HOW A QUALITY SUIT IS CONSTRUCTED

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When assessing the quality of a suit, it is important not only to consider the quality of the fabric used to make it, but also the way the garment is constructed.

First and foremost, let’s examine the jacket. Note that using glue is out of the question when it comes to making a quality suit. Department stores and fast-fashion brands will use glue to make the outer and inner layer of a suit jacket adhere to each other. Not only does it make for an overly stiff piece, it also prevents air circulation, retaining odour, and causing you to feel sweaty and uncomfortable.

A high quality suit jacket is either made of a half canvas or a full canvas. A suit canvas is what sits between the outer suit fabric and the inner lining of a suit jacket. The canvas is made up of canvassing material, usually wool and horsehair or camel hair. This is an unseen yet essential part of a quality suit, as it not only binds the inner and outer layers together, but also maintains the jacket’s structure and molds itself to your body overtime—providing an ever better fit.

The canvas is hand-stitched to the fabric loosely, allowing the jacket to move with your body and thus draping more naturally. A full-canvassed suit jacket has a canvas that spans across the entire front panels and lapels of a jacket. A half-canvassed suit jacket has a layer of canvas that extends from the shoulders to the chest. A full-canvassed suit is more expensive and is considered by some to be sturdier; a half-canvassed suit is less expensive and a little more flexible from the stomach down. What’s important, in either case, is the quality of materials used in making the canvas, as well as the quality of craftsmanship employed in building it.

The jacket lapels are padded by using stitches that combine multiple cloth pieces in a way that hold them in place, giving each lapel its shape, referred to as the lapel “roll”. This curl is situated at the point in which the lapel transitions into the chest area, and can only be achieved with high quality canvas stitched in a specific manner. The lapel roll is an essential part of any high quality suit jacket, helping the lapel lay on the chest as it should instead of slouching down in a cheap-looking way.

Pad stitching is also done with canvassing material at the collar. The shell cloth—the wool cloth placed on the outside layer of the collar—is joined with the canvas interlining, from the top of the shoulders down to the hem, providing stability to the piece. Shoulders are comprised of the best quality canvas to provide structure.

The inner lining of a jacket covers the front panels as well as the back, reducing friction and providing a thin, silky layer of breathable material around the body. Several useful pockets can be seamlessly included in the interior of the jacket as well.

Finally, all basting is removed during pressing and final preparation.

Now, let's discuss pants. There are several components that go into making a pair of quality suit trousers. High quality suit pants sometimes have an inner lining panel at the front of the leg, which should be either the same width as the leg, or slightly looser. The bottom of the lining should end before the pant cuff, and should be cut with pinking shears to soften the line and prevent it from showing. This lining panel at the front of the pant leg is not always necessary, but when it is there, it should be built as described above.

Well constructed trousers should have a piece of fabric under the fly that hides any inseam and adds some coverage. They should also have a strip of fabric at the front of the fly to hide the zipper, as well as curtain pleats on the inside front part of the pants. These curtain pleats are meant to cover the inlay at the top of the waistband.

Some suits have an adjustable strap instead of belt loops. When this is the case, there is an opening on each side of the waistband that lets a strap come through. This strap should be slightly narrower in width and be made up of the trouser fabric. It should be attached on both sides of the waist to buttons sown on the waistband. In some cases, small buckles are used instead of buttons. The important thing is this: in a well constructed pair of adjustable strap trousers, all the components described above should be seamlessly and elegantly integrated in the pants’ design.

It should be needless to say that, with your measurements provided, a well-constructed suit should fit to perfection.