The majority of my clients first come to me saying something like, "I can never find anything that fits right." So let's talk about why you might be getting clothing that doesn't fit you well.

First, realize the way it looks on the model will very rarely translate to how it will end up on you. Even if they are showing the actual item, which many times they are not, there is a lot of trickery involved at times - close pins and garment tape in all sorts of unique places, holding things in.

The way around this is to know the brand you're looking at and the way it fits. You do this by trying on the clothing (or having someone who knows how things will fit you).

Once you get a pulse on a brand, whether in-store or from buying their stuff online, you’ll know and then can keep buying from it.

To sum it up, website photos can’t be trusted much; you must find out for yourself.

Second, realize that the name of the fit will not dictate how the clothing will fit YOU. Let’s take pants, for example.

"Skinny Fit" or "Relaxed Fit" are all just terms the manufacturer uses and has no relation to how it will look on your body.

How could it? A lean long-distance runner's legs vs. a power lifter's legs will fill out a pair of pants entirely differently. It’s ridiculous to think "skinny" or "relaxed" fits of pants will look that way on every guy who wears them. They're simply labels used by the manufacturer.

I once was dressing an ex-football player - he was 6’6 and almost 275 pounds - a massive dude. He had been incorrectly buying Tall or "L" suit jacket sizes. His reasoning? "I’m tall."

Turns out, he actually fit best in a Short or "S" jacket. Most men would think, "Impossible! How could that be with a man who’s 6’6?"

By the time we got a jacket to fit over his massive body, the jacket was so large that the sleeve and body length were too long, and he needed a short jacket.

To sum it up, the label does not dictate how the clothing will fit you.

Third, you’re probably shopping at the wrong brands geographically. Clothing manufacturers make stuff based on their ideal buyer. They construct their stuff with a certain guy in mind, down to exact measurements.

Typically, this will be based on where the brand is geographically and the types of guys that live there.

For example, US heritage brands like Brooks Brothers will fit the typically American man holding a little more room in his midsection. A more European brand like Hugo Boss will fit the common European man with a smaller, slimmer build.

Instead of shaking your fist at the ill-fitting brands you’ve been trying, try to find brands that are building with your body shape in mind.

To sum it up, brands are building with a certain type of body shape in mind. Find the ones that are creating for your body. If you’re slimmer, shoot for more EU brands. If you’re larger, go for more US brands.

Finally, you’re likely not tailoring your items. You probably know you should, so I won’t lecture on the benefits. But the short of it is, a tailor can take almost anything you own and make it fit you much better.

It’s the secret sauce of menswear. All the great looking stylish celebrities you wish you could look like? All of that is tailored (trust me, I know).

I tailor about 50-60% of my wardrobe as a benchmark. You don’t have to do that much, but there are likely plenty of things you own that could look great with some adjustment.

Be picky. If something could be a little better, have a tailor make it so. Clothing is meant to be altered. How arrogant are you to expect that all clothing should fit your body type off the rack perfectly? The goal should be to get things as close as possible and then use a tailor to make it perfect.

Hope this helps.

x Patrick