Where have all the tall vests gone?
August 31, 2016 9:13 AM Subscribe
I'm a tall and slender man (not Slender Man) looking to purchase a vest.
I'm 6'4". I have a 38 chest but I'd be looking for something long or extra long. I'm more legs than torso and as a result I tend to wear my dress pants lower on my hips than on my waist to keep from looking like (as much of) a freak.
I'd like to find a plain gray wool vest, seven button if possible, that comes in the equivalent of a 38L. Shopping IRL was fruitless unless I consider the local haberdasher's offer to make one out of whole cloth for $300, which is quite a bit more than I was looking to spend for something that's potentially a one-time wear. All the Big & Tall stores I've visited take their title very literally - big and tall. There don't appear to be any Big OR Tall stores nearby.
Whatever I find will end up getting tailored somewhat but I don't think tailors have the magical ability to make things longer, and yet I'd like to avoid buying a XXL vest just to throw away a yard of fabric getting it tight around my torso.
I'm 6'4". I have a 38 chest but I'd be looking for something long or extra long. I'm more legs than torso and as a result I tend to wear my dress pants lower on my hips than on my waist to keep from looking like (as much of) a freak.
I'd like to find a plain gray wool vest, seven button if possible, that comes in the equivalent of a 38L. Shopping IRL was fruitless unless I consider the local haberdasher's offer to make one out of whole cloth for $300, which is quite a bit more than I was looking to spend for something that's potentially a one-time wear. All the Big & Tall stores I've visited take their title very literally - big and tall. There don't appear to be any Big OR Tall stores nearby.
Whatever I find will end up getting tailored somewhat but I don't think tailors have the magical ability to make things longer, and yet I'd like to avoid buying a XXL vest just to throw away a yard of fabric getting it tight around my torso.
If you want a more outdoors style rather than dressy, Filson sells very nice wool vests in tall sizes.
posted by Dip Flash at 12:28 PM on August 31, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by Dip Flash at 12:28 PM on August 31, 2016 [1 favorite]
I have a Filson wool vest, and it makes me eager for autumn because then I get to wear the vest seven days a week until spring!
I am about 6'1", 185 lbs., suit was 42L last time I bought one -- but I am long in the body and the legs (32" or 34" inseam). But this was 90-some dollars very well-spent indeed.
posted by wenestvedt at 11:08 AM on September 1, 2016
I am about 6'1", 185 lbs., suit was 42L last time I bought one -- but I am long in the body and the legs (32" or 34" inseam). But this was 90-some dollars very well-spent indeed.
posted by wenestvedt at 11:08 AM on September 1, 2016
Best answer: I ended up ordering one from a custom vest-maker on Etsy for cheaper than I could have had one made at my local haberdashery.
posted by komara at 12:50 PM on September 30, 2016
posted by komara at 12:50 PM on September 30, 2016
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You want somewhere that sells vests in suit sizing - for example like this. 38L may be a little hard to find, but menswear department people can often call other stores and find it for you.
And I wouldn't worry too much about the tailoring - getting it big and having the tailor cut it down a lot may turn out to be the most practical.
posted by pantarei70 at 10:40 AM on August 31, 2016 [1 favorite]