sports coat shoulder indent?
The sleeve at the upper arm area is not as flush as I have seen pictures of well fitting suit jackets and sports coat. It doesn't drape in a completely flush way. Is it unrealistic to expect off the rack coats to drape perfectly on the sleeve, or is this specific coat not the best fit on me?
This is my first time wearing it (thrifted on ebay) and I have had it dry cleaned.
I appreciate any thoughts or feedback! Thank you
13 Replies
Need picture from the front and back, hard to see any shoulder divots from this view
My guess is that you are just looking at jackets with less shoulder padding than this one though
I will try to get more pictures and re ask the question when I do. From my own observations it can look like a clean drape and other times it looks like there could be a small indent. In both cases I am stood with natural posture and arms down by my sides.
And no I am mainly referring to tweed jackets
This would be a good time to remember that, especially with classic menswear online, you’re only ever seeing the most edited/curated/perfect photos of garments
Thats a good point! I suppose the next question is, how realistic is it to expect a certain level of flush drape on the sleeve on a garment that is well made and also fitting? This specific jacket is Dior, which could go either way, but I am willing to bet its leaning on the well made side rather than not
Examples here
I’m not a tailor, so my expertise is limited. Here’s my best shot:
1. These two shoulders, IMO, are really different animals. The one on the left has a lot of fullness in the chest that the one on the right doesn’t have. Look how you could pinch/grab a bunch of fabric on the left shoulder (between the chest pocket and the shoulder seam. The one on the right is a lot “cleaner,” but I’m sure the one on the left is a lot “comfier.” (I’m trying to use neutral/positive descriptors to both, because there are fans of both kinds of approaches).
2. How the shoulders are constructed will have a lot to do with the drape. This is where A LOT of the secret sauce is for a tailor/house style. Again, there is a whole gamut between clean/super straight and drapey/full cuts, so you can’t necessarily expect that kind of aesthetic from any jacket >$X.xx
3. Your body is going to interact with the garment in a lot of ways that neither I nor any OTR maker can predict. Often, a shoulder divot indicates that the shoulders are too snug. With a more structured shoulder, you can purposely buy a bigger jacket to have the padding extend juuuust beyond your natural shoulder, at which the sleeve should fall straighter. However, if there’s no padding, this is a bad idea, as you’ll swim in the jacket. A lot of our recent website-based suiting advice assumes that you’re trying to fit into a 2010s ultra-clean, ultra-slim suit (for better or worse). That advice isn’t as universal as you’d think.
4. Fabric and its characteristics really matter. I find that we assume that all ‘good’ fabric will drape like worsted, but it doesn’t. Tweeds may be heavy, but I find that they don’t really move at all. Flannel looks like it should be super-solid, but it practically floats off you and can’t hold creases for shit.
Basically, all these things (and more, I’m sure!) add up to a “perfect” shoulder, like what you’re looking for
I think the shoulders in the OP are totally adequate. Especially since the body is twisted for the photo.
Actually I'm more sure. I'm pretty sure both of these jackets are bespoke
Thank you for the detailed response!
Thanks, that is reassuring!
I don't doubt they are!
(but we do want the standard four photos, without you twisting your body to take them :) )
For sure! I will probably do that and ask here again lol
It a nice thrift
I think it looks fine for an OTR jacket. This is one of those things that I have agonized over in the past, only to find that people still complimented my outfit at the function and that 99% of shoulder divot anxiety exists only on style blogs and MFA
For better or worse, the average person probably isn’t even aware of the concept of a shoulder divot