vintage stuff - ie not flares and disco gear, but real early twentieth-century clothing. People used to come in smaller sizes. I have a tailcoat I bought in an antique shop years ago that I wore to formal dinners all through university. It's difficult to find men's vintage retailers, though - and many of them are just full of the aforementioned zoot suits.
Additional point about TopMan: I know you aren't going to be able to make it to a store, but it's worth mentioning that I have always felt incredibly comfortable shopping there, even when I walked into the barber's concession in the Oxford Street branch and made a booking with what was obviously a girl's name.
posted by Acheman at 1:56 PM on April 3, 2012 [1 favorite]
vintage stuff...People used to come in smaller sizes.
People did use to be, on average, shorter and slighter and slimmer than they are now, but the other reason smaller sizes are easier to find in vintage is that it's easier to take clothes in than to let them out, so the smaller clothes didn't get passed on from person to person the way the larger clothes did.
But vintage is a fantastic suggestion. I have a friend who acquired an enormous wardrobe of very small sized bespoke suits, which (per the store owner) were from the estate of a jockey.
posted by Sidhedevil at 2:03 PM on April 3, 2012
People did use to be, on average, shorter and slighter and slimmer than they are now, but the other reason smaller sizes are easier to find in vintage is that it's easier to take clothes in than to let them out, so the smaller clothes didn't get passed on from person to person the way the larger clothes did.
But vintage is a fantastic suggestion. I have a friend who acquired an enormous wardrobe of very small sized bespoke suits, which (per the store owner) were from the estate of a jockey.
posted by Sidhedevil at 2:03 PM on April 3, 2012
My husband is 5'4", and Men's Wearhouse tailored the sleeves and pants legs lengths down for him very nicely on a couple of suits. This will only work, of course, if the jacket is at least close to fitting in the shoulder. And of course their styles may not be dandy enough for you.
posted by hydropsyche at 3:09 PM on April 3, 2012
posted by hydropsyche at 3:09 PM on April 3, 2012
Love Boat sells great binders, and they have a tiny selection of clothes, including a black blazer, and matching pants. They have measurements posted in centimeters, so you'll have to convert or remeasure. They also have a great swim suit thing, which is awesome if you're in the market for one.
Hudson's FTM page also has some good resources posted - I don't have time to go through them to give you specific ideas, but both this Men's Clothing for Small Guys and Suits and Ties are useful starting points. The first one has a list of suggested retailers at the bottom.
Have you searched for ftm suits? I can try later, because there's a huge number of bloggers who talk about this, and my guess is there are some more helpful suggestions.
posted by barnone at 3:17 PM on April 3, 2012 [1 favorite]
Hudson's FTM page also has some good resources posted - I don't have time to go through them to give you specific ideas, but both this Men's Clothing for Small Guys and Suits and Ties are useful starting points. The first one has a list of suggested retailers at the bottom.
Have you searched for ftm suits? I can try later, because there's a huge number of bloggers who talk about this, and my guess is there are some more helpful suggestions.
posted by barnone at 3:17 PM on April 3, 2012 [1 favorite]
A related thread, for overall help: Short FtM friend needs help with clothes.
posted by barnone at 3:25 PM on April 3, 2012
posted by barnone at 3:25 PM on April 3, 2012
Hmm... Did my last comment get deleted? Will try again:
The Butch Clothing Company - they are in the UK but will do Skype consultations and you send your measurements. Nice results and at least they'll understand the general look.
posted by barnone at 4:52 PM on April 3, 2012
The Butch Clothing Company - they are in the UK but will do Skype consultations and you send your measurements. Nice results and at least they'll understand the general look.
posted by barnone at 4:52 PM on April 3, 2012
Response by poster: wow! so many amazing recommendations. i will look through them tonight and tomorrow! if anyone else has other ideas, please feel free share them (for my benefit and for other folks).
i promise to update this thread with what i find in my suit search journey - and will also share some final pics (although that is many months from now)! i really want to feel like myself when i share my commitment with my community. wearing the right clothes is a big part of that. hank you again so much!
posted by anya32 at 7:49 PM on April 3, 2012 [1 favorite]
i promise to update this thread with what i find in my suit search journey - and will also share some final pics (although that is many months from now)! i really want to feel like myself when i share my commitment with my community. wearing the right clothes is a big part of that. hank you again so much!
posted by anya32 at 7:49 PM on April 3, 2012 [1 favorite]
If you're up for a few more, Dyke Duds is usually a bit more casual than a suit, but it's a) Queer Satorialist mixed with a bit of Tumbler, and b) Often has good suggestions of clothing brands or specific pieces. Plus it's super cute :-D [warning - they are running an 'ugliest outfit' contest right now, so don't think it's just bad fashion!]
Fit for a Femme is a personal fashion/style blog gone queer! Probably not your taste, but she's got some good links and quirky style. Maybe you can pass it along to some femme-y types in your life.
A Custom Fit: Tailoring Tips For Wearing Menswear - on Autostraddle. There are some hilarious fashion pieces here.
Finally, a new thing called TrueFit was just launched by a few online retailers like Macy's and Nordstrom's, but I believe it covers a good number of brands, so it might even be helpful in other places. Basically, you enter your size, clothes and styles you like, and general fit stuff, and it supposedly helps you figure out how other clothes would fit on you. Right now it's only in the women's sections, but they're planning on extending it to men's too. And it might even be helpful for andro/genderqueer/queer type clothing shopping -- I haven't tried it out yet. Autostraddle explains it here.
I follow approximately 800 queer/dykey/genderqueer/andro/butchy blogs so feel free to update if you have any more specifics :-)
posted by barnone at 8:19 PM on April 3, 2012 [1 favorite]
Fit for a Femme is a personal fashion/style blog gone queer! Probably not your taste, but she's got some good links and quirky style. Maybe you can pass it along to some femme-y types in your life.
A Custom Fit: Tailoring Tips For Wearing Menswear - on Autostraddle. There are some hilarious fashion pieces here.
Finally, a new thing called TrueFit was just launched by a few online retailers like Macy's and Nordstrom's, but I believe it covers a good number of brands, so it might even be helpful in other places. Basically, you enter your size, clothes and styles you like, and general fit stuff, and it supposedly helps you figure out how other clothes would fit on you. Right now it's only in the women's sections, but they're planning on extending it to men's too. And it might even be helpful for andro/genderqueer/queer type clothing shopping -- I haven't tried it out yet. Autostraddle explains it here.
I follow approximately 800 queer/dykey/genderqueer/andro/butchy blogs so feel free to update if you have any more specifics :-)
posted by barnone at 8:19 PM on April 3, 2012 [1 favorite]
Marimacho! From their website: "Marimacho is a masculine clothing line for cis women and transmasculine bodies. We design in-house, manufacture locally and distribute our entire line via our website. Our primary focus is fit. We make classic masculine garments with narrower armholes and necklines, shorter sleeve lengths, more bust room, etc. In this way, we offer cis women, trans men and gender queer folks the same standards of fit and style available in mainstream menswear. Marimacho is dedicated to creating classic masculine fashion that empowers people of all genders.
The Marimacho aesthetic is a combination of dandy fashion and urban motifs. The last five years have seen an evolution of style consciousness among genderqueer people, which has ushered in a new fashion subculture. Marimacho is born out of this emerging style ethos. The prevailing aesthetic draws from early to mid-20th century menswear, characterized by bow ties, vests, tailored suits and button-downs. Long gone are the fashion stereotypes of the tragically unstylish masculine women; the modern queer aesthetic is tailored, sophisticated and timeless. This is Marimacho’s inspiration."
Duchess Clothier is also an excellent option if you're interested in a truly custom suit.
posted by dizziest at 9:51 AM on April 4, 2012
The Marimacho aesthetic is a combination of dandy fashion and urban motifs. The last five years have seen an evolution of style consciousness among genderqueer people, which has ushered in a new fashion subculture. Marimacho is born out of this emerging style ethos. The prevailing aesthetic draws from early to mid-20th century menswear, characterized by bow ties, vests, tailored suits and button-downs. Long gone are the fashion stereotypes of the tragically unstylish masculine women; the modern queer aesthetic is tailored, sophisticated and timeless. This is Marimacho’s inspiration."
Duchess Clothier is also an excellent option if you're interested in a truly custom suit.
posted by dizziest at 9:51 AM on April 4, 2012
I can recommend MySuitNY. I found out about them per this post on DapperQ. I had a suit made there for our wedding and worked with the same guy, he was great. I'm 5'4" and have the shortest arms ever and it was no problem. It's not custom as in bespoke, but they use standard patterns and adjust to your size. And they have lots of fun choices to make like button color, the color of the thread, etc. I traveled to NYC, got measured and they mailed me the suit when it was done. You have one free fitting after that, but i didn't need it.
posted by jdl at 7:04 PM on April 4, 2012
posted by jdl at 7:04 PM on April 4, 2012
I know you tried department stores, have you tried a stand-alone Ralph Lauren kids store for boys suits?
My husband is 5' 2" with a 32 or 34" chest, and nothing in the department stores or Brooks Brothers or the hassidic stores in Brooklyn fit, but Ralph Lauren kids was amazing.
The pants that came with the suit we chose were pleated, but we were able to get them unpleated (via the store tailor) for an additional $80. All told it was between $500 and $600 for a very nice suit that we could not have gotten off the rack anywhere else. And we were wary of made to measure because he isn't a typical mens size and doesn't have typical proportions.
Also, the sales people at Ralph Lauren kids were incredibly nice and helpful and did not bat an eye about the situation whereas everywhere else we went we were ignored or condescended to.
I'm definitely looking forward to your update (and excited about the new options this thread is giving us)!
posted by (Over) Thinking at 8:32 PM on April 4, 2012
My husband is 5' 2" with a 32 or 34" chest, and nothing in the department stores or Brooks Brothers or the hassidic stores in Brooklyn fit, but Ralph Lauren kids was amazing.
The pants that came with the suit we chose were pleated, but we were able to get them unpleated (via the store tailor) for an additional $80. All told it was between $500 and $600 for a very nice suit that we could not have gotten off the rack anywhere else. And we were wary of made to measure because he isn't a typical mens size and doesn't have typical proportions.
Also, the sales people at Ralph Lauren kids were incredibly nice and helpful and did not bat an eye about the situation whereas everywhere else we went we were ignored or condescended to.
I'm definitely looking forward to your update (and excited about the new options this thread is giving us)!
posted by (Over) Thinking at 8:32 PM on April 4, 2012
Response by poster: thanks for the additional wonderful suggestions! i have already checked out ebay (who knew you can search by size and as small as 32/34 chest?) and all of the other links. this gives me so much to work with! thank you thank you! i promise to keep the thread updated!
posted by anya32 at 1:13 PM on April 10, 2012
posted by anya32 at 1:13 PM on April 10, 2012
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by ssg at 1:10 PM on April 3, 2012