thought I would send a suggestion to What Not To Wear but

[donsu]

couldn't find any way to do that on their site. so ...

I'll throw it out here:

from watching men in suits on c-span's programs, it would seem that most of them wear ill fitting suit jackets. they look fine when the wearer is standing up but they bunch around the shoulders/neck when they are sitting down.

shoulder pads may be the culprits but I'm thinking that the sales people that fit the suits don't know their stuff. They want to look broad shouldered but instead they look ... messy.

any of you notice this?

I know, I know, who cares. but the guys who wear proper fitting suits appear better.

(also wish the women appearing on c-span shows would KEEP THEIR HAIR FROM HANGING ACROSS THEIR EYES, it's so distracting)

all of the above is trivia but interesting.

[Left Is Write]

1. I don't watch C-span, but I do agree with you about poorly fitted jackets.

They can make an otherwise great suit look awful.

[Shakespeare]

2. You're right. Most people aren't aware of the importance of a tailor.

And unless you're having a brazillion things fitted, it's really not that expensive. You're already spending a nice chunk of money on a suit--why not spend just a little bit more and have it tailored so that it actually LOOKS good?

I've noticed that the hosts of What Not to Wear emphasize on nearly every show the importance of having your clothes tailored. It really does make a difference (and it doesn't have to be somebody fancy--most dry cleaners have a good tailor on staff).

[Bridget Burke]

3. Mom said that in The Old Days (1940's-50's)....

Stores would "tailor" women's clothes--free.

You know, the skirt that was a bit too long. The jacket that gapped in the back...

[Patiod]

4. Tell them that every woman under 35 doesn't need

pointy high-heeled shoes. I blame Stacy for that --- she always tells people how much better they make "the leg" look.

Jeez! what happened to being allowed to wear something flat and comfy, at least once in a while. Glad I'm old enough and in the right business that I can wear what I want. My tootsies couldn't deal with 7 days a week of high heeled pointy shoes.

[Spider Jerusalem]

5. Part of the problem...

is that an off-the-rack suit is designed to fit as many different body types as possible, and some men are hard to fit properly without either custom tailoring or extensive alterations. Not to mention that an off-the-rack jacket has armholes which are quite a bit larger than they need to be (again to fit as many different body types as possible), and this results in the bottom of the jacket and collar going UP when the wearer raises his arms, because of the poor fit.