Table of Contents
LET OUT JACKET WAIST
When the jacket’s top button is closed, there’s tension on the button with visible ‘X’ creases pointing towards it.
At the back of the jacket, there is tension and visible creases at the sides of the waist.
TAKE IN JACKET WAIST
There is too much excess fabric around the waist of the jacket.
The waist of the jacket doesn’t follow the natural curve of the body.
ARM BACKWARDS
The jacket sleeves are positioned too far forward for the customer.
Diagonal creases are visible on the back of the sleeve, from the shoulder seam to the back seam of the sleeve.
ARM FORWARDS
Rare; The armhole is too far back for the customer.
One or 2 diagonal creases are visible on the front of the sleeve, from the shoulder seam to the front of the sleeve
RAISE COLLAR
There is a gap between the collar and the neck, but the customer doesn’t have a stooped posture.
The jacket collar is resting too low at the back of the customer’s neck.
As a result, more shirt fabric is visible than should be.
COLLAR PLEAT
A horizontal ridge appears directly below the collar: a so-called ‘collar pleat’
The pleat is not wider than the customer’s ears. If it is, this means that the customer likely has square shoulders, and the square shoulder(s)’ FitTool should be considered instead.
STOOPED POSTURE
The customer, typically older, stands with slightly hunched shoulders, creating a more rounded back.
When positioning the jacket collar against the shirt collar, the hem will not form a horizontal line; the back panel hangs higher than in the front, tenting out at the hem because the fabric is pulled upwards.
In the front, with the top (closing) button closed, there is a gap between the lapel and the body near this button.
The front panels of the jacket are pulling to the sides, leaving a wider triangular gap at the bottom of the jacket front.
All of this indicates an incorrect balance, where the back is too short and the front is too long.
ERECT POSTURE
The customer’s upper body leans (slightly) backwards.
Seen from the side, the hem does not form a horizontal line: the back panel hangs lower than the front.
At the back, the fabric is bunched above the seat, causing horizontal creases.
All of this indicates an incorrect balance, where the back is too long and the front is too short for the customer.
SQUARE SHOULDERS
The customer’s shoulders are more square than the shoulders cut into the jacket.
At the back, there’s a horizontal pleat curving from underneath the collar towards the shoulder, forming a ‘smiley’.
The pleat is wider than both the customer’s ears and the jacket collar.
At the front, a gap could appear between the jacket lapel and the shirt between the neck the chest pocket.
SLOPED SHOULDERS
The customer’s shoulders are more sloped than the shoulders cut in the jacket.
At the back of the jacket, diagonal creases are forming underneath the armhole.
Minor creases might also be visible at the front, underneath the armhole.
When one of the 2 shoulders is more sloped, a gap appears between the lapel and shirt just above the top (closing) button on the side of the lower shoulder.
CLOSING BUTTON
The top (closing) button is positioned higher or lower than the customer prefers.
The top button is getting stuck above the customer’s belly, pulling up the jacket front.
ARMHOLE
The armhole is cut too low for the customer, restricting the customer’s range of movement.
When the customer moves or raises their arms, the jacket moves around or lifts up.
TAKE IN COLLAR
Gaps appear at the left and right sides of the neck, between the shirt and jacket collars.
LET OUT SHOULDER
The customer’s shoulders are wider than the shoulders of the jacket. This might cause the fabric to stretch too tightly across the back.
The shoulder is pushing out the fabric of the sleeve head, with the shape of the customer’s shoulder visible through the fabric.
TAKE IN SHOULDER
The shoulders of the jacket are too wide for the customer’s shoulders.
The extra fabric might buckle in a little bit on the shoulder seams.
LET OUT BACK
On the back of the jacket, just below the armhole, there is no extra fabric to give the arms space to move forward. (There should be approximately 1.5 cm of extra fabric on each side.)
Small horizontal creases might be visible at the centre of the back and/or along the side seams in the back.
The customer’s movement is restricted when trying to move their arms forwards.
TAKE IN BACK
On the back of the jacket, just below the armhole, there are clear vertical creases visible.
There is more extra fabric than the approximately 1.5 cm needed on each side for comfort.
LET OUT CHEST FRONT
The jacket is tight around the chest, with the lapels pulling away from the chest.
A (little) bend is visible in the middle of the lapel.
TAKE IN CHEST FRONT
Vertical creases are visible at the sides of the chest, just below the armhole, due to excess fabric.
There is more fabric than needed for comfort.
LET OUT HIP
When the jacket is buttoned, the jacket is too tight around the hem.
The vents at the back of the jacket are pulled open.
There is a triangular gap at the bottom of the centre front of the jacket, with creases pointing towards the top (closing) button.
TAKE IN HIP
1.When the jacket is buttoned, there’s excess fabric at the hips.
The fabric is billowing over the hips and the seat, especially around the vents.
TAKE IN SKIRT
Your customer most likely has a prominent belly combined with narrow hips.
The bottom of the jacket’s front panels flares out, with vertical creases visible just below the side pockets.
LET OUT CENTER FRONT
The jacket fits well across the back and through the arms but is too tight across the front.
It’s not only difficult to close the button at the waist, but the hip and chest also need more room.
With the button closed, the lapel might break, with too much tension on the button, and the jacket might pull up and cause the jacket’s front panels to overlap at the bottom.
TAKE IN CENTER FRONT
When the jacket is buttoned, there is excess fabric across the waist, hips and chest, but the waist follows the natural curve of the body at the back and side panels.
UPPER ARM & ARMHOLE
The armhole and top portion of the jacket sleeve are too tight on the customer, and the jacket is too tight across the outer edges of the chest.
The fabric creases horizontally under the back of the armhole.
UPPER ARM & ARMHOLE
The armhole and top portion of the jacket sleeve are too loose on the customer.
LET OUT UPPER ARM
The jacket sleeve is visibly stretched across the customer’s biceps, leaving no room for movement.
But the armhole of the jacket fits well and is not too tight.
TAKE IN UPPER ARM
The jacket sleeve is too loose around the customer’s upper arm.
The armhole of the jacket fits well and is not too loose.
LET OUT CUFF
The cuff is too tight for the customer.
When the customer tries to bend their arms, they are restricted by the tightness at the elbows and lower arms.
TAKE IN CUFF
The cuff is too wide for the customer.
There is a lot of space between the shirt cuff and the cuff of the jacket.
LENGTHEN FRONT
Viewing the jacket on the customer from the side, just the front of the jacket is too short, without it being the result of the customer standing too erect; usually because of prominent belly.
SHORTEN FRONT
Viewing the jacket on the customer from the side, just the front is too long, without it being the result of the customer standing stooped.
A classic reference for the length of a jacket is that it ends at the bottom of the seat.
LENGTHEN LENGTH
The jacket is too short all the way around.
SHORTEN LENGTH
The jacket is too long all the way around.
Hands should be completely visible with approximately 1-1.5cm of shirt sleeve showing.
LENGTHEN SLEEVE
The sleeve(s) of the jacket are too short.
Too much of the shirt cuff is visible.
SHORTEN SLEEVE
The sleeve(s) of the jacket are too long.
Very little to none of the shirt cuff is visible.
RAISE/LOWER SIDE POCKETS
The side pockets are placed lower or higher on the jacket than the customer would like.
Proportion-wise the side pockets need to be raised (based on preference).
RAISE VENTS
The vent starts too low (based on customer preference).
The customer has a strong seat, causing tension at the top of the vent, and it requires a longer vent to release tension.
LOWER VENTS
The vents are too long and end too high on the jacket.
RAISE/LOWER CHEST POCKET
The chest pocket is placed either lower or higher on the chest than the customer would like.
DEEP CHEST DART
The customer has a prominent chest in combination with a slim waist.
Common among bodybuilder types, or for customers with a strongly developed chest.
FORWARD SHOULDERS
The customer’s shoulders point farther forwards than usual.
A pleat is visible, starting at the side of the collar and curving towards the front.
SHORTEN LAPEL
The jacket lapels buckle out away from the customer’s chest.
The lapels break just above the top button (see tips).
The lapels are too long, but the jacket otherwise fits cleanly across the chest and back.
Reference: Hall Madden
