Due to me having rather large thighs from my rugby days, I also tend to have the trousers ‘thinned’ from the knee downwards. It helps bring my legs back into proportion, rather than it being just one straight line of material from waist to foot. Men’s tailoring is all about showing off your silhouette, so you want it to actually mirror the shape of your body. Or at least the bits you want to show.

‘Thinning’ the lower leg & bunching at the seat of the trousers

Jacket Adjustments

Speaking of which, let’s move on to the jacket – the place where much can be hidden or highlighted. Traditionally speaking, your jacket should end where your thumb joint begins when your hands are by your side. Some guys like them shorter (some a lot shorter) but I find that due to me having longer legs than I do torso, a normal length jacket proportions my overall silhouette nicely.

The most common alteration a guy should be having done to his jacket is getting it taken in at the sides. This helps to create or emphasise the effect of broad shoulders and a slim waist (the highly desirable ‘V’ silhouette), which is then mirrored by the shape of the lapels. It’s an easy alteration and really makes the world of difference.

Taking in the jacket sides

You can also get the sleeves thinned if you find that they are too baggy. Or you can have individual sleeves taken up or down if you happen to have odd length arms. As a good example, when being pinned for my suit, an old injury to my shoulder was playing up that causes my right shoulder to roll forward when I stand – this is why the jacket (below) shows a lot more of my right sleeve than the left.

Ideally you want to show half an inch to an inch of cuff from your sleeve. However, most guys will have shoulders that aren’t perfectly square, are rounded too much or have one side that naturally drops lower than the other.