The Style Manual: Fashion Council On Call

Feature image via DapperQ

Everywhere — from Paris catwalks to grocery store checkouts — is filled with ideas about how to dress. They’ve got rules and handsome men clones galore, but what do you do when they’re not talking to you? Sure you can ignore them, but even dapper queers, fancy bois and dandy ladies need some help now and then. With that in mind, Anita Dolce Vita of dapperQ rounded up some experts and set out to create a style guide for us.

Header by Rosa Middleton

Chapter 1: The Suit

Part 1: An Introduction To Suits

Part 2: Classic Rules, Sizing and Fit

Part 3: The Fashion Council Answers Your Questions

Chapter 2: The Shirt

Part 1: Finding Your Dream Dress Shirt

Part 2: The Fashion Council Answers Your Questions

---

Your Questions: Answered! By Members of the Style Manual Fashion Council

Dress shirts. So far, so good? Eh, not so fast. Now we’ll dive deeper with tricky questions answered by our fashion council. The council is comprised of fashion designers and bloggers and includes Sonia Oram, Editor in Chief of Qwear and advice columnist for Equally Wed; Ariel Speedwagon, dapperQ fashion advisor and 2012 “dapperQ of the Year”; Ivette González-Alé (Tourisme Montréal 2012 “Queer of the Year”) and Crystal González-Alé, Founders and creative visionaries behind the Marimacho masculine clothing line for diverse bodies of all genders; Anita Dolce Vita, Managing Editor at dapperQ; and Christine Boomhower, a graduate of the Art Institute of Dallas who holds a Bachelor’s degree in fashion design and spent a year of her life working as a fitting assistant in a popular Dallas tailor shop, taking in approximately a million dress shirts a day.

In this chapter, Sonia Oram, Ariel Speedwagon, Anita Dolce Vita, and Christine Boomhower will be answering your burning suit questions.

Q: I have broad shoulders so I never have shoulder problems with shirts. For me the bottom of the shirt never fits over my huge hips. I got the booty!!! So, I have to get an extra-large shirt for the buttoning potential and then suddenly I’m swimming in it in the shoulder and chest department. HELP!

A: from Sonia Oram, Editor in Chief of Qwear 

Ahhh, the Booty. Shirts hardly fit over my hips the way I want them to either, and I feel quite dysphoric every time I can’t finish buttoning them at the bottom! But hey, if being fabulous came easily, it just wouldn’t be any fun.

Tailoring should help a great deal for achieving the look you want. A tailor can work on those extra-large shirts, reshaping the shoulders and bringing in the side seam around your chest and stomach area and letting it expand out at the bottom to fit over your hips. This isn’t out of the norm for masculine tailoring techniques. Ratio Clothing cut a shirt for me with the side seam coming in at the waist and out at the hips, and I feel that it doesn’t detract from the look of the shirt:

Adjusting the side seam and shoulders should cost somewhere around $30 per shirt. Sounds expensive, I know, but you can counteract it by shopping at thrift stores. One of my favorite shirts is a $5 Goodwill find that I got tailored.

A possible cheaper alternative is to go with shirts that fit your shoulders/chest and then bring up the length so that your hips aren’t getting in the way. An untucked shirt is supposed to hit about halfway between your back pockets, but if you go an inch shorter and look amazing, no one will notice.

On the contrary, you can wear your pants up higher and tuck your shirt in, allowing you to leave the bottom button un-buttoned. Maybe add some suspenders to complete the look:

As Ariel Speedwagon over at dapperQ points out, every brand cuts their shirts a little bit differently. Trying them all on is really the best way to find the right fit.

There are a few brands for peeps like us whose shirts are more likely to fit without tailoring: Androgyny, Marimacho and for dress shirts, Fourteen. If you can afford to go custom, Ratio Clothing and Blank Label both are great, queer friendly custom shirt labels that will work with you to determine the right fit and allow you to send it back for alterations.

For men’s shirts, I recommend the straight cut shirts as opposed to slim-fit. The slim-fit shirt style tapers in from the shoulders to create an upside-down triangle effect. They fit some people well, but can just look foolish on others. Brands for men’s shirts that curvy queers have recommended: Ralph Lauren, Saddlebred at Belk (great for plus sizes); Brooks Brothers, Gant Rugger, Club Monaco, Ben Sherman, Topman, American Apparel (these are unisex, so they may fit you better), Express, and George.

For women’s shirts, if you aren’t going to be wearing ties, I HIGHLY recommend Gap. My friends and I have had great luck with an androgynous fit from Gap’s “perfect shirts.” Rugby Ralph Lauren women’s shirts provide a more androgynous fit without chest darts, and have collars that work with ties! Genderqueerfashionista also recommends brands geared towards older women like Liz Claiborne for androgynous styles.

So! Try everything and anything on, keeping in mind that tailors can work wonders. When in doubt, wear suspenders.

Q: It does us no good to know we have a 14-inch neck size if we can’t find a store that carries that size! What brands carry smaller neck sizes?

A: from Anita Dolce Vita, Managing Editor of dapperQ

If you can, go custom made! If you can’t, I second all of Sonia’s above brand recommendations. Additionally, dapperQ has put together a list of brands and tailors specializing in off-the-rack and/or bespoke clothing made specifically for dapperQ bodies.

You may also want to check out some conventional brands like Lands’ End, L.L. Bean, Eddie Bauer, Brooks Brothers, Ralph Lauren, Tommy Hilfiger and Thomas Pink. These brands carry menswear-inspired women’s casual and dress button-downs (womenswear shirts will have smaller neck options) and some even have styles without bust darts! However, you may still need to get these shirts altered by a tailor to achieve the ultimate fit. Try finding these brands at thrift stores for $avings and use the extra cash on alterations.

If you prefer to shop only in men’s stores, try Express for Men; their shirts come in neck sizes as small as 13. Also, many slim-fit brands in the menswear sections come in smaller neck sizes.  If you’re very petite, you can even try the boys section at many stores.

Q: I’m a really big woman with huge breasts but really short arms and legs. I don’t bind because it would be pointless. By the time I find a dress shirt that would hold the girls, I have a huge gaping neck and sleeves that are at least 2 inches too long. How do I resolve this?

[BTW, gaping neck is a common problem for cis-males who have larger waist sizes. Comedian Horatio Sanz told GQ magazine, ““One of the problems I have is with shirts: Getting my neck size to match my body size is difficult…”]

A: from Ariel Speedwagon, dapperQ Fashion Advisor

+ Get a tailor to shorten the sleeves

+ Style your way to success

Sleeves too long? Roll them up! Gaping neck? Fill in the space with an ascot or a scarf. The breezy European also works well here. You can even work the turtleneck in – something I get excited about during the fall/winter seasons. You can cheat by probably a half-inch or even an inch, depending on how you wear it and whether or not you close the top button; in this case, a small collar (think spread) is definitely advised.

+ The women’s department can be your friend

This feels like breaking some kind of dapperQ code of honor. But for tailored clothes, it has to be said: women’s clothes are tailored for bodies that have a larger chest measurement than shoulder measurement and a larger hip measurement than waist measurement. Women’s tailored shirts – especially if you avoid darts and other obvious details – can be almost indistinguishable from men’s tailored shirts; the main difference will be availability of a front pocket, length of the shirt, and which way the buttons button. Remember: smashing gender norms isn’t just about finding a different set of norms to conform to. A shirt is just a shirt – it’s all in how you wear it.

Busty brands to check out: Brooks Brothers, Nicole Miller (you can find bargains at Overstock, TJ Maxx, Ross, and thrift stores), L.L. Bean, Lands’ End, and the Gap.

+ If you can do it, go custom!

We have heard a lot of raves regarding the magic of the online custom shirt. Running anywhere from about $50 to infinity, online tailoring works like this: you enter your measurements, pick fabric and other details, and they custom cut a shirt to your body.

Q: Okay, okay.  So, tailoring is key.  What exactly can a tailor fix?  Is there anything a tailor can’t fix?  And, is there anything I should bring with me to the tailor?

A: from Christine Boomhower, B.A., fashion design, Art Institute of Dallas

Dress shirts can be a necessary wardrobe staple for any gender identity or style presentation, but chances are they never fit anyone perfectly right off the rack.  It’s standard practice to take a high quality dress shirt to the tailor shop, but even casual shirts may need to be altered to provide the best fit for your body. It doesn’t matter if you picked this shirt up in the men’s section, the women’s section, or even (my favorite) the boys’ section; if you got yourself a shirt you love it’s definitely worth the tailoring to make it (and you) look flawless.

Where to Go

Personally, I wouldn’t trust anyone with my clothes unless I can find someone else that can vouch for them.  Look on online listings with reviews like Yelp, ask your friends, and see if there are any local “best of” awards given out by your city’s magazine or newspaper. Finding the right person for the job is definitely more difficult if you live in a small town, but for many people, good tailoring is worth a day trip to the nearest big city whenever you have the time and money.  Try to avoid getting your alterations done at places like Nordstrom or Saks, because usually they’re overpriced and their turnaround time is far longer than it should be.  Also, it’s always better to support local businesses whenever you can!

What to Bring

When visiting a tailor, you should plan on bringing the following:

+ A bra or binder that you would wear with that garment.

+ Any undershirt that you would wear with the garment.

+ Optional:  Cufflinks, if you have a French cuff on your shirt.  While this isn’t completely necessary, it can be helpful to see how the shirt will fit with the cuffs closed.  An experienced fitting assistant or tailor won’t need to see that, but you might want to know for yourself.

+ Optional:  A standard outfit you would wear your shirt with.  You can certainly try on your shirts in your basketball shorts and flip flops, but sometimes you want to get the vibe of what you’re going to look and feel like to make the wisest choices in your fit.

Tailoring guidelines

+ Shoulders: It’s often really hard for dapperQs to find men’s shirts that fit their shoulders perfectly, but a more experienced seamstress/ster is fully capable of fixing this for you.  Someone with less experience may not be, though, so if they refuse to do it it’s best to take their word for it and take the shirt to someone more qualified.  A shoulder seam should hit the tip of your shoulder, and if the shoulder seam is too tight and your bicep is bulging out of the top of the sleeve you need to purchase a larger size.  If the shoulder seam is lower than your shoulder tip it can be pulled up, but be careful as this will affect the length of the sleeve.  Having ill-fitting shoulders kills any look, so be careful with finding someone that can fit you if you can’t find a shirt that already works.

Cost:  This particular alteration depends heavily on your tailor.  At my shop it was only $15, but it could vary greatly on where you are.

+ Torso: Oftentimes dapperQs are wary of this alteration because they’re afraid of ending up with a shirt that’s too feminine.  However, a slim fitting-shirt is usually far more flattering than a loose fitting shirt and proper communication can prevent things from getting too curvy.  Make sure you ask your fitting assistant or tailor to give you a tapered fit, but ask them to keep the line as straight as possible to give you a less feminine look.  If you are interested in showing off your curves then you can add front and/or back fish-eye darts to your shirt to transform a typical menswear style into a feminine fit.  Shirts can generally not be let out at all, so bigger is better in this instance.

Cost:  $10-$30

Tip: If you want a slim fit avoid shirts with pleats in the back; when these shirts are taken in the extra volume from the pleat will poof out of the yoke and then be pulled in where the fitting was done, creating a bubble of fabric at your back (which will never, ever look good).

Tip: Don’t be overzealous with fitting your shirt.  Fitting is just a fancy word for tightening, and you need to move around with the pins in your shirt to make sure it’s comfortable.

Tip:  If you have a larger chest and you have a hard time with gaping at your bust point, ask your tailor to sew hidden snaps into your button placket to keep your shirt closed.  Usually it’s best to have two snaps right next to each other to keep the snap from pulling too.  This is usually around $3 a snap.

+ Sleeves: The width of your sleeve is usually tapered according to how you choose your torso fit, so person fitting you will know how to best take in your sleeve based on what you requested from your torso.  However, the only way that your sleeve can be tightened at the cuff is to add an extra button further in which could warp the vent of your sleeve.  The length of the sleeve can be shortened by moving up the cuff, but sleeves can’t be made longer (which can be bad news if you’re shopping in the kids section).  Generally shirtsleeves should come down over your hand just a little (just enough to show when you wear your tailored jacket).

Cost:  Tapering the sleeves – $10-$30.  This may come as a deal with tapering the sides. Shortening the sleeves – $15-$35

Tip:  If you do end up with shorter sleeves courtesy of the kid’s section, it’s usually best to roll up the sleeves and go with a more casual look for this particular shirt.

The Style Manual: The Dress Shirt

Feature image via DapperQ

Everywhere — from Paris catwalks to grocery store checkouts — is filled with ideas about how to dress. They’ve got rules and handsome men clones galore, but what do you do when they’re not talking to you? Sure you can ignore them, but even dapper queers, fancy bois and dandy ladies need some help now and then. With that in mind, Anita Dolce Vita of dapperQ rounded up some experts and set out to create a style guide for us.

Header by Rosa Middleton

Chapter 1: The Suit

Part 1: An Introduction To Suits

Part 2: Classic Rules, Sizing and Fit

Part 3: The Fashion Council Answers Your Questions

Chapter 2: The Shirt

Part 1: Finding Your Dream Dress Shirt

Part 2: The Fashion Council Answers Your Questions

---

Welcome to Chapter 2 of our Style Manual for masculine gender nonconformists and transmasculine individuals (here on referred to as dapperQs).

Esquire magazine states that a quality white dress shirt [at minimum] sits on the totem pole of necessity somewhere between a “belt and a toothbrush.” Yet, many dapperQs struggle with finding at least one decent dress shirt that fits.

So, what’s a dapperQ to do?  First off, you have to start from the start. We’ll walk you through some basics. Some of the vocab may seem a bit esoteric and trivial, but you can’t complain that you’re not finding what you want if you don’t know what you’re looking for. And besides, you can’t break the rules until you know them.

SHIRTOLOGY 101: Vocabulary

Section 1. Anatomy of a dress shirt

(1) Collar (2) Yoke (3) Sleeve (4) Front Placket (5) Pleat (6) Dart (7) Sleeve Placket (8) Cuff

If you really want to nerd out about collars…

If fancy cuffs are your thing…

If you’re crazy about plackets…

And, if you want to know all there is to know about pleats…

Section 2. The “Rules”

Menswear experts agree on the following fit guidelines:

Torso

Your shirt should fit exquisitely: not too snug and not too billowy. When your shirt is buttoned, there should be no “pulling” and the buttons shouldn’t be hanging on for dear life. While many dapperQs believe that wearing oversized shirts will conceal weight or make them appear more masculine, all of the menswear experts advise against wearing “boxy” clothes because it looks sloppy and adds bulk.

Waist

Sit down when you try on dress shirts. When in a seated position, your shirts should skim your waist, allowing for “eating” room. And again, the shirt should have some fit around the waist (close, but not tight).

Neck

So, the writers at Details magazine believe that the golden rule with respect to collar fit is that you “should be able to comfortably fit two fingers between your neck and the collar of the shirt when it’s buttoned.” Seems pretty straightforward. Except, GQ magazine states, “Make sure you can comfortably fit one finger between the collar and your neck. If two fingers fit, the collar’s too big.” I guess this means we have some leeway, which is a good thing for dapperQs.

Collar Style

According to Ivette and Crystal González-Alé, Founders and creative visionaries behind the Marimacho masculine clothing line for diverse bodies of all genders, “Your collar should complement your face. If you have a round face, you should wear a pointed collar; if you have a thin face, you should wear a spread collar; and if you have a long neck, you should wear a high collar.” Keep in mind: Collar points are the tips of the collar, spread is the distance between the collar, and collar height is how high the folded collar extends on your neck.

Sleeve

The cuffs of your shirts should fall between your thumb and your wrist.

Length

Your shirt should be long enough to CYA when you’re seated. Avoiding plumber’s crack – yet, another reason to sit down when trying on shirts.

Section 3. Sizing and Fit 

Here’s where things get a bit tricky. Some of our answers are going to relieve a bit of your stress, while others are going to add to your existing frustration. One thing that you must know and be comfortable with now: Menswear is not really made to fit the average American cis-male body either. Cis males often have a hard time getting their neck sizes to match their waist or arm sizes, struggle with finding clothes that fit when they are “between sizes,” etc. NPR recently gave a graphic breakdown noting the differences between off-the-rack, made-to-measure, and bespoke suits and menswear blog Put This On produced a video detailing the differences between custom-made and off-the-rack dress shirts.

This is not to minimize the unique fit challenges experienced by dapperQs. But rather to encourage you to look into tailored and/or bespoke shirts which will be your best bet when finding the fit you desire.

One thing is certain: It doesn’t matter if you’re going high-end custom-made or thrift store chic, you definitely need to know your size. Yes it’s true, many off-the-rack dress shirts do come in sizes such as XXS – 4XL that can be grabbed by the handful and dragged into the dressing room with you. To streamline this process, dapperQ created a ball park size chart that translates basic boys and menswear sizes here. However, since we’re getting down to the nitty gritty, let’s talk about this kind of tag:

The first number (17) corresponds to your neck measurement and the second numbers (32/33) to your sleeve measurement. Do you know your size?  We’ve got a video to help you find out.

Be sure to check back tomorrow for answers to you questions from Anita Dolce Vita and her crew of experts.

The Style Manual: Fashion Council to the Rescue

Feature image via DapperQ

Everywhere — from Paris catwalks to grocery store checkouts– is filled with ideas about how to dress. They’ve got rules and handsome men clones galore, but what do you do when they’re not talking to you? Sure you can ignore them, but even dapper queers, fancy bois and dandy ladies need some help now and then. With that in mind, Anita Dolce Vita of dapperQ rounded up some experts and set out to create a style guide for us.

Chapter 1: The Suit

Part 1: An Introduction To Suits

Part 2: Classic Rules, Sizing and Fit

Part 3: The Fashion Council Answers Your Questions

---

Your Questions: Amswered! By Members of the Style Manual Fashion Council

The fashion council is comprised of fashion designers and bloggers and includes Sonia Oram, Editor in Chief of Qwear and advice columnist for Equally Wed; Auston George Bjorkman, Founder and Creative Director of the Sir New York menswear line; Ivette González-Alé (Tourisme Montréal 2012 “Queer of the Year”) and Crystal González-Alé, Founders and creative visionaries behind the Marimacho masculine clothing line for diverse bodies of all genders; and Anita Dolce Vita, Managing Editor at dapperQ.

In this chapter, Anita Dolce Vita, Sonia Oram, and Marimacho will be answering your burning suit questions.

---

Q: I dress on the masculine side. What am I supposed to wear to my own wedding?

A: from Anita Dolce Vita, Managing Editor, dapperQ

Emily Post and Martha Stewart may demand my head for saying this, but I believe that there is no right or wrong answer to this. As we redefine what constitutes a marriage, we are also redefining what constitutes appropriate marriage ceremony attire. The guidelines in this chapter are to assist in helping you find a better fit, not necessarily to dictate what your style should be.

Living in New York and having roots in New Mexico, I’ve seen all sorts of wedding attire, from cowboy hats to tuxes to swimwear. What you wear will depend on the formality of the event, if the event is indoor or outdoor, the location (e.g., a Cape Cod beach, a trendy SoHo loft, the lawn at the Palace of Fine Arts), the season, the time (daytime or evening) and the theme. Since this chapter is on suits, we’ll stick with that for now.

I once read that your outfit should be versatile enough that you can wear it again for another formal function without anyone thinking you’re wearing your wedding suit to a party. I agree with this approach because (1) a suit is a big investment and finding one that serves multiple purposes get you more bang for your buck and (2) breaking out of ridged “tux and tails” rules will allow for more creativity and style! The Autostraddle gallery of 50 Adorable Lesbian Couples Having Adorable Lesbian Weddings is a good place to start for inspiration. Another place I send readers to is the infamous The GQ Wedding Primer Starring Darren Criss of Glee; he rocks some seriously — no I mean SERIOUSLY — fierce wedding looks.

Here are some additional ideas:

---

Q: Yeah, but, where can I find suits that fit me?

A: From Sonia Oram, Editor in Chief of Qwear and advice columnist for Equally Wed

All DapperQs, no matter what their size, struggle finding menswear to fit their body shape. If you can afford a bespoke suit, the Butch Clothing Company would be ideal. (Anita Dolce Vita chimes in: ALSO, ALSO, ALSO, I just received word that Marimacho will soon be offering MADE-TO-MEASURE SUITS! Score!) Nothing else will fit quite as well, as they’ve done years of research and mastered the secret to hiding curves. We also have Ratio Clothing, an incredibly LGBTQ friendly online custom men’s shirt maker that will work with you individually over email to come up with the right measurements for a menswear shirt.

If you are going to buy a premade suit and get it tailored, look for jackets that fit in the shoulders so that you can get the sides, sleeves, and length adjusted. Then find pants that fit in the hips so that you can bring the length up. If you are of a smaller frame, I highly recommend Topman. Their clothes are tailored for skinny guys and fit smaller female-bodied people remarkably well. Men’s Wearhouse also has a fine array of options for a wide range of sizes.

I wrote Qwear features on all these companies, so if you’d like to hear more about my experience with them, check out these links:

“My Suit has Arrived!” (Modeling Topman Suit)

Interview with Shaz Riley of the Butch Clothing Company

“Ratio Clothing: Gay, or Just Awesome?”

Men’s Wearhouse

---

Q: How do you find a blazer that doesn’t show off your waist and doesn’t bunch at the chest?

A: From Anita Dolce Vita, Managing Editor, dapperQ

Ah ha! Tailoring, tailoring, tailoring.

First I have to ask WHY it is that you don’t want to show off your waist? I wrote more extensively on jacket waists for dapperQ. In short, some dapperQs avoid anything deemed “fitted” when trying to achieve a more masculine look. However, this flies directly in the face of what menswear fashion experts are recommending when it comes to purchasing menswear jackets and blazers. The Handbook of Style: A Man’s Guide to Looking Good, by Esquire magazine, states that one of the key components to a perfect suit jacket is a fitted waist; “the jacket should have some fit to it in the waist area to give your body a more dynamic shape.” The experts at Mr. Porter recommend that your suit jacket and blazers have “enough shape to give you a waist, and it’ll be close – but not tight – around the stomach.” In the article “Suit Your Shape: How to Dress for Your Body,” GQ advises large men to avoid wearing a roomy suit, stating “it doesn’t make you look slimmer — it makes you look sloppy.”

If your fear of the fitted stems from the desire to conceal weight, consider the following recommendations in lieu of purchasing a boxy jacket with no shape:

+Lean towards solid, dark colors.

+If you want some pattern, try vertical lines. Vertical lines elongate. (Just be sure your pants have matching lines, or you run the risk of “splitting” your frame in two, which shortens you.)

+Avoid double breasted suits. Single breasted suits with one to two buttons and a deep-V lengthen the torso, whereas double breasted jackets add bulk.

+Stick with single vented jackets and avoid the double vent. Vents are the functional slits on the bottom back of a jacket that allow for movement. They tend to attract the eye. Thus, a single slit down the center draws less attention than two slits along your sides.

---

Q: Okay, Okay. So, tailoring is key. What exactly can a tailor fix? Is there anything a tailor can’t fix? And, is there anything I should bring with me to the tailor?

A: From Marimacho

Whether it’s a vintage gem from the Salvation Army, a hand-me-down from your dad, or a piece from H&M, chances are you’ve fallen in love with a blazer or suit that doesn’t fit quite right. Before you spend even $5 on that near-perfect addition on the pretext that you can “alter” it, you should consider what your local tailor can and cannot do, what it will cost and what you need to do to prepare. The right fit can make you look like a million bucks, so it’s always worth investing in tailoring a piece you will have for years!

The right person for the job

There are talented tailors out there, but the person you will probably be going to at your local dry-cleaner is most likely a seamstress/ seamster. What is the difference you ask? Tailors make, alter, and custom-fit garments, traditionally suits and “men’s” clothing. They specialize in formal wear, often apprenticing for years in their trade. A seamstress/ster is someone who sews seams, or, a machine operator in a factory who may not have the skills to make garments “from scratch” or to fit them onto a real body. Most altering jobs will not require a highly skilled tailor, but depending on your garment, you may want to spend a bit more time (and money) hunting down a reputable tailor. Don’t be afraid to inquire about the skill level of the person that may be altering your clothing. Yelp is great for that.

What to bring

When visiting a tailor, you should plan on bringing the following:

+Bra or binder that you would wear with that garment.

+A well-fitting button-down shirt that you plan on wearing with that garment (for both trousers and blazers/jackets).

+Shoes you would wear with that garment (for trousers).

+A blazer/ jacket or trousers that have your ideal fit. It is very helpful for tailors (especially less experienced folx) if you show them an example of what you would like.

+Optional: a piece of paper and a pen to jot down your measurements. This is useful information to have.

Tailoring Guidelines

Blazers, Suit Jackets and Sport Coats

Shoulders: If the garment does not fit your shoulders, DO NOT BUY IT! We cannot stress this enough — whether it’s a button-down shirt, blazer,or jacket, proper fit is all about the shoulders. A garment that does not properly fit the shoulders makes any look instantly sloppy. If the shoulders do not fit low enough, they cannot be extended or made larger. If the shoulder hits too low, they can technically be made smaller, but in the case of a blazer/suit jacket, this means reconstructing the entire garment and that can be very expensive (often more expensive than the garment itself). If you are hell-bent on altering this piece (maybe it’s a family heirloom or a kick-ass-one-of-a-kind designer blazer) then go to a highly skilled professional.

Cost: Expensive…very expensive!

Sleeves: One of the most common blazer alterations is sleeve length. Shortening the sleeves is a relatively simple alteration. In most cases, sleeves can be made longer, but only by the amount of fabric that is available on the underside of the sleeve, up to the lining. Button placement is important to consider whether you are shortening or elongating the sleeves. Are the buttons on your blazer or jacket functional? If the jacket has working or “surgeon’s” buttons, those holes cut in the fabric cannot be covered or moved. You will need a skilled tailor that can either add buttonholes to accommodate for a longer sleeve or make sure buttonholes are not too close to the edge for a shorter sleeve.

Cost: $15-30 per sleeve (plus additional cost of buttonholes)

Tip: Crystal often buys little boys blazers that fit great on the torso, but are too short on the sleeves to alter. Her solution is to roll up the sleeves; it is a casual look so you probably won’t be wearing this to the office, but it is perfectly acceptable for a night out.

Tip: When being fitted, be sure to wear a shirt that you plan on wearing with that jacket or blazer. Notice where the sleeves hit when your arms are at your side—the blazer sleeve should end about 1/2″ before your wrist bone, and about 1/4″-1/2″ of shirt cuff should show for added visual interest. We hear shirt cuff is the new pocket square.

Waist: Most “menswear” blazers and jackets you will come across will be boxy on the torso, and this is NOT a good look for anyone. Whether you are a size 6 or 26, a form fitting torso is always more flattering. Masculine folx tend to gravitate towards the boxy stuff and away from form-fitting jackets, fearing that they will look too feminine. Two things end up happening: you either look like you are swimming in your dad’s suit or you end up looking squat (short legs and no torso). Unfortunately, letting-out the sides is rarely possible because off-the-rack suits typically come with very little seam allowance on the sides. The most you can let it out is typically 1″.

Cost: $25-$60

Tip: A fitted blazer or jacket does not mean a garment you can’t move in! Once your tailor is done pinning and gathering the fabric to be taken in, test your range of movement. Pretend like you are giving someone a hug; if it feels like you are going to pop a pin, then the blazer is too tight.

Torso Length: A blazer or suit jacket cannot be made longer, but it can (in theory) be made shorter. However, making a jacket shorter is not recommended because it can throw off the positioning of the pockets as well as the proportion of the button stance. This is another costly job for a highly skilled tailor.

Cost: $80-100+

Tip: The general rule of thumb for traditional menswear is that the blazer/jacket should cover your butt; however, this may not always work for dapperQs whose proportions may be different from those of cis men. A blazer that covers your butt may, again, make you look squat. At Marimacho, we design blazers that hit half way down your butt, which we think is a more flattering silhouette on dapperQs. Of course, the ideal silhouette will vary by body shape and personal preference.

Back: Fabric should not “roll” at the back of the neck—a common fit issue with blazers. You can have the “roll” altered to lay smoothly, but only by an experienced tailor.

Cost: $50-75

Trousers

Waist: You can buy suit separates at places like H&M, Uniqlo, and Banana Republic, but most off-the-rack suits are sold in pairs. So, often times you will find that the jacket fits great, but the pants are too big or too small. If the circumference of the pant leg fits well but the waist isn’t quite right, we suggest taking it in for tailoring. The waist of a pair of trousers can be let in or taken out 2-3″. Look inside the seat for extra fabric at the waistband; this, minus 1/2″, is as far as you can take the pants out.

Cost: $15-25

Tip: We always suggest wearing a belt with your trousers, but you should be able to wear them without a belt. If they need a belt to stay up, you need to tailor them. When shopping for any item of clothing, particularly trousers, buy the garment that fits the widest part of your body (your waist, butt, etc.) and then tailor all the other parts in.

Length: Trousers are easily shortened, but lengthening them requires extra fabric at the hem. To determine if you can lengthen your pants, turn them inside and check how much allowance you have. Cuffs can also be removed for extra length, but be careful when lengthening used pants, as wearing along the edge could leave an unsightly line. When taking pants to be hemmed, it is important to understand where “the break” should be. The break is the horizontal crease in the fabric across the front of your pant leg whose size is determined by the length of your pants. A good break can “make or break” your trousers (no pun intended). If the break is not defined enough, your trousers will look too short. Some folx that are into the “mod” look like a straight crease line with no break. If you’ve got bigger upper legs, however, the fabric may pull up too high when you sit. Pants that are too long will create a lot of gathered fabric around your ankles and look sloppy.

Cost: $8-15

Tip: Uniqlo offers free or low cost hemming with any pair of trousers purchased. A “regular” stitch is free and an “invisible” stitch is $5. We recommend always opting for an “invisible” stitch when having your pants tailored.

Leg Width: Trouser legs can be taken in from the bottom of the pockets down. Letting the pants out is usually not possible due to limited seam allowance. We prefer pants on the slimmer side, but this is again a matter of personal preference.

Cost: $25-35

Tip: Your trouser should fit with no ripples radiating from the crotch, pulling across the hip area or puckering down the seam. If this is the case, go a size or two up and tailor the pant in where needed.

Keep your eyes open for the next chapter of The Style Manual

The Style Manual: Suits 201

Feature image via DapperQ

Everywhere — from Paris catwalks to grocery store checkouts– is filled with ideas about how to dress. They’ve got rules and handsome men clones galore, but what do you do when they’re not talking to you? Sure you can ignore them, but even dapper queers, fancy bois and dandy ladies need some help now and then. With that in mind, Anita Dolce Vita of dapperQ rounded up some experts and set out to create a style guide for us.

Chapter 1: The Suit

Part 1: An Introduction To Suits

Part 2: Classic Rules, Sizing and Fit

Part 3: The Fashion Council Answers Your Questions

---

Suit Basics: The Universal Rules

Price

The suit is a staple of any wardrobe and certainly a quintessential piece of masculine attire. Invest, invest, invest! Invest in a great suit. Invest in great tailoring.

Color

If you are on a limited budget and can only afford one good suit, start with a dark color. You can add khakis and pastels as your income and suit knowledge grow. Some fashion experts will warn against the black suit, arguing that it lacks authenticity and wears too much like a uniform. Dapper grays and rich navy blues are the experts’ choice. In fact, most experts recommend that you own TWO medium weight suits that you can wear year-round: one gray and one navy blue. However, black does match with pretty much everything, and you can wear it with color and patters to add flare.

The Shoulder

Your jacket should not have too much padding, if any, and the seam should fall along the shoulder. If there is padding, it should not slide off the shoulder or create any bulging. Your shoulder should not be visible in the sleeve.

One of the biggest complaints dapperQs have is that the padding in menswear jackets often makes them look like a linebacker. You can have your tailor remove the padding, but this may cause the jacket to have a different structure and create an unflattering fit.

To avoid the linebacker look, Stephanie Garcia, assistant manager at Formally Modern Tuxedo, recommends buying a jacket one size smaller and wearing the jacket unbuttoned with a backless vest.

The Lapel

Look for midsized lapels that are not too wide or too narrow. Lapels should lay nice and flat across the chest, with no bulging or bowing. Many lapels have notches, which should sit high on the collarbone, close to your tie knot.

The Buttons

A single button suit will remove any confusion about which buttons should be buttoned and which buttons should remain unbuttoned. Only the middle button should be buttoned on a three-button suit, and only the top on a two-button suit. Buttons should fasten without leaving bulk fabric or, on the opposite end, causing fabric to pull.

The Waist

You may be tempted to avoid a fitted waist for fear it will look too feminine. But even masculine-presenting people should look for a jacket with a fitted waist to prevent a “boxy” look. Boxy look? Think George Kastanza.

The Jacket Length

Traditionally, when it comes to men’s suits, the bottom hem of your jacket should fall parallel to your knuckles or, in business speak, CYA. But this is an area where dapperQs have a great deal of leeway. (Notice the difference in jacket length between Ellen and SamRon’s jackets below.) Menswear blogs often note that this jacket length rule poses problem for short folks; if you don’t have long legs, wearing your jacket over your butt can make you look shorter and as if you’re a kid playing dress-up.

Women’s suit jackets, however, come in a variety of lengths. If you’re open to wearing them (think Katherine Moennig), you can adjust the jacket length to accentuate or minimize different parts of your body. For example, if you want to minimize your hips, purchase a jacket that falls just below or above your hips.

There ARE other differences between men’s and women’s suit jackets to keep in mind. Two major differences are the buttoning and cut. Men’s garments generally button left-over-right, while women’s garments generally button right-over-left. In terms of cut, women’s jackets tend to be more fitted in the waist in addition to varying in length.

The Shirt Cuff

The sleeve of your jacket should be just long enough to allow at least one quarter to one half inch of your shirt cuff to show.

The Trouser

Your trousers should sit on your natural waist just below your belly button — not low-rise or high-rise. A medium break is standard and there should never be too much fabric covering the shoe (only enough to cover the laces). Some fashion bloggers believe that if you don’t have some give in the shins and your pants hang straight down, they are probably too short. However, slim-fit, short break Euro-style suits are becoming more popular in the U.S. I know it’s only rock-n-roll, but I like it!

SIZING & FIT

Men’s suit sizes are denoted with a number and sometimes a word or a letter. For example, 40S or 40 Short, 40R or 40 Regular, and 40L or 40 Long. The number corresponds to your chest size, which is also your jacket size, and the letter or word corresponds with the jacket’s length, which will depend on your height.

Jacket

Here are some ballpark guidelines in terms of determining your jacket length:

Short (S): 5’5″ – 5’8″ tall

Regular (R): 5’9″ – 5’11” tall

Long (L): 6’0″ – 6’3″ tall

Extra-Long (XL): 6’4″ – 6’6″ tall

To measure your chest size:

1. Stand up straight with arms at your sides.

2. Measure the fullest part of your chest under the arms.

3. This number is your chest size and also corresponds to the number on jacket and suit sizes.

Trousers

What about the pants?  Ready-made suits have what is known as a “drop.” The pants sold with American made suits generally have a 6-inch drop, meaning that the pants are 6 inches smaller than the jacket size. So, the drop is the difference between the jacket and pant size. For example, if you’re a size 40 jacket, the pants sold with the jacket will have a 34-inch waist. So, um, if you’re big or small busted…do I hear the tailor calling again???? In fact, Esquire magazine points out the tough reality that holds true even for cisgender men:

“Are you a ‘drop-six’? If you are, you’re a suit maker’s dream: Your chest is six inches larger than your waist. You can wear anything. Sadly, most of us don’t live inside those ideal tailoring measurements.”

To measure your waist size:

1. Put one finger between your body and the tape measure to allow for seating and “eating” room.

2. Measure around where you normally wear your pants (about naval level or at the top of your hip bone).

Additional tips:

If you’re short and skinny…

Try thicker fabrics. If you’re open to it, try a women’s jacket. As previously mentioned, women’s jackets vary in length, so a shorter jacket will make your legs look loooooonger! But, be careful big busted daps; jackets that are too short can draw attention to your chest. Avoid all black (makes you appear even smaller) and extra padding (makes you look like a kid in your parents’ clothing).

If you’re short and stout…

Go with single vents; they keep your silhouette slim if you have the right sized jacket. The two-button closure creates a deeper V than a three-button closure and elongates the body. Avoid horizontal stripes and splitting your frame in half with mismatched suit jackets and trousers (e.g. a navy blue jacket with khaki dress pants).

If you’re tall and skinny…

You can get away with horizontal lines, longer jacket lengths, and three- button closures. Avoid tight suit jackets and short breaks, which can appear very “Pee-Wee Herman.” (Although, Thom Browne is bringing this look back.)

If you’re Big and Tall…

You want dark colors, straight cut pants, and clean lines. You can pull off longer jackets, especially if you want to minimize your bust and hips. Stay away from bold patterns, horizontal stripes, padding, and heavy fabrics.

And more about your butt, hips,  and bust…

You’ve heard it before and you’ll hear it again…tailoring! The key, however, is to fit the largest parts of your body first, and then have everything else taken in. Even if it looks ridiculous at first, remember that the tailor can fix it by removing excess fabric! The tailor can’t do as much in terms of “letting out” a suit that is too small; it creates creates lumps, bumps, and bulges all over.

Also, be sure you wear a proper fitting bra or binding for the coverage you are seeking when trying on suits and visiting your tailor for fittings.

Be sure to check back tomorrow for Part Three of The Suit

The Style Manual: Suits 101

Feature image via DapperQ

Everywhere — from Paris catwalks to grocery store checkouts — is filled with ideas about how to dress. They’ve got rules and handsome men clones galore, but what do you do when they’re not talking to you? Sure you can ignore them, but even dapper queers, fancy bois and dandy ladies need some help now and then. With that in mind, Anita Dolce Vita of dapperQ rounded up some experts and set out to create a style guide for us.

Chapter 1: The Suit

Part 1: An Introduction To Suits

Part 2: Classic Rules, Sizing and Fit

Part 3: The Fashion Council Answers Your Questions

---

The suit. It doesn’t get any more dapper. There’s a reason why the word power often precedes it. And, although it hangs dusty in many o’ closets waiting for events that call for conservative attire, it can be dressed down — think paired with sneakers — to give a casual feel, a la Ellen Degeneres.

Why is it, then, that so many masculine presenting genderqueers, transgender men, lesbians, bois, studs, AGs, doms, dykes, and butches (referred to from here on as dapperQs) feel so powerless when shopping for a suit?

Finding a good suit is a painstaking challenge for most people regardless of their gender presentation, sexual orientation, and personal taste. Most suit designers make their standard prototypes to fit models, not the average consumer. It’s unrealistic to expect mass produced suits to fit as if they are custom made; just as not all size 2s are the same, not all size 22s are the same. A few of us are lucky and can get away with building a substantial wardrobe without ever visiting a tailor. But the majority of us need a little help; we have to get comfortable with the idea of tailoring!

With that in mind, let’s take finding a good suit step by step.  We’ll start with definitions and “universal rules” (Queers are already used to breaking the rules, so feel free to break some more…just do it with style.) because, equipped with this information you can better advocate for yourself in shopping situations that are already stressful. Later on, a couple of members from our fashion council will answer some of your more specific questions.

+

Suitology 101: Vocabulary

+

Section 1. Interpreting the Dress Code on the Event Invite

+

Black Tie-Attire: This means it’s time to break out your tux. Stick with basic black and white.

Black Tie-Optional: You can opt for a dark suit instead of a tux. Black patent leather shoes are appropriate in this case. Those who feel like a million bucks in a tux can put theirs to good use because, as the invitation implies, the host expects that some guests will arrive in traditional black-tie attire.

Business: Suit. Dress shirt. Tie. Dress shoes. Period.

Business Casual: People generally only see the word “casual” on an invitation that calls for business casual. Do not arrive underdressed. This is not the time for your Old Navy polo shirt. Wear a crisp ironed dress shirt, dress trousers and dress shoes. Save the sneakers and jeans for the sports bar.

Cocktail Attire: This is not to be mistaken with business casual. Try business with a twist. Add some color or patterns to avoid looking like you just came from work, but do not overdo it.

Dressy Casual: Again, easy does it. Put away your sweatpants and baseball cap. Instead, this is the time for a button-down shirt, a tie (optional), a sports jacket or blazer, slacks, and loafers/wing tips/oxfords. If the invitation just says “casual,” you can even get away with jeans, dressy shorts (e.g. for a beach wedding), substituting the jacket with a pull-over sweater and exchanging loafers/wing tips/oxfords for a hip pair of sneakers.

Pop quiz: Is Sinclair Sexsmith wearing business, business casual, or dressy casual?

A: Depends on the season, the company’s dress code, the industry, and how dressy the bottoms are (e.g., jeans or dress trousers), according to fashion and etiquette gurus.

+

Section 2. What is What on a Suit

+

Lapels: Lapels are the upper folded flaps on a suit jacket.

Double-Breasted Suit: A double-breasted suit has two columns of buttons with two to three buttons per column. The jacket flaps have enough fabric to allow for buttoning with overlap on the left and right sides.

Single-Breasted Suit: A single-breasted suit has only one column of one to four buttons. The jacket flaps have just enough fabric to allow for buttoning with no overlap.

The Break: The break is the horizontal line created when your trousers, pants or jeans meet your shoes.  The three different types of breaks are short, medium, and full. Designers use different breaks, depending on the trend or look they are trying to sell. Overall, you want to go for a medium break if you don’t have a lot of money to buy multiple suits; it’s classic and prevents your pants from appearing too short or too long. With a medium break, your pants should hit midway between the top of your dress shoe and the top of your sole.  Your pants should hit your shoes with no more than an inch of fabric to spare.

Tuxedo:  The biggest question: What is the difference between a tuxedo and a suit? The simplest answer: The tuxedo jacket is more formal and typically adorned with satin trimmings. It should be paired with formal tuxedo shoes that are patent leather, not matte. You should avoid wearing a dress shirt with a pocket on the front with a tuxedo. Here’s Ellen and SamRo with their takes on the tux:

Stroller (AKA Stresemann, a director, or simply black lounge): A black or dark gray jacket, cut similar to a suit jacket but with peaked lapels, that you might wear to your own wedding. It is appropriate to wear if your wedding is a semi-formal daytime event. Strollers are always paired with striped or checked formal dress trousers, a gray or silver necktie and a waistcoat.

Vents: Vents are the slits on the lower back or side of a suit jacket that help the jacket hang better when in a seated position. There are non-vented jackets (rare), single-vented jackets (one center slit down the lower back side of the jacket) and double-vented jackets (a slit on each side of the bottom of the jacket).

Waistcoat: Short and sweet, it’s just another term for a vest.

Be sure to check back tomorrow for Suitology 102