Following on from the "skinny man suit" thread, I wondered what your thoughts are on what style of suit would be appropriate for a man of about 6ft 8 ins (not very broad across the shoulders, but not stick-like either, about 240 lbs). Personally speaking I avoid double breasted suits and anything with a pinstripe (which is a pity as I rather like a wide chalkstripe but I consider them out of the question for a man of my height).
A simple single breasted two button suit would seem to me to fit the bill (and is what I usuall wear), but what of the width of lapels (again my preference would not be for skinny lapels), shoulders, vents etc (I would usually insist on side vents). Traditionally I would have had a preference for navy flannel. At my height almost all RTW suits are out of the question. I am meeting a new tailor next week (a Mr. Letti from Arezzo) and would like to be have a better idea of what I want that usual.
Apologies for the meandering nature of this query above but any advice would be greatly appreciated (by a new member). Also of anyone has heard of or has any thoughts on Mr. Letti they would also be greatly appreciated.
Thank you in advance.
Suit for a (very) tall man
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Guest
I'm not very tall myself (a little over six feet), but my brother -- my younger brother -- is. Based on that and upon my observations, I really don't see a need to avoid double-breasted coats. And I certainly would think that three-button closings would look better than two on you.
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Guest
I'm not very tall myself (a little over six feet), but my brother -- my younger brother -- is. Based on that and upon my observations, I really don't see a need to avoid double-breasted coats. And I certainly would think that three-button closings would look better than two on you.
Yet another failure to sign:
RWS
Yet another failure to sign:
RWS
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Guest
I believe the conventional wisdom is to employ tactics that first suggest an ideal proportion of the figure (width to height, male V), and second avoid emphasizing the vertical line.
Following this logic, I agree that double-breasted jackets need not be avoided and could be useful if you like the style. First, wider and peaked lapels can lead the eye outward toward the shoulders--a broadening effect. Second, it's often recommended that very tall men wear a proportionately lower gorge than average or shorter men (viz Coop). Both these things can be facilitated by a DB jacket. Third, judiciously spaced buttons in the overlap suggest a widening toward the shoulders, and they inherently avoid bisecting the body with a central vertical line. The straight-across skirt edge (along with its shadow) also forms a strong, definite horizontal interruption in the vertical mass of color (one reason tall men are often urged to wear odd jackets and trousers of different shades). The length of jacket can be adjusted to balance apparent proportion of leg length to overall height.
Other factors: if your head is not unusually long and narrow, have your shoulders cut at least to the point of the shoulder, and consider extending them slightly--again, to balance the proportion of width to height. A well-proportioned figure on a larger scale may be impressive but will be elegant rather than ungainly. Don't build up the height of the shoulders. Attention to details of sleeve length and trouser break is even more important than usual--show too much linen and you'll make your arms look too long for the coat, too little will exaggerate the length of the sleeve. For your height (and presumed arm length) the half-inch mark should be good. Only a slight break in the trousers, and a generous cuff.
And while pinstripes may just be impossible to pull off, I would not entirely rule out a subtle chalk stripe, spaced at least 1 inch apart, if you get the proportions of cut and design correct. The wider spacing can actually suggest more solidity than verticality--have a look a the prototype navy Brisa cloth suit in pictured in another thread. Windowpanes on the Eden-in-Paris scale (proportioned to your height) would be an excellent choice.
For SB I agree that a three-button style would be good, and if your climate permits, a 3-piece suit that shows at least one button's worth of vest when closed (maybe a bit more). The extra busyness of overlapping layers over your torso will de-emphasize the vertical line. This would be especially true of a DB vest and/or one with lapels, if such a garment is practical for your applications But even a SB vest without lapels would contribute. In this vein, a pocket square is also your friend.
Depending on your coloring, less-dark colors will help by not silhouetting you so dramatically against most backgrounds (unless this is a suit for evening use only) but you'll have to balance this against the demands of skin and hair color. For a suit, you might consider a dark blue flannel with some gray admixed to reduce the starkness of the overall effect.
You asked about vents; for a suit I'd prefer side vents for all reasons, including their advantage of creating movement at the sides of the skirt and not bisecting the back with a vertical line.
Best of luck and be sure to keep us posted on your experiences with Mr. Letti.
- Couch
Following this logic, I agree that double-breasted jackets need not be avoided and could be useful if you like the style. First, wider and peaked lapels can lead the eye outward toward the shoulders--a broadening effect. Second, it's often recommended that very tall men wear a proportionately lower gorge than average or shorter men (viz Coop). Both these things can be facilitated by a DB jacket. Third, judiciously spaced buttons in the overlap suggest a widening toward the shoulders, and they inherently avoid bisecting the body with a central vertical line. The straight-across skirt edge (along with its shadow) also forms a strong, definite horizontal interruption in the vertical mass of color (one reason tall men are often urged to wear odd jackets and trousers of different shades). The length of jacket can be adjusted to balance apparent proportion of leg length to overall height.
Other factors: if your head is not unusually long and narrow, have your shoulders cut at least to the point of the shoulder, and consider extending them slightly--again, to balance the proportion of width to height. A well-proportioned figure on a larger scale may be impressive but will be elegant rather than ungainly. Don't build up the height of the shoulders. Attention to details of sleeve length and trouser break is even more important than usual--show too much linen and you'll make your arms look too long for the coat, too little will exaggerate the length of the sleeve. For your height (and presumed arm length) the half-inch mark should be good. Only a slight break in the trousers, and a generous cuff.
And while pinstripes may just be impossible to pull off, I would not entirely rule out a subtle chalk stripe, spaced at least 1 inch apart, if you get the proportions of cut and design correct. The wider spacing can actually suggest more solidity than verticality--have a look a the prototype navy Brisa cloth suit in pictured in another thread. Windowpanes on the Eden-in-Paris scale (proportioned to your height) would be an excellent choice.
For SB I agree that a three-button style would be good, and if your climate permits, a 3-piece suit that shows at least one button's worth of vest when closed (maybe a bit more). The extra busyness of overlapping layers over your torso will de-emphasize the vertical line. This would be especially true of a DB vest and/or one with lapels, if such a garment is practical for your applications But even a SB vest without lapels would contribute. In this vein, a pocket square is also your friend.
Depending on your coloring, less-dark colors will help by not silhouetting you so dramatically against most backgrounds (unless this is a suit for evening use only) but you'll have to balance this against the demands of skin and hair color. For a suit, you might consider a dark blue flannel with some gray admixed to reduce the starkness of the overall effect.
You asked about vents; for a suit I'd prefer side vents for all reasons, including their advantage of creating movement at the sides of the skirt and not bisecting the back with a vertical line.
Best of luck and be sure to keep us posted on your experiences with Mr. Letti.
- Couch
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