The first and most important part in buying a suit or having one custom made is being familiar with suit measurements and in particular your suit measurements. Below you can learn how to properly measure yourself for your suit size and will also learn about the sizes that ready to wear suits are available. The fit of one's suit and make or break appearances. As a side note, this guide uses inches, so if you are more comfortable with centimeters, just multiply by 2.54 to convert inches into centimeters.
Measuring For The Jacket
Measuring yourself can sometimes be a task, so if you already own a well fitting jacket you can instead take your measurements directly from the jacket itself. This will be especially beneficial if you are planning on buying the same brand of suit as your jacket. The measurements within the same brand should be identical and you can just ask for the same size. But not all brands are alike, so here is what you need to do to find your measurements.
For shoulder length, measure your shoulders from side to side. If you are measuring a jacket, then measure the shoulder length from seam to seam.
The chest measurement is what is used to determine the size of your jacket. So if your chest is 38 inches then your jacket size is a 38. To measure your chest, you must measure around the fullest part. This is typically right under your armpits, just make sure that the tape covers your shoulder blades around back. On a jacket, measure the front of the jacket under the sleeves from armpit to armpit and then multiply by two.
Next, the sleeves. You will need to measure up from the top of the shoulder to the preferred point on the wrist. If you are measuring a jacket, just measure from the top of the shoulder sleeve all of the way down to the cuff.
The length of the jacket is determined by the measurement from the bottom of your neck down to your crotch. If you are measuring your jacket just start at the collar and go down to the bottom to get the proper measurement. Measuring The Pants
Like your jacket, if you have some well fitting pants you may use those to find your proper measurements. If you do not own a properly fitted pair of pants, then here is how you must proceed.
To get your waist size, measure the lower part of your waist while placing your finger behind the tape. To measure a pair of pants you own, measure the waist's width and double your result.
The length of the pants is obtained from the inseam. To measure the inseam, start at the crotch inside the leg, down to the foot. If you are measuring pants, measure from the crotch seam down to the leg's end.
The neck must be measured around its fullest part to get the proper measurement. No one wants a shirt that is too snug in the neck.
Typically jacket sizes start with an XS at 34 in. and can go up to an XXXL at 54 in. Pants can range anywhere from an XS at 26 in to an XXXL at 50 in. Sizes to vary from brand to brand, so its best to know your size before you get to the retailer.
