The London Lounge

Just received a new 3-piece suit from my tailor in a lighter "neopolitan" structure which overall looks very nice. However I have noticed that during the course of the day the waiscoat "rides up" abit leaving a bit of a gap between the back of the shirt collar and the "collar" of the waistcoat. My tailor said that some "riding" unfortunately is to be expected, and that waistcoasts therefore cannot be expected to "hug" the neck in the same way as the coat does (which also on this suit fits excellently).

So what should I do? Settle with his explanation that a bit of a gap between the shirt collar and the waistcoat developing during wear or should I insist on having this remedied?

Any advice would be much appreciated.

Thanks,
BB

Dear BB,

a picture showing the "defect" you are describing would be very helpful.

Cheers, David

Another possible solution: The waistcoat for my tuxedo has an elastic band sewn in on the inside of the front, positioned at the center and bottom. It hooks onto a button sewn into the inside waistband of the pants. It keeps the waistcoat from riding up on the tuxedo outfit, and would presumably help do the same thing for your suit. To quote The Black Tie Guide website:

"Another characteristic of finer quality waistcoats is a tab that attaches to a trouser button to keep them from riding up and exposing the waistband."

bond_and_beyond wrote: My tailor said that some "riding" unfortunately is to be expected, and that waistcoasts therefore cannot be expected to "hug" the neck in the same way as the coat does (which also on this suit fits excellently).

Given their lower positioning on the back, waistcoats -indeed- are not expected to hug the shirt collar in the same way a coat does. Notwithstanding, if the waistcoat is well cut for your torso and you´re using the back adjuster correctly, there shouldn´t be much "riding up" when wearing it without the jacket.
In my own experience the tab connecting waistcoat and trousers of my dinner suit is a bit superfluous and intended more for keeping things neat at the waistline than avoiding a gap at the neck in the improbable case that you want take your DJ off.