[postmacj]

Hello all. I have recently lost 40 lbs and need to update my wardrobe to accommodate for the new size. My chest size is now 43 inches with a waist of 36 (instead of my previous waist size of 41 and chest of 44). I was wearing a 44 long suit/jacket sizing. Would I be able to tailor my old 44 long jackets down in the waist or do I need to look at moving down to a 42 long instead?


Thanks!!!

 

[SG_67]

Congratulations on your weight loss!

The general consensus is that most off the rack tailored clothing will/should have enough tolerance to go up or down 2 sizes; in other words a 44 long should be able to be tailored down to a 42 or up to a 46.

Beyond that the balance of the jacket gets thrown off. There are other factors that may weigh on your decision. Will the placement of the arm holes be to your liking? Will the sleeve be too roomy? The shoulders?

There’s more than just the waist suppression but you may want to consider the cost of a proper alteration, if possible, vs. new clothes.

 

[JBierly]

40 pounds is a lot. I suspect you will struggle with an alteration.

 

[postmacj]

The majority of it appears to have come around the waist. I went from a 40 to a 35/36 inch. A bit from the shoulders and the chest...maybe an inch or so there. My 44L blazer that had not been altered in any way still seems to fit well whereas before it was too tight when buttoning it up.

 

[Steve Smith]

Brooks Brothers sells suits, sport coats, and blazers in size 43 (as well as 41 and 45).

 

[icky thump]

1. Are you at your goal weight? If not, wait.
2. As someone who recently lost 60, size 50-42, buy new. For me, everything old got tossed, got some intermediate pieces, tossed, old and intermediate tailored pieces, tossed. Expensive proposition.

 

[Color 8]

I'm surprised that losing 40 lbs only brought you down 1" in the chest.

 

[medhat]

Congrats, 40# is a lot of change. It basically comes down to price vs starting anew, but if your body is still "shifting sands" then starting anew is an expensive proposition if you're going to be tailoring again shortly. I'd personally (and have gone this route) have my old stuff taken in, while at the same time expanding my wardrobe going forward. While this isn't cheap either, I'm making good use of my old stuff but have a complement of new clothes as well.

 

[Fading Fast]

First, congrats - great job losing weight, as I'm sure it wasn't easy.

A lot of good advice above - especially, waiting until you're secure you've settled into your new weight.

My only small add is to consider that alterations can be quite expensive - especially because, I'm guessing, you'll need some pretty extensive ones and, usually, extensive alterations are rarely perfect, i.e., you might like, but probably won't love, the results.

Hence, once you are at your "permanent" weight, I'd take a hard look at what you have in your wardrobe, how much of that you really want, how much of that can be truly altered to a very good result and how much all of that will cost. Then, compare that to buying a new - proabably, smaller - wardrobe to start.

You also, as noted in above posts, might want to do some combination to "bridge the gap." Hence, alter a few things to keep you going and add new over time.

 

[postmacj]

Thanks for the advice everyone.

As for losing only 1" in the chest, it is actually more like 2 to 3, but I was squeezing into what I had

Not sure how much lower I will go. I went from 230 to 188. For someone 6' 2" tall, 180 would be the lowest I would want to go. Anything lower and I will start to look "skin and bone".