How clothes should fit
Fit does more for an outfit than colour or price. A few checkpoints cover almost everything: shoulders, sleeve and trouser length, and room to move without pulling.
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Shoulders first
On shirts, knits and jackets the shoulder seam should sit on the edge of your shoulder bone. Too wide and the garment slumps; too narrow and it pulls across the back.
Shoulders are the one thing a tailor can't really fix, so buy for the shoulders and alter everything else.
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Sleeves
Shirt cuffs end at the wrist bone. A jacket sleeve ends a little shorter, so about 1 cm of shirt cuff shows.
Knitwear sleeves can be slightly longer and pushed up; t-shirt sleeves end around mid-bicep.
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Trouser length and break
The break is the fold where the hem meets the shoe. Tailored trousers look sharpest with no break or a slight break; a full break reads dated.
Wide-leg trousers are the exception: they should cover most of the shoe, so hem them for the shoes you'll wear most.
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Room to move
Buttons shouldn't strain and pockets shouldn't flare open. If a shirt pulls into an X around the buttons, go up a size or choose a different cut.
Close-fitting isn't the same as tight: you should be able to sit, reach and lift your arms without the garment riding up.
Questions
Quick answers
How do I know if a shirt fits?
Shoulder seams on the shoulder bone, no pulling across the buttons, cuffs at the wrist bone, and enough length to stay tucked when you lift your arms.
What is a trouser break?
The fold of fabric where the trouser hem meets the shoe. No break or a slight break looks modern and sharp.
What can a tailor fix?
Length of sleeves and trousers, waist and taper are easy; shoulders and jacket length are hard or impossible.
Keep going
More basics
Verdicts and outfits come from published colour and dress-code rules, not paid placement; garment images are AI-generated illustrations of generic pieces. How we decide