Source of Athletic Cut Sport Coats?

[ggsitc]

I am in the market for a tweed sport jacket. My problem is this: I have been working my ass off the last four years and have dropped weight and muscled up (see my pix) which makes buying some clothing interesting.

With sport and suit jackets I have the problem of if it fits my chest and shoulders, it's like a tent around my middle. My other problem is that I am barely brushing the 6-ft tall mark so that puts me between regular and long cuts. Regulars are a bit short, and the longs are a bit too long.

I have done a little searching on the web and I see that there are places that carry athletic cut sport coats and suit jackets, but I was hoping someone in LPSG land might have more intimate sartorial knowledge to share with me, and others who may have the same issue. I checked a couple of local retailers today and they didn't even have a tweed jacket, let alone anything approaching an athletic cut. So that means the online mail order route and I'd like to get something right the first time and not get into the get it, try it on, send it back, try another routine.

Yeah, I could go the fully tailored route but would rather not go to that expense. I'd be happy to get something "close enough" that isn't too short or too long or (most importantly) too tent-ish.

If it matters, my measurements are shoulders 51", chest 45.5", waist 34" (and hopefully going down a bit more :biggrin1.

Thanks!!

 

[jack_n36]

You could always get one that fits through the shoulders and chest and get the waist / ab section taken in by a tailor. I'm a 40 chest, 32 waist and I get my suits in a 'City Fit' or 'Euro Cut'. Hope that helps.

 

[SCSea]

Graham and Gunn is the customs division of Hart Schaffner and Marx, and they have a marketing alliance with Costco (!) to do made-to-measure at a surprisingly affordable price. They had some nice tweeds at the last roadshow event. I have a thick neck, broad shoulders, ridiculously long arms and a gut but no love handles, and I'm VERY pleased with how my orders have turned out.

GRAHAM AND GUNN, LTD - DRESS SHIRTS

 

[actioncfc]

JC Penneys. The larger JCP have them and dress shirts w a athletic cut. They can also Internet order them for you or look on line at JCP.com. Btw good work! You look amazing!

 

[ggsitc]

Thanks for the tips so far. I actually started looking at JCP because I get their Stafford oxford short-sleeved shirts in the athletic cut, but I didn't see anything on their web site that indicated an athletic cut sport coat. I'll look again. The local JCP was also one of the stores I visited and saw no tweed anything. Maybe it was picked over from Christmas, plus they don't carry all their athletic cut lines in the stores. Those Stafford athletic cut shirts I can only get online, though they have the "fat guy" clothes on the rack in the stores ...

 

[open501s]

I really like the fit of Macy's Alfani Red label 'fitted shirts'.

 

[D_Alec_Baldtwins]

You might consider going to a higher-end clothing store like Nordstrom or Macys and telling one of the trained salespeople in their suit department what the problem is - they're used to dealing with things like this. They were very helpful to me when I went through this. Basically, each of the major suit designers is known for cutting their suits and jackets a certain way. Hugo Boss, for example, is generally known for slimmer, more fitted "athletic" cuts, whereas Joseph Abboud is more of a "big guy's" suit. They will help you find some lines that will work well for you. When the fit is right, you'll know it - you'll feel it the minute you put the jacket on, and you'll have a couple of "go-to" designers that will work for you when you need to buy something like this in the future.

 

[Blorkin]

Go to 3-Day Suit Broker. Do not go anywhere else except a tailor. The sales men in the store are beyond knowledgeable just tell them what you want. Also they are very very cheap (of course this is relative) these are name brands for dirt cheap. These are very nice suits. I got a Italian suit for about 200-300 (it was a long time ago) and they tailored it to fit me perfectly. Trust me you will not under any condition regret going to 3-Day Suit Broker.

 

[ggsitc]

Thanks for all the advice! The 3DaySuitBroker looks interesting except that it appears they don't do online shopping and I am a continent away from their stores.

I did do some looking at the web sites of Mens Warehouse, Macy's and Joseph A. Banks. Mens Warehouse was a joke. I clicked on a couple of things and they would have maybe one size available, and it would be something really extreme, like a 37 Short or a 57 Long. They had a link to "athletic cuts" and all it did was take me to the Big & Tall section. Both Macy's and Jos. A. Banks web sites have an interactive tool where you can enter your build and style you are looking for and it comes up with label recommendations for your build ... very cool. Since Macy's and Banks both have stores pretty close to me, I think I will take a wander through them and try a few things on and see where we go from there.

I agree that a tailor is probably the best way to go, but I am just not up for that expense or bother at the moment. Not to mention there's the whole adventure of finding a *good* tailor ...

 

[Blorkin]

Sorry for not realizing the continent away. You can always make your own fit. The site that I get my custom jeans from also does sports coats. Just have a friend take the measurements or find a tailor to do it for you and tell them you want more of an athletic fit. This way you bypass the need for a "good" tailor. Also you could try using Yelp to find a tailor.

 

[ggsitc]

Ah, very cool! I had heard of the custom jeans site but hadn't tried looking to see if there was something similar for sport coats and suit jackets.

I think the plan for the moment is to check out what Macy's and Jos. A. Banks has on the rack in labels that are cut for athletic builds and see how those work.

Lots of great tips and advice! This site isn't just big penises ... :tongue:

 

[SCSea]

Again, try the Graham and Gunn site I posted before. I just got my latest shipment of shirts on Friday, and the fit is perfect, and you have the backing of Costco, not some job shop in the Pearl River Delta you're paying by Paypal.

 

[ggsitc]

Thanks. I did have a look, and while their stuff looks great, their sport coat pricing is a little beyond what I had in mind. Though I do understand you get what you pay for!