How to Try On a Suit or Tuxedo

To check the fit, you need to know where to look. This guide will help you get the details right and make the most of your home try-on.

LET’S TRY IT ON.

Whether you have experience suiting up or not, we have a few tips for using your home try-on to check the most important part of the suit—the fit.

Ready to check it? Let’s get started.

âžť Start with a dress shirt and dress shoes.

To get an accurate fit, wear a dress shirt (a collared button-up) and a pair of dress shoes (to check the length of your pants).

âžť Check the shirt.

SHIRT NECK

Button your shirt all the way to the top. One or two fingers should fit comfortably between your neck and the shirt collar.

SHIRT BODY

You should have room to move without a lot of extra waistline fabric billowing out of your pants, but if the shirt fabric pulls around the buttons, your shirt is too tight.

Too big, perfect, too tight.

SHIRT SLEEVES

Your shirt sleeves should end right at your wrists—just covering the nubby wrist bone above each hand. Be sure to keep your arms down at your sides when you check the sleeve length.

Too long, perfect, too short.

âžť Try on the pants.

PANT WAIST

Suit pants are designed to sit up a little higher on the waist, with less stretch in the waist than casual pants or denim, but they shouldn’t be uncomfortably tight.

If the waist is a little loose, you can wear a belt (with suit pants) or adjust the waist (on tuxedo pants). Suspenders also work with both suit and tuxedo pants.

PANT LENGTH (INSEAM)

For a modern look, the pant fabric should only touch the tops of your shoes without creating much of a fold. If you have multiple folds of fabric, your pants are too long.

Suit Pants Fit
Too long, perfect, too short.

âžť Try on the jacket.

Suits and tuxedos are designed to have just one button fastened. If your suit has two buttons, only fasten the top button.

JACKET CHEST

The lapels of your jacket should lie flat against your chest. If they billow out when the jacket button is fastened, your jacket is too tight. If you can’t see any contour in your chest or waist, it’s probably a little big.

Too big, perfect, too tight.

Next check the jacket shoulders—they should end naturally at the point where your shoulder becomes your arm. If the jacket shoulders hang out far past your actual shoulders, your jacket chest size is too big.

JACKET LENGTH

Suit and tuxedo jackets come in different lengths. The body of the jacket should end around the middle of your seat. If the jacket hangs down past your seat it’s probably too long. If it ends up above your seat, it’s too short.

Too long, perfect, too short.

JACKET SLEEVES

Be sure to keep your arms relaxed at your sides. The jacket sleeves should end at your nubby wrist bone. If your jacket sleeves are the right length, you should see ¼” to ½” of shirt cuff peeking out underneath.

The perfect jacket sleeve length.

âžť Get a second opinion.

The mirror is great, but getting another perspective can help, too. Ask your partner or a friend to help you check the details when you try on your suit.

Photo by @sloanephoto_

ASK OUR EXPERTS

Need help with your home try-on? If your size isn’t quite right, we’ll help you fix it and make sure everything is ready for your event. You can share photos and get answers here.

For your photos:
Good lighting and head-to-toe framing help us help you, so make sure you’re standing up and your room is bright (natural lighting is usually best). Check out the image above for a great example.


Once you’re confident that your sizes are set, it’s time to reserve your look. Why? You have a lot going on, and once you complete checkout, we can help you manage the details—like sending out invitations to your wedding party, getting their outfits and sizes squared away, and making sure everyone is ready for your event.